Mission Caritas: Developing an Evidence-Based Training and Mentoring Curriculum for Nurse Residents

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Caring Science
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• New graduate nurses face significant stress transitioning to practice.
• High stress levels increase risks for burnout and workforce attrition.
• Nurse residency programs aim to support new graduates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a Caritas-based training and mentoring protocol for new graduate nurses.
• To assess the protocol's impact on nurse well-being and professional development.
• To determine the feasibility of integrating caring science into nurse residency programs.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental evaluation design.
• Implementation of a Caritas-based protocol within a nurse residency program.
• Three structured mentoring sessions focused on caring, reflection, and self-care.

Main Results:

• High participant satisfaction reported.
• Residents perceived strong applicability of Caritas principles.
• Significant engagement with reflective learning activities observed.

Conclusions:

• Integrating caring science into nurse residency education is feasible.
• The protocol shows potential for supporting nurse well-being and professional identity.
• This strategy may positively influence nurse retention factors.