Abstract
Burnout due to workload and work-life imbalance is reducing nursing capacity in Maryland and nationally. Faculty and staff burnout rate is 40% and new graduate nurse turnover rate is 19%. The R3: Renewal, Resilience and Retention Initiative (R3) is an educational initiative to build nurses' resilience and increase their well-being that will help sustain the workforce and bridge the gap between education and practice. Many sound initiatives have addressed this shortage which primarily focus on pipeline entry by increasing (a) enrollment in nursing programs and (b) the number of nursing faculty. Fewer initiatives have targeted the other side of the equation -- the many nurses who leave the profession prematurely in education. Unless we staunch this outflow, efforts to add to the supply of new nurses will face an uphill battle, leaving the overall problem unresolved. The R3 program involves 8 schools of nursing, 5 hospitals and a 36 member Nurse Residency Collaborative within Maryland.
R3 prepares faculty to model and deliver resiliency, well-being, and ethical practice content for themselves and in prelicensure curricula. In order to authentically teach content related to resilience and well-being, faculty must model and practice the tools and skills themselves while bolstering their own resilience. Participants participate in a blended in-person and on-line curriculum, along with peer to peer practice partner sessions, zoom sessions and daily technology enabled practices. Course materials are available through a Learning Management System as well as guided application and coaching. An extensive set of 38 assets that support the R3 model are developed and available for integration in nursing curricula and faculty use. Topics include mindfulness, breathing, values, moral compass, integrity, ethics, self-stewardship, communication, feedback learning environments, emotional intelligence and two computer based simulations. The assets provide actionable strategies to support specific areas of the Ethical and Healthy Workplace model. R3 participants also have access to one-on-one coaching as they adopt new practices and will participate in their cohort's learning Community of Practice.
Results include workshop evaluation, identification of impactful components, intent to continue and use materials, and integration in nursing curricula by selected programs. Future directions and implications for expansion and sustainability are explored.
Notes
Presenter published article on same topic:
Hughes, V., D’Aoust, R., Swoboda, S. M., Hudson, K. W., Hanson, G. C., Wright, E., & Rushton, C. H. (2026). Evaluation of a program to build resilience, renewal, and retention in nursing faculty. Teaching & Learning in Nursing, 21(1), 46–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2025.10.008
References:
Bittner, N.P. & Bechtel, C.F. (2017). Identifying and Describing Nurse Faculty Workload Issues: A Looming Faculty Shortage. Nursing Education Perspectives, 38(4):171-176.
National Academy of Medicine, Science & Engineering. (2019). Taking Action against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being Report, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2019 https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-information/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage
Rushton CH, Sharma M. (2018) Designing Sustainable Systems for Ethical Practice. In: Rushton C, ed. Moral Resilience: Transforming Moral Suffering in Healthcare. New York, NY: Oxford University Press:206-242.
Sigma Membership
Nu at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Program Evaluation, Hardiness, Personnel Retention, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Education
Recommended Citation
Rushton, Cynda Hylton; Hughes, Vickie; Hudson, Krysia Warren; Swoboda, Sandra; Wright, Erin; Reller, Nancy; Hanson, Ginger; and D'Aoust, Rita F., "An Innovative Program: R3 Renewal, Resilience and Retention for Nursing Practice Starts in Nursing Education" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 105.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/105
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-03-02
Funder(s)
Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission
An Innovative Program: R3 Renewal, Resilience and Retention for Nursing Practice Starts in Nursing Education
Washington, DC, USA
Burnout due to workload and work-life imbalance is reducing nursing capacity in Maryland and nationally. Faculty and staff burnout rate is 40% and new graduate nurse turnover rate is 19%. The R3: Renewal, Resilience and Retention Initiative (R3) is an educational initiative to build nurses' resilience and increase their well-being that will help sustain the workforce and bridge the gap between education and practice. Many sound initiatives have addressed this shortage which primarily focus on pipeline entry by increasing (a) enrollment in nursing programs and (b) the number of nursing faculty. Fewer initiatives have targeted the other side of the equation -- the many nurses who leave the profession prematurely in education. Unless we staunch this outflow, efforts to add to the supply of new nurses will face an uphill battle, leaving the overall problem unresolved. The R3 program involves 8 schools of nursing, 5 hospitals and a 36 member Nurse Residency Collaborative within Maryland.
R3 prepares faculty to model and deliver resiliency, well-being, and ethical practice content for themselves and in prelicensure curricula. In order to authentically teach content related to resilience and well-being, faculty must model and practice the tools and skills themselves while bolstering their own resilience. Participants participate in a blended in-person and on-line curriculum, along with peer to peer practice partner sessions, zoom sessions and daily technology enabled practices. Course materials are available through a Learning Management System as well as guided application and coaching. An extensive set of 38 assets that support the R3 model are developed and available for integration in nursing curricula and faculty use. Topics include mindfulness, breathing, values, moral compass, integrity, ethics, self-stewardship, communication, feedback learning environments, emotional intelligence and two computer based simulations. The assets provide actionable strategies to support specific areas of the Ethical and Healthy Workplace model. R3 participants also have access to one-on-one coaching as they adopt new practices and will participate in their cohort's learning Community of Practice.
Results include workshop evaluation, identification of impactful components, intent to continue and use materials, and integration in nursing curricula by selected programs. Future directions and implications for expansion and sustainability are explored.
Description
Renewal, Resilience and Retention Initiative (R3) is an educational initiative for nurses' resilience and well-being to bridge the gap between education and practice. R3 prepares faculty for resiliency, well-being, and ethical practice content. Thirty-eight assets are available for integration in nursing curricula to support the Ethical and Healthy Workplace Model.