Abstract
Healthcare worker burnout in the US has reached crisis levels, leading to harmful consequences for healthcare workers, patients, communities, and the healthcare system (Murthy, 2022). Burnout-related turnover costs $9 billion for nurses and $2-6 billion for physicians annually (Murthy, 2022). Symptoms of burnout appear even before entering the workforce, with 44% of medical students and 30% of nursing students affected (Murthy, 2022). One way to decrease burnout is through resilience which reduces stress and anxiety while improving well-being (Stephens, 2013). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2021) and the National Academy of Medicine (2019) support incorporating resilience into education to address burnout. This review aims to synthesize the literature on educational interventions targeting resilience for health science students and analyze them based on the internal protective factor they addressed. Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) five-step approach for conducting integrative reviews and the PRISMA protocol guided the review and screening of literature. Articles written in English with a population of health science students enrolled in a clinical education program were included if an educational intervention targeting student resilience was tested. Guided by the Nursing Student Resilience Model, interventions were analyzed to identify which internal protective factors associated with nursing student resilience: self-efficacy, optimism, emotional intelligence, and self-care (Hughes et al., 2021; Stephens, 2013) were addressed. Educational strategies used were also assessed. Of the initial 730 articles identified, 23 met inclusion criteria. Interventions varied in length, delivery methods and modality. Emotional intelligence was the most common internal protective factor (n=15), followed by self-care (n=13). Many interventions (n=16) targeted a combination of protective factors, with emotional intelligence and self-care being the most common combination (n=6). Mindfulness was the most common educational strategy utilized by interventions (n=16). Statistically significant increases in resilience resulted from 10 interventions; however, no common themes linking statistically significant increases were identified. Future research on resilience education in health science students should explore how educational interventions impact protective factors and the feasibility of incorporating resilience interventions into the curriculum.
Notes
References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021,The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. aacnnursing.org. Retrieved June 13, 2023,
Hughes, V., Cologer, S., Swoboda, S., & Rushton, C. (2021). Strengthening internal resources to promote resilience among prelicensure nursing students. Journal of Professional Nursing; J Prof Nurs, 37(4), 777–783. 10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.05.008
Murthy, V. (2022). Addressing health worker burnout: The US surgeon general's advisory on building a thriving workforce. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/health-worker-wellbeing-advisory.pdf
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Taking action against clinician burnout: A systems approach to professional well-being. The National Academies Press.
Stephens, T. M. (2013). Nursing student resilience: A concept clarification: Nursing student resilience. Nursing Forum (Hillsdale), 48(2), 125–133. 10.1111/nuf.12015
Whittemore, R., & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: Updated methodology. Journal of Advanced Nursing; J Adv Nurs, 52(5), 546–553. 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03621.x
Sigma Membership
Gamma Mu, Gamma Omicron at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Teaching and Learning Strategies, Stress and Coping, Interprofessional, Interdisciplinary, Burnout, Resilience
Recommended Citation
Newsom, Kylie Padron; Nichols, Michelle; Newman, Susan D.; Stephens, Teresa M.; and Layne, Diana, "Resilience in Health Science Education: An Integrative Review" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 133.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/133
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
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.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Resilience in Health Science Education: An Integrative Review
Seattle, Washington, USA
Healthcare worker burnout in the US has reached crisis levels, leading to harmful consequences for healthcare workers, patients, communities, and the healthcare system (Murthy, 2022). Burnout-related turnover costs $9 billion for nurses and $2-6 billion for physicians annually (Murthy, 2022). Symptoms of burnout appear even before entering the workforce, with 44% of medical students and 30% of nursing students affected (Murthy, 2022). One way to decrease burnout is through resilience which reduces stress and anxiety while improving well-being (Stephens, 2013). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2021) and the National Academy of Medicine (2019) support incorporating resilience into education to address burnout. This review aims to synthesize the literature on educational interventions targeting resilience for health science students and analyze them based on the internal protective factor they addressed. Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) five-step approach for conducting integrative reviews and the PRISMA protocol guided the review and screening of literature. Articles written in English with a population of health science students enrolled in a clinical education program were included if an educational intervention targeting student resilience was tested. Guided by the Nursing Student Resilience Model, interventions were analyzed to identify which internal protective factors associated with nursing student resilience: self-efficacy, optimism, emotional intelligence, and self-care (Hughes et al., 2021; Stephens, 2013) were addressed. Educational strategies used were also assessed. Of the initial 730 articles identified, 23 met inclusion criteria. Interventions varied in length, delivery methods and modality. Emotional intelligence was the most common internal protective factor (n=15), followed by self-care (n=13). Many interventions (n=16) targeted a combination of protective factors, with emotional intelligence and self-care being the most common combination (n=6). Mindfulness was the most common educational strategy utilized by interventions (n=16). Statistically significant increases in resilience resulted from 10 interventions; however, no common themes linking statistically significant increases were identified. Future research on resilience education in health science students should explore how educational interventions impact protective factors and the feasibility of incorporating resilience interventions into the curriculum.
Description
Healthcare is facing a burnout crisis, and educators must address it. High resilience decreases students' burnout, stress, and anxiety, enhancing overall well-being. Several educational interventions to teach resilience have been identified across health science education. This review critically analyzes interventions, educational strategies, and protective factors addressed and summarizes the findings.