Other Titles
PechaKucha Presentation
Abstract
The transition from nursing student to professional nurse is a vulnerable phase marked by stress, uncertainty, and emotional fatigue. These challenges can lead to burnout and attrition, making healthy work environments essential for fostering resilience and retention. Trauma-Informed Education (TIE) strategies centered on safety, trust, empowerment, and peer support offer a framework to support students and new nurses. When integrated into academic-practice partnerships, TIE strategies enhance clinical learning, promote well-being, and strengthen the workforce.
The project explores how trauma-informed strategies embedded in academic practice partnerships create psychologically safe environments for nursing students transitioning into practice. Goals are to impact transition to practice by addressing emotional needs of new nurses and fostering collaboration between academic institutions and healthcare organizations.
A mixed-methods approach included a literature review of studies on trauma-informed pedagogy, healthy work environments, and transition-to-practice programs. Two research studies and stakeholder evaluations informed findings. One study used a pre-post survey to assess the impact of trauma-informed education on faculty and staff knowledge and attitudes. The second study evaluated use of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) skills to enhance nursing students’ resilience. Clinical course evaluations gathered insights from nurse educators, clinical leaders, and new graduate nurses on effectiveness of trauma-informed strategies and academic-practice partnerships.
Preliminary results suggest brief CRM-based interventions can positively influence student resilience. The faculty study highlights knowledge gains, barriers, and motivations related to TIE. Clinical evaluations indicate improved psychological safety, reduced burnout, enhanced confidence and competence among new graduates, and stronger collaboration between academic and clinical teams.
Creating Healthy Work Environments through Trauma-Informed Academic Practice Partnerships offers a transformative model for nursing education. Embedding TIE strategies into clinical settings fosters emotional continuity, reflective practice, and mentorship. The approach prepares students to enter the workforce confidently and competently, while faculty development in trauma-informed principles ensures inclusive learning environments. Partnerships contribute to a more resilient and collaborative nursing profession.
Notes
Presenter notes available in attached slide deck.
References:
1. Aktan, N.M., Kwong, J., Robinson, M., Porter, S., Rawlins, L., and Dorsen, C. (2023). Trauma-informed educational practices: An educational innovation for graduate nursing students. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 28(1), Manuscript 2.
2. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). The Essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. Accessible online at https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf.
3. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. (2016). AACN standards for establishing and sustaining healthy work environments: A journey to excellence (2nd ed.). https://www.aacn.org/WD/HWE/Docs/HWEStandards.pdf
4. American Organization for Nursing Leadership. (n.d.). Compendium 2.0: Building sustainable academic-practice partnerships for nursing excellence. https://www.aonl.org/resources/Nurse-Leadership-Workforce-Compendium/Academic-Practice-Partnerships
5. Eschiti, V., McElroy, L., & King, S. (2025). Trauma-informed education in nursing: A scoping review. Nurse Educator. DOI: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001943
6. Goddard A, Witten Jones R, Esposito D, Etcher L. (2022). Trauma-informed education in nursing: A concept analysis. Journal of Nursing Education,61(6):296-302. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20220404-15. Epub 2022 Jun 1. PMID:
7. Kiptulon, E. K., Elmadani, M., Limungi, G. M., Simon, K., Toth, L., Horvath, E., Szollosi, A., Galgalo, D. A., Mate, O., & Siket, A. U. (2024). Transforming nursing work environments: The impact of organizational culture on work-related stress among nurses: A systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 24, Article 1526. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-024-12003-x
8. Leonard, J., Whiteman, K., Stephens, K., Henry, C., & Swanson-Biearmann, B. (2022). Improving communication and collaboration skills in graduate nurses: An evidence-based approach. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 27(2). https://ojin.nursingworld.org/table-of-contents/volume-27-2022/number-2-may-2022/improving-communication-and-collaboration-skills-in-graduate-nurses/
9. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services (Treatment Improvement Protocol [TIP] Series 57; HHS Publication No. SMA 14-4816). https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma14-4816.pdf
Sigma Membership
Beta Delta at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Academic-Clinical Partnership, Transition to Practice or Onboarding, Teaching/Learning Strategies, Teaching Methods, Interinstitutional Relations, Transitional Programs
Recommended Citation
McElroy, Lori Dawn and King, Stacy, "Trauma-Informed Academic Practice Partnerships to Support Nursing Students’ Transition to Practice" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 50.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2026/presentations_2026/50
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
2026-04-29
Trauma-Informed Academic Practice Partnerships to Support Nursing Students’ Transition to Practice
Washington, DC, USA
The transition from nursing student to professional nurse is a vulnerable phase marked by stress, uncertainty, and emotional fatigue. These challenges can lead to burnout and attrition, making healthy work environments essential for fostering resilience and retention. Trauma-Informed Education (TIE) strategies centered on safety, trust, empowerment, and peer support offer a framework to support students and new nurses. When integrated into academic-practice partnerships, TIE strategies enhance clinical learning, promote well-being, and strengthen the workforce.
The project explores how trauma-informed strategies embedded in academic practice partnerships create psychologically safe environments for nursing students transitioning into practice. Goals are to impact transition to practice by addressing emotional needs of new nurses and fostering collaboration between academic institutions and healthcare organizations.
A mixed-methods approach included a literature review of studies on trauma-informed pedagogy, healthy work environments, and transition-to-practice programs. Two research studies and stakeholder evaluations informed findings. One study used a pre-post survey to assess the impact of trauma-informed education on faculty and staff knowledge and attitudes. The second study evaluated use of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) skills to enhance nursing students’ resilience. Clinical course evaluations gathered insights from nurse educators, clinical leaders, and new graduate nurses on effectiveness of trauma-informed strategies and academic-practice partnerships.
Preliminary results suggest brief CRM-based interventions can positively influence student resilience. The faculty study highlights knowledge gains, barriers, and motivations related to TIE. Clinical evaluations indicate improved psychological safety, reduced burnout, enhanced confidence and competence among new graduates, and stronger collaboration between academic and clinical teams.
Creating Healthy Work Environments through Trauma-Informed Academic Practice Partnerships offers a transformative model for nursing education. Embedding TIE strategies into clinical settings fosters emotional continuity, reflective practice, and mentorship. The approach prepares students to enter the workforce confidently and competently, while faculty development in trauma-informed principles ensures inclusive learning environments. Partnerships contribute to a more resilient and collaborative nursing profession.
Description
This session explores the link between trauma-informed education strategies and academic practice partnerships that support nursing students’ transition to practice. Participants will learn how embedding trauma-informed strategies into clinical education enhances resilience, psychological safety, and collaboration, ultimately improving retention and workforce well-being.