Resilience and Coping After Hospital Mergers
Cynthia Russo1, Oriana Calo, Georgia Harrison
1Author Affiliations: Clinical Nurse Specialist (Ms Russo), Medical Surgical Units, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, NJ; and Clinical Nurse Educator (Dr Calo), Cardiac Pavilion, and Clinical Nurse Educator (Dr Harrison), Critical Care, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Somerville, NJ; Woman's/Children's Clinical Nurse Specialist (Dr Mahoney) Kean University, Union; and Assistant Vice President (Dr Zavotsky), The Center for Professional Development, Innovation and Research, RWJBarnabas Southern Region, New Brunswick, NJ.
Frontline nurses who use positive coping strategies report higher resilience during healthcare system mergers. Encouraging healthy coping mechanisms can improve nurse resilience in changing healthcare environments.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Healthcare Management
- Organizational Psychology
Background:
- Hospital mergers are prevalent in the contemporary healthcare landscape.
- Mergers present opportunities for nurses to develop and utilize effective coping strategies.
- Resilience is crucial for nurses navigating organizational changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between resilience and coping mechanisms in frontline nurses.
- To examine how a recent healthcare system merger impacts nurse resilience and coping.
- To understand the influence of positive coping strategies on nurse resilience.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous, quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive study design.
- Electronic survey distributed to all nurses within a 3-hospital system.
- Data collection focused on resilience levels and coping strategy utilization.
Main Results:
- Nurses reporting positive coping strategies demonstrated higher levels of resilience.
- Significant variation in resilience levels was observed across different hospital campuses.
- The campus with the most recent merger experience reported the highest nurse resilience.
Conclusions:
- Encouraging positive coping strategies may enhance nurse resilience during workplace changes.
- Clinical nurse specialists and educators can foster healthy coping and support resilience.
- Maintaining high nurse resilience is vital for the current healthcare environment.
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