Shift Type and Resilience Training Effect on Nurse Outcomes

Nursing shift work disrupts circadian rhythms, negatively impacting physical and mental health. Night shift workers face the added challenge of shift work disorder. Resilience training may help mitigate these effects and improve perceived organizational support.

We aimed to examine the effect of the Community Resilience Model^® training on outcomes (ie, perception of organizational support, resilience, burnout, distress, and intention to leave) among shift workers at an academic medical center while exploring differences in demographics, work characteristics, and outcomes by shift type (day vs night).

Training was offered to all nursing roles. Work characteristics, demographics, and nurse outcomes were collected via an online survey. Binomial logistic regressions were conducted for all outcomes.

Of our sampling (N = 878), 52.6% were nurse staff, 23% usually worked night shifts, and 28% attended training. Night shift workers reported significantly lower perceptions of organizational support (P = .03) and resilience (P = .005). Over 55% of night shift workers reported burnout compared to 45% of day shift workers. Sixty-three percent of night and 51% of day shift workers were distressed (P = .002). Training attendees reported significantly higher perceptions of organizational support. Participants reporting higher perceived organizational support also reported less burnout, distress, and intention to leave.

Participants in resilience training rated higher perceptions of organizational support, particularly among night shift workers, who reported lower support, resilience, and higher burnout and distress. These results suggest that resilience training may benefit night shift workers by enhancing support and reducing negative outcomes.