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RESET: Pilot Program to Mitigate Nurse Burnout [Title Slide]

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PechaKucha Presentation

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shaped alarming healthcare trends, including plummeting nurse engagement and retention along with skyrocketing reports of burnout. In response, a community hospital in Colorado launched the RESET (acronym for Resilience, Empathy and Support for Employees and Teams) pilot program to create customized individual, team and organization-wide interventions to foster optimal well-being of all staff. A multidisciplinary RESET team collected data from various departments, and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) survey administered to nurses on the two medical-surgical units revealed the highest frequency of nurses (59% in one unit and 41% on the other) were experiencing moderate levels of burnout. These nursing units became 2023 focus areas for RESET. Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion and depersonalization has been shown to impact patient care and safety. Root causes of burnout are suboptimal working conditions, such as a heavy workload, incivility and unsupportive leadership. The RESET Team implemented a multifaceted approach to cultivate increased social support, determined to be the best antidote to burnout. Evidence-based practices for creating a psychologically safe and supportive environment incorporate concepts of gratitude and recognition, self-compassion, storytelling and clear communication. Through RESET, multiple levels of nurse leaders participate in leadership training, gratitude/recognition initiatives are employed, nurses are engaging in self-compassion education sessions, and a podcast by, for and about staff members has released several episodes. Mindfulness practices designed to regulate nurses’ nervous systems (optimizing the brain’s ability to think rationally and access compassion) are woven into requested supportive education on conflict resolution and ethical dilemmas. These intense topics are offset by humor, another key aspect of well-being, offered through monthly “RESET at Recess” activities revolving around fun and self-care. All RESET interventions have been shared with the night shift, typically an overlooked, yet critical component of staffing. Assessment of RESET’s effectiveness is ongoing, but preliminary data indicate increased frequency in the low burnout category of ProQOL compared to the moderate level. Night shift participation in RESET surveys suggest increased engagement. Subjective comments from nursing staff obtained through leader rounding demonstrate nurse appreciation for a program that recognizes and prioritizes their humanity.

Notes

Slide deck contains author's notes.

References:
Melnyk, B.M.(2022). Shifting from burnout cultures to wellness cultures to improve nurse/clinician well-being and healthcare safety: Evidence to guide change. World News on Evidence-Based Nursing, 19(2), 84-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12575

Dyrbye, L, West, C.P., Johnson, P.O., et al. (2019). Burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration among nurses. JOEM, 61(8), 689-698. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001637

Sarazine, J, Heitschmidt, M, Vondracek, H, et al. (2021). Mindfulness workshops effects on nurses’ burnout, stress, and mindfulness skills. Holistic Nursing Practice, 35(1), 10-18. https://doi.org/10.1097/HNP.0000000000000378

Orru, G, Marzetti, F, Conversano, C, et al. (2021). Secondary traumatic stress and burnout in health care workers during Covid-19 outbreak. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(1), 337-350. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010337

Murthy, Vivek. (2022). Addressing health worker burnout. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Thriving Health Workforce. 1-76.

Studer, Q. (2022). The Calling: Why Healthcare is So Special. The Gratitude Group Publishing.

Luberto C.M., Hall D.L., Park E.R., Haramati A, Cotton S. (2020) A perspective on the similarities and differences between mindfulness and relaxation. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2164956120905597

Titova, L., Sheldon, K.M. (2021): Happiness comes from trying to make others feel good, rather than oneself. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(3), 341-355. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.1897867

Rehder, K, Adair, K, Sexton, J.B. (2021). The science of health care worker burnout: Assessing and improving health care worker well-being. Arch Pathol Lab Med, 145(9), 1095-1109. https://doi.org/10.5858/arpa.2020-0557-ra

Description

Burnout in nurses accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in devastating consequences for the nursing profession and the quality of patient care. RESET (acronym for Resilience, Empathy and Support for Employees and Teams), a program comprised of evidence-based well-being practices, provides a promising antidote.

Author Details

Karen E. Vizyak, MSPT - physical therapist for 28 years and Physical Medicine Hospital Director at Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, Colorado for eight years, serves as a Resilience Integration Specialist leading the innovative RESET program to promote optimal staff well-being. Karen has presented mind-body and well-being workshops at numerous healthcare events, including APTA and CHSA conferences. She has also taught adaptive yoga and mindfulness practices to chronic pain patients.

Andrea K. Moore, MBA, MSN, RN - Andrea Moore is a Director of Nursing at Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, Colorado. She is a native to Colorado and enjoys being outdoors with her two boys, husband, and dog. Andrea has been an organizer, speaker, and MC at Colorado Emergency Nurses Associations events for the last four years. Andrea is excited to present the innovative RESET Program that was created at Platte Valley.

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Other

Research Approach

Pilot/Exploratory Study

Keywords:

Burnout, Well-Being, Workforce, Resilience

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

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RESET (Resilience, Empathy and Support for Employees and Teams): Pilot Program to Mitigate Nurse Burnout

Washington, DC, USA

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shaped alarming healthcare trends, including plummeting nurse engagement and retention along with skyrocketing reports of burnout. In response, a community hospital in Colorado launched the RESET (acronym for Resilience, Empathy and Support for Employees and Teams) pilot program to create customized individual, team and organization-wide interventions to foster optimal well-being of all staff. A multidisciplinary RESET team collected data from various departments, and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) survey administered to nurses on the two medical-surgical units revealed the highest frequency of nurses (59% in one unit and 41% on the other) were experiencing moderate levels of burnout. These nursing units became 2023 focus areas for RESET. Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion and depersonalization has been shown to impact patient care and safety. Root causes of burnout are suboptimal working conditions, such as a heavy workload, incivility and unsupportive leadership. The RESET Team implemented a multifaceted approach to cultivate increased social support, determined to be the best antidote to burnout. Evidence-based practices for creating a psychologically safe and supportive environment incorporate concepts of gratitude and recognition, self-compassion, storytelling and clear communication. Through RESET, multiple levels of nurse leaders participate in leadership training, gratitude/recognition initiatives are employed, nurses are engaging in self-compassion education sessions, and a podcast by, for and about staff members has released several episodes. Mindfulness practices designed to regulate nurses’ nervous systems (optimizing the brain’s ability to think rationally and access compassion) are woven into requested supportive education on conflict resolution and ethical dilemmas. These intense topics are offset by humor, another key aspect of well-being, offered through monthly “RESET at Recess” activities revolving around fun and self-care. All RESET interventions have been shared with the night shift, typically an overlooked, yet critical component of staffing. Assessment of RESET’s effectiveness is ongoing, but preliminary data indicate increased frequency in the low burnout category of ProQOL compared to the moderate level. Night shift participation in RESET surveys suggest increased engagement. Subjective comments from nursing staff obtained through leader rounding demonstrate nurse appreciation for a program that recognizes and prioritizes their humanity.