Burnout and Resilience Among Nurses Practicing in High-Intensity Settings
Cynda Hylton Rushton1, Joyce Batcheller2, Kaia Schroeder2
1Cynda Hylton Rushton is the Anne and George Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics, a professor of nursing and pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University, Berman Institute of Bioethics and School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland. Joyce Batcheller is president, CNO Solutions, Austin, Texas, and former senior vice president/systems chief nursing officer, Seton Healthcare Network, Austin, Texas. Kaia Schroeder is a former staff educator in critical care, Seton Healthcare Network. Pamela Donohue is an associate professor in pediatrics and director of clinical research, Division of Neonatology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, and Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children's Center, Baltimore, Maryland. crushto1@jhu.edu.
High stress in nurses causes burnout and moral distress. Enhancing nurse resilience through strategies like mindfulness can improve well-being and retention.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Occupational Health
- Psychology
Background:
- High stress levels in nursing contribute to moral distress, burnout, and negative health outcomes.
- These issues negatively impact nurse well-being and job satisfaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To support healthy work environments for nurses.
- To design a project enhancing nurse resilience, improving retention, and reducing turnover.
Main Methods:
- Phase 1 utilized a cross-sectional survey of 114 nurses in high-intensity units.
- Six survey tools assessed nurse characteristics, burnout, moral distress, and resilience.
- Statistical analysis identified associations between variables and predictors of burnout.
Main Results:
- Moral distress significantly predicted burnout; resilience strongly correlated with reduced burnout.
- Higher resilience protected against emotional exhaustion and enhanced personal accomplishment.
- Spiritual and physical well-being, meaning in patient care, and hope influenced burnout and resilience.
Conclusions:
- Findings support a phase 2 intervention to cultivate renewal strategies for nurses.
- Mindfulness practices and personal resilience plans are key components of the intervention.
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