Abstract

High-acuity environments (emergency departments and critical care units) do not hold a monopoly on trauma, and it is not limited solely to the experience from the perspective of the patient. Nurses routinely mobilize in response to life-threatening events, detouring resource and attention in a coordinated effort to stabilize critically ill patients. Though essential for patient survival, the cumulative psychological burden of such events on nurses is often disregarded or dismissed. Repeated exposure to mortality and emotionally charged clinical presentations can lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral distress. Yet the burden of resilience is often placed on the individual nurse. This conceptual paper examines nursing trauma as a phenomenon worth a systems-thinking approach, presenting the innovative notion that nursing leadership ought create a foundation for shared resilience throughout the unit by fostering avenues for dialogue and improved workplace culture. Nursing managers are in a strategic position to improve the built environment of their units to promote nurse well-being and strengthen professional connections. Using observational insights from a Level 1 trauma center environment and current literature, this paper presents solutions aimed at fostering an environment of psychological safety and reduced cumulative emotional strain.

Description

This paper explores the psychological and organizational impact of repeated trauma exposure among nurses employed in high-acuity critical care and emergency environments. Incorporating clinical observation and systems-approach principles, the author proposes a framework for addressing nursing trauma through leadership resiliency. The paper reframes resilience as a systems-level responsibility instead of a requirement for individuals.

Author Details

Leslie Okhirkhian is a BSN with Honors Candidate at the Old Dominion University Ellmer School of Nursing (anticipated graduation: May 16, 2026). She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, International and is currently precepting on a Cardiac ICU (CICU) in a Level 1 Trauma center's adjoined heart hospital. She is active in organizations like the Tidewater Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) and the Student Nurses' Association (SNA) at ODU. She also has a Bachelors degree in Public and Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies (CAUS) in 2007, with a minor in Political Science—training that shaped how she understand systems, power, and the built environment as forces that profoundly influence human outcomes. Leslie is the brainchild of the brand Vaso & Vibes (vasoandvibes.com), a blog and social resource for critical care nurses that can relate to mom, school, and nursing life.

Sigma Membership

Epsilon Chi

Type

Other Undergraduate Paper

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Observational

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Trauma Centers, Job Stress, Emotional Trauma, Intensive Care Nursing, Psychological Resilience, Leadership, Nursing Resilience, Trauma-Informed Leadership, Critical Care Nursing

Degree

Bachelor's

Degree Grantor

Old Dominion University

Degree 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

None: Submitted for Open Dissemination

Acquisition

Self-submission

Date of Issue

2026-03-24

Full Text of Presentation

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