Other Titles

Spirituality Practices to Enhance Nurse Resiliency [Title Slide]

Abstract

Relevance/Significance: Healthcare environments are complex exposing nurses to demanding workloads, staff turnover as well as personal stress. Resilience can help new nurses withstand the emotional stress of the workplace and improve nurse retention (Chaing et al., 2021). Evidence suggests that Spirituality Training provides resources to support clinical nurses’ use of spirituality within hospital settings to help diffuse stress, build resiliency and enhance patient outcomes (Chaing et al., 2021; Caton, 2021). Often nurses are not adequately prepared to provide spiritual care.

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice, EBP, project is to provide an educational structure using Spirituality Training to enhance clinical nurses’ understanding of spiritual dimensions of nursing practice and resilience.

Methods: This EBP project created an evidence-based Spirituality intervention that articulates an innovative approach to promote resilience among nurses working within acute care clinical settings. The education intervention used the Auctioning Spirituality and Spiritual care Education and Training, (ASSET) model to provide framework and content to enhance spiritual practices with individuals in hospital settings. The ASSET model enhances self awareness, improves spirituality practices, and increases spiritual dimensions of nursing practice (Narayanasamy,1999). Reflective strategies were also integrated into the educational intervention to support and enhance participant learning. A pre-post test study design was used to collect data before and after the educational intervention. Two valid and reliable tools were used to measure participants’ spirituality knowledge and practices (Oxhandler, 2019) and resilience (Wagnild & young, 1993). The sample included bedside nurses working in acute care clinical settings. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Content analysis was used for qualitative data to generate themes.

Results: Evidence suggests it is necessary to utilize strategies to build resiliency in clinical nurses. All participants (100%) reported training was highly effective to enhance spiritual practices in clinical settings and increase participants understanding of spirituality within nursing practice. Results indicate spirituality education is effective to improve participants spirituality knowledge (p< .03) and spirituality implementation with individuals in their care (p< .01). Participant’s resilience scores also improved (p.04). There were 3 themes identified from qualitative data: 1) Improved connections with patient 2) Enhanced self-awareness 3) Increased knowledge of spiritual practices. Qualitative data from participants highlighted; helped to recognize self awareness to enhance ability to connect with patients, enhanced spiritual practices, acknowledged spiritual connections.

Conclusions: Spirituality educational intervention provides resources to support clinical nurses’ use of spirituality within hospital settings to help diffuse stress and enhance patient outcomes. The ASSET model enhances self awareness, improves spirituality practices, and increases spiritual dimensions of nursing practice.

Notes

References:   Chiang, Y. C., Lee, H. C., Chu, T. L., Wu, C. L., & Hsiao, Y. C. (2021). The relationship between spiritual health, health-promoting behaviors, depression and resilience: A longitudinal study of new nurses. Nurse education in practice, 56, 103219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103219
Caton M. T. (2021). The impact of spirituality, social support, and self-esteem on the resilience of Haitian nurses: Implications for nursing education. Archives of psychiatric nursing, 35(2), 206–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2020.08.006

Narayanasamy A. (1999). ASSET: a model for actioning spirituality and spiritual care education and training in nursing. Nurse education today, 19(4), 274–285. https://doi.org/10.1054/nedt.1999.0637

Oxhandler, H. K. (2019). Revalidating the Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale with five helping professions. Research on Social Work Practice, 29(2), 223-233. doi: 10.1177/1049731516669592

Wagnild, G., & Young, H. (1993). Development and psychometric evaluation of the Resilience Scale. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 1(2), 165–178.

Description

Evidence suggests that Spirituality Training provides resources to support clinical nurses’ use of spirituality within hospital settings to help diffuse stress, build resiliency, and enhance patient outcomes. Often nurses are not adequately prepared to provide spiritual care.

Author Details

Anna Cerra, RN, DNP, MSN, MSHA, FAAN

Sigma Membership

Alpha Mu

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Descriptive/Correlational

Research Approach

Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice

Keywords:

Spirituality, Hardiness, Spirituality -- Education, Occupational Stress, Health Facilities, Hospital Nursing Staff

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

2026-02-19

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Spirituality Educational Intervention to Enhance Nurse Resiliency

Washington, DC, USA

Relevance/Significance: Healthcare environments are complex exposing nurses to demanding workloads, staff turnover as well as personal stress. Resilience can help new nurses withstand the emotional stress of the workplace and improve nurse retention (Chaing et al., 2021). Evidence suggests that Spirituality Training provides resources to support clinical nurses’ use of spirituality within hospital settings to help diffuse stress, build resiliency and enhance patient outcomes (Chaing et al., 2021; Caton, 2021). Often nurses are not adequately prepared to provide spiritual care.

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice, EBP, project is to provide an educational structure using Spirituality Training to enhance clinical nurses’ understanding of spiritual dimensions of nursing practice and resilience.

Methods: This EBP project created an evidence-based Spirituality intervention that articulates an innovative approach to promote resilience among nurses working within acute care clinical settings. The education intervention used the Auctioning Spirituality and Spiritual care Education and Training, (ASSET) model to provide framework and content to enhance spiritual practices with individuals in hospital settings. The ASSET model enhances self awareness, improves spirituality practices, and increases spiritual dimensions of nursing practice (Narayanasamy,1999). Reflective strategies were also integrated into the educational intervention to support and enhance participant learning. A pre-post test study design was used to collect data before and after the educational intervention. Two valid and reliable tools were used to measure participants’ spirituality knowledge and practices (Oxhandler, 2019) and resilience (Wagnild & young, 1993). The sample included bedside nurses working in acute care clinical settings. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Content analysis was used for qualitative data to generate themes.

Results: Evidence suggests it is necessary to utilize strategies to build resiliency in clinical nurses. All participants (100%) reported training was highly effective to enhance spiritual practices in clinical settings and increase participants understanding of spirituality within nursing practice. Results indicate spirituality education is effective to improve participants spirituality knowledge (p< .03) and spirituality implementation with individuals in their care (p< .01). Participant’s resilience scores also improved (p.04). There were 3 themes identified from qualitative data: 1) Improved connections with patient 2) Enhanced self-awareness 3) Increased knowledge of spiritual practices. Qualitative data from participants highlighted; helped to recognize self awareness to enhance ability to connect with patients, enhanced spiritual practices, acknowledged spiritual connections.

Conclusions: Spirituality educational intervention provides resources to support clinical nurses’ use of spirituality within hospital settings to help diffuse stress and enhance patient outcomes. The ASSET model enhances self awareness, improves spirituality practices, and increases spiritual dimensions of nursing practice.