Reducing Staff Turnover and Clinician Burnout With a Structured Support Group During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Retention and burnout have always been a challenge for nurse leaders, but the pandemic brought these concerns to a whole new level. And now the Great Resignation is affecting health care. So how can nurse leaders at hospitals and health care systems create a supportive environment for staff during a public health emergency? Structured support groups are a viable option for emphasizing self-care and wellness. We explain why we decided to form a structured support group for our intensive care unit nurses and illustrate the results from our clinical research team. In addition, we share feedback we received from participating nurses and offer advice on forming a structured support group in acute care settings. This strategy resulted in a change in the participant's behaviors after attending the structured emotional support group. This finding aligns with the literature, which supports strategies to protect nurses' mental well-being and to take preventive measures in critical situations. Using this as a foundation, a structured emotional support group can change nurse engagement and involvement in their process and practice, during times of crisis. Many other benefits could be realized from this strategy such as improved nursing practice and processes, improved nurse satisfaction, and improved recruitment and retention.