Other Titles
PechaKucha Presentation
Abstract
Recent studies convey a lack of work-life balance in nurse faculty (Boamah, 2022; Moyer, 2022). Work-life imbalance has been shown to increase anxiety, depression, and burnout, negatively impacting productivity as lines blur between work and home environment responsibilities (Farber et al., 2023). Clinicians who perceive workplace support for well-being tend to have better mental and physical health outcomes (Melnyk et al., 2021a; Melnyk, et al., 2021b). To diminish the issues of job-related stressors, academic institutions should provide support to bolster faculty and staff well-being.
Therefore, nursing faculty and staff were invited to participate in a wellness initiative on self-care practices and techniques. At the first wellness offering, participants were invited to complete a survey. The data collection form allowed organizers to:
- Appraise the current workplace environment.
- Describe participants’ level of self-care and intended use of demonstrated techniques.
- Gauge type and frequency of future offerings.
Data collection included the Mini Z survey, a tool with documented validity evidence in studies aimed at understanding participants’ workplace environment (Institute for Professional Worklife©).
The initial educational event had a total of thirty participants, with 73% of attendees as nursing faculty for the program. Seventy percent of the participants stated they were experiencing stress with their current position with a busy, but reasonable atmosphere. Eighty-two percent of the participants would appreciate a monthly event showcasing wellness strategies. Of the self-care strategies offered at the first educational event, those prominent areas participants would like to integrate into their personal routine were setting boundaries, meditation, and yoga.
Results informed decisions on future programming and structures to support wellness. Ongoing data have shown the impact of targeted changes to enhance self-care and perceptions of workplace support for wellness. The overall goal for this wellness initiative is to broadly disseminate evidence-based strategies to reduce faculty and staff burnout and improve wellness, which has become imperative on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation will report on perceptions of wellness and desired self-care practices of nursing faculty and staff, working in a large midwestern university.
Notes
References:
Boamah, S. A. (2022). Investigating the work–life experiences of nursing faculty in Canadian academic settings and the factors that influence their retention: Protocol for a mixed-method study. BMJ open, 12(1), e056655. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056655
Farber, J., Payton, C., Dorney, P., & Colancecco, E. (2023). Work-life balance and professional quality of life among nurse faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Professional Nursing, 46, 92-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.03.005
Melnyk, B. M., Tan, A., Hsieh, A. P., Gawlik, K., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Braun, L. T., Dunbar, S., Dunbar-Jacobs, J., Lewis, L., Millan, A., Orsolini, L., Robbins, L., Russell, C.,Tucker, S., & Wilbur, J. (2021a). Critical care nurses’ physical and mental health, worksite wellness support, and medical errors. American Journal of Critical Care, 30(3), 176-184. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2021301
Melnyk, B. M., Hsieh, A. P., Tan, A., Gawlik, K. S., Hacker, E. D., Ferrell, D., Simpson, V., Burda, C., Hagerty, B., Scott, L., Holt, J., Gampetro, P., Farag, A., Glogocheski, S., & Badzek, L. (2021). The state of mental health and healthy lifestyle behaviors in nursing, medicine and health sciences faculty and students at Big 10 Universities with implications for action. Journal of professional nursing, 37(6), 1167-1174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.10.007
Moyer, S. M. (2022). Work-life balance of nursing faculty: A scoping review. Nursing Education Perspectives, 43(4), 211-216. doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000952
Sigma Membership
Alpha
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Well-being, Nursing Faculty, Workforce, Stress Reduction, Self-care Practices
Recommended Citation
Opsahl, Angela G.; Embree, Jennifer L.; and Wonder, Amy Hagedorn, "Enhancing Professional Well-Being Through Implementation of a Wellness Initiative in Nursing Academia" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 5.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/5
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
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
2026-02-10
Enhancing Professional Well-Being Through Implementation of a Wellness Initiative in Nursing Academia
Washington, DC, USA
Recent studies convey a lack of work-life balance in nurse faculty (Boamah, 2022; Moyer, 2022). Work-life imbalance has been shown to increase anxiety, depression, and burnout, negatively impacting productivity as lines blur between work and home environment responsibilities (Farber et al., 2023). Clinicians who perceive workplace support for well-being tend to have better mental and physical health outcomes (Melnyk et al., 2021a; Melnyk, et al., 2021b). To diminish the issues of job-related stressors, academic institutions should provide support to bolster faculty and staff well-being.
Therefore, nursing faculty and staff were invited to participate in a wellness initiative on self-care practices and techniques. At the first wellness offering, participants were invited to complete a survey. The data collection form allowed organizers to:
- Appraise the current workplace environment.
- Describe participants’ level of self-care and intended use of demonstrated techniques.
- Gauge type and frequency of future offerings.
Data collection included the Mini Z survey, a tool with documented validity evidence in studies aimed at understanding participants’ workplace environment (Institute for Professional Worklife©).
The initial educational event had a total of thirty participants, with 73% of attendees as nursing faculty for the program. Seventy percent of the participants stated they were experiencing stress with their current position with a busy, but reasonable atmosphere. Eighty-two percent of the participants would appreciate a monthly event showcasing wellness strategies. Of the self-care strategies offered at the first educational event, those prominent areas participants would like to integrate into their personal routine were setting boundaries, meditation, and yoga.
Results informed decisions on future programming and structures to support wellness. Ongoing data have shown the impact of targeted changes to enhance self-care and perceptions of workplace support for wellness. The overall goal for this wellness initiative is to broadly disseminate evidence-based strategies to reduce faculty and staff burnout and improve wellness, which has become imperative on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation will report on perceptions of wellness and desired self-care practices of nursing faculty and staff, working in a large midwestern university.
Description
To diminish the issues of job-related stressors, academic institutions should provide support to bolster faculty and staff well-being. This presentation will report on perceptions of wellness and desired self-care practices of nursing faculty and staff, working in a large Midwestern university.