Building Moral Resiliency Through the Nurse Education and Support Team Initiative

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Ethics in Medicine

Background:

• Pediatric intensive and progressive care nurses face significant moral and ethical challenges.
• Previous research highlighted the need for enhanced support systems for these nurses.
• A call to action was issued to address these practice environment difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of implementing a Nurse Education and Support Team (NEST) coach role.
• To evaluate staff satisfaction with the NEST coach role.
• To provide just-in-time support for nurses experiencing ethical dilemmas.

Main Methods:

• An interdisciplinary work group developed the NEST coach role for peer-to-peer support.
• The role was implemented in pediatric intensive and progressive care units.
• Feasibility was measured by consultation data; satisfaction was assessed via surveys at 6 months and 1.5 years post-implementation.

Main Results:

• Over 6,000 NEST coach consultations were conducted between January 2017 and November 2019.
• More than 85% of respondents reported satisfaction with NEST coach interactions.
• Nearly 80% of nurses indicated they would seek NEST coach consultation again.

Conclusions:

• The NEST coach role effectively provides crucial just-in-time support for pediatric nurses.
• The high number of consultations and positive feedback demonstrate successful integration into practice.
• This innovative role addresses moral and ethical challenges, enhancing the nursing practice environment.