Abstract
In a recent study, 68% of nurses put their patient's health, safety, and wellness before their own (Linton, M. & Koonmen, J. 2020). This presentation will take you on a journey beginning from the minute a nurse starts in our organization. We believe nurses caring for themselves so they can care for others is a priority. New nurses begin to learn on their very first day of employment at our network how self-care and well-being are a part of our nursing mission, vision, and philosophy, as supported by the chosen nurse theorist Jean Watson. It is encouraged for nurse leaders to begin the discussion with new nurses about their self-care practices at their interview. Nurses throughout the system are supported by approximately one hundred board-certified holistic nurses throughout the network in a variety of ways, including mentorship, leadership, integrative health and wellness teams, continuing education, weekly virtual self-care sessions, and quality improvement projects. Holistic-trained nurses role model a unique way of thinking and way of being that shifts the culture by promoting a healthy work environment. Indoor rest locations include renewal rooms, as well as outdoor gardens and courtyards for opportunities to provide moments of rest and renewal at various locations in order to practice self-care at work.
All of the new graduate nurses with less than six months of acute care experience hired into our system begin a nurse residency program that lasts for one year, and self-care is discussed frequently. In 2022, the program was reevaluated, and the need for a more robust self-care component was evident in this post-pandemic era. New initiatives were put in place for these new graduate nurses to help them cope with the stress of a new position. This helped contribute to an improved retention rate from 88% to 93%. In the three-month and eleven-month one-to-one meetings with the program director, the nurses are asked, “What are you doing to help decompress after your shift or on your days off in the form of self-care?” This question is used in an effort to open a discussion about healthy self-care practices for sustaining work/life balance. It is crucial for the retention of new nurses that they develop a self-care practice early on in their nursing careers. That is why our organization aims to provide each new nurse with a toolbox of resources to use during stressful times. Education about self-care and resilience is also a part of the nurse residency curriculum. Self-care is a highly individualized practice that is unique to each person. Using coaching principles and practices, the team will discuss creating a culture of well-being for all where self-care is safe care. Following the presentation, there will be an interactive component where participants will be able to develop an individualized “high mileage” question to discuss well-being with their nurses.
Notes
Reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Theta Tau
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Novice Nurses, New Graduate Nurses, Self Care, Psychological Well-Being, Onboarding (Management coaching)
Recommended Citation
Marx, Jocelyn E. and Humeny, Sara, "A New Nurse’s Journey: How to Increase Retention by Providing the Resiliency Tools Nurses Need" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 76.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/76
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
2026-02-23
A New Nurse’s Journey: How to Increase Retention by Providing the Resiliency Tools Nurses Need
Washington, DC, USA
In a recent study, 68% of nurses put their patient's health, safety, and wellness before their own (Linton, M. & Koonmen, J. 2020). This presentation will take you on a journey beginning from the minute a nurse starts in our organization. We believe nurses caring for themselves so they can care for others is a priority. New nurses begin to learn on their very first day of employment at our network how self-care and well-being are a part of our nursing mission, vision, and philosophy, as supported by the chosen nurse theorist Jean Watson. It is encouraged for nurse leaders to begin the discussion with new nurses about their self-care practices at their interview. Nurses throughout the system are supported by approximately one hundred board-certified holistic nurses throughout the network in a variety of ways, including mentorship, leadership, integrative health and wellness teams, continuing education, weekly virtual self-care sessions, and quality improvement projects. Holistic-trained nurses role model a unique way of thinking and way of being that shifts the culture by promoting a healthy work environment. Indoor rest locations include renewal rooms, as well as outdoor gardens and courtyards for opportunities to provide moments of rest and renewal at various locations in order to practice self-care at work.
All of the new graduate nurses with less than six months of acute care experience hired into our system begin a nurse residency program that lasts for one year, and self-care is discussed frequently. In 2022, the program was reevaluated, and the need for a more robust self-care component was evident in this post-pandemic era. New initiatives were put in place for these new graduate nurses to help them cope with the stress of a new position. This helped contribute to an improved retention rate from 88% to 93%. In the three-month and eleven-month one-to-one meetings with the program director, the nurses are asked, “What are you doing to help decompress after your shift or on your days off in the form of self-care?” This question is used in an effort to open a discussion about healthy self-care practices for sustaining work/life balance. It is crucial for the retention of new nurses that they develop a self-care practice early on in their nursing careers. That is why our organization aims to provide each new nurse with a toolbox of resources to use during stressful times. Education about self-care and resilience is also a part of the nurse residency curriculum. Self-care is a highly individualized practice that is unique to each person. Using coaching principles and practices, the team will discuss creating a culture of well-being for all where self-care is safe care. Following the presentation, there will be an interactive component where participants will be able to develop an individualized “high mileage” question to discuss well-being with their nurses.
Description
In today’s environment, nurse well-being is not an option. How do we recruit, retain, and support nurses to practice self-care and grow into role models for promoting wellness in their communities? Using a multi-prong team approach, nurses are educated and supported in their first year and beyond.