Abstract
Purpose: Storytelling is foundational to the human experience and cuts across all cultures by conveying norms, ethics, and connectedness. Nursing narratives are used to relate stories of compassion, caring, and resilience. Research, evidence-based practice (EBP), and quality improvement (QI) also have their own stories of translating science into patient care. This presentation describes how resilient storytelling can integrate new knowledge in all settings, with “lessons-learned” for nurses globally, regardless of gender, generation, or culture.
Relevance/Significance: Research, EBP, and QI represent common ground for nurses to transform equitable care, engage nursing practice, and develop inclusive relationships. Literature discusses storytelling as a scientific approach with people rather than on people, revealing individual nurse experiences and development of personal resilience.
Implementation: This presentation outlines how the elemental “dirt” of nursing care can be transformed into meaningful data with resilient storytelling. The presenters describe specific stories for EBP, QI, research and examine the barriers, solutions, and resiliency needed for research and its translation. Concepts such as persistent rumination, group think, prosiliency, and flipping conflicts are discussed. The presentation concludes by describing integrating science-centered stories into inclusive environments promoting well-being, equity, and increased visibility.
Outcomes: Separating uplifting stories from negative tales assists with positive professional identity. Insights, respect, and conflict resolution are but a few outcomes achieved through storytelling. Strategies for resilient tale generation include reflexivity and debriefing to discover each story’s message. Exposure to diverse viewpoints, cultures, and values through relatable stories contributes to a strong nursing culture.
Practice Implications: Separating anecdotes from evidence and sacred cows from research is critical in weaving stories into the fabric of nursing science. Sifting “dirt” to extract data requires linking quantifiable findings with qualitative context to round out the narrative. Some stories fade due to paradigm shifts, others are seminal tales passed from one generation to another. Cycles of telling and listening allow new nurses to gleam insights to practice while older nurses reflect on meaningful past experiences; both contribute to our collective nursing memory. We are the stories we tell.
Notes
References:
Attenborough, J., & Abbott, S. (2020). Using storytelling in nurse education: The experiences and views of lecturers in a high education institution in the United Kingdom. Nurse Education in Practice, 44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102762
Dailey, S.L., & Browning, L. (2014). Retelling stories in organizations: Understanding the function of narrative repetition. The Academy of Management Review, 39(1), 22-43. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43699198
Durrant, M., & Gottlieb, L. N. (2024). Story-sharing facilitation guide: An educational strategy to develop strengths-based nursing and healthcare leaders. Journal of Nursing Education, Apr 11, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20240315-01 (Epub ahead of print). PMID: 38598821
East, L., Jackson, D., O'Brien. L., & Peters, K. (2010). Storytelling: an approach that can help to develop resilience. Nurse Res., 7(3):17-25. doi: 10.7748/nr2010.04.17.3.17.c7742. PMID: 20450085.
Enriquez, U. (2024). When Life Gives You Lemons…A Lesson on Prosilience. Nurse Leader, 22(4), 462-465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2023.11.020.
Fitzpatrick, J.J. (2018). Teaching through storytelling: Narrative Nursing. Nursing Education Perspectives, 392, 60. https//doi.org10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000298
Moore, A. K. (2023). Storytelling: Manifesting integral interconnectedness in holistic nursing education. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 41(4), 403-410. https://doi.org/10.1177/08980101221144196
Wang, C.C., & Geale, K. (2015). The power of story: Narrative inquiry as a methodology in nursing research. International Journal of Nursing Science, 2(2), 195-198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2015.04.014
Yocom, D., Bashaw, C., Price, D., & Cook, M. (2020). Perceptions of digital storytelling the classroom. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 15(3), 164-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2020.01.010
Sigma Membership
Xi Theta, Phi Alpha
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Teaching and Learning Strategies, Mentoring and Coaching, History, Storytelling
Recommended Citation
Crawford, Cecelia Lorayne and Torres, Hazel, "From Dirt to Data: Resilience Stories in EBP, QI, and Research – We Are The Stories We Tell" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 46.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/46
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
From Dirt to Data: Resilience Stories in EBP, QI, and Research – We Are The Stories We Tell
Seattle, Washington, USA
Purpose: Storytelling is foundational to the human experience and cuts across all cultures by conveying norms, ethics, and connectedness. Nursing narratives are used to relate stories of compassion, caring, and resilience. Research, evidence-based practice (EBP), and quality improvement (QI) also have their own stories of translating science into patient care. This presentation describes how resilient storytelling can integrate new knowledge in all settings, with “lessons-learned” for nurses globally, regardless of gender, generation, or culture.
Relevance/Significance: Research, EBP, and QI represent common ground for nurses to transform equitable care, engage nursing practice, and develop inclusive relationships. Literature discusses storytelling as a scientific approach with people rather than on people, revealing individual nurse experiences and development of personal resilience.
Implementation: This presentation outlines how the elemental “dirt” of nursing care can be transformed into meaningful data with resilient storytelling. The presenters describe specific stories for EBP, QI, research and examine the barriers, solutions, and resiliency needed for research and its translation. Concepts such as persistent rumination, group think, prosiliency, and flipping conflicts are discussed. The presentation concludes by describing integrating science-centered stories into inclusive environments promoting well-being, equity, and increased visibility.
Outcomes: Separating uplifting stories from negative tales assists with positive professional identity. Insights, respect, and conflict resolution are but a few outcomes achieved through storytelling. Strategies for resilient tale generation include reflexivity and debriefing to discover each story’s message. Exposure to diverse viewpoints, cultures, and values through relatable stories contributes to a strong nursing culture.
Practice Implications: Separating anecdotes from evidence and sacred cows from research is critical in weaving stories into the fabric of nursing science. Sifting “dirt” to extract data requires linking quantifiable findings with qualitative context to round out the narrative. Some stories fade due to paradigm shifts, others are seminal tales passed from one generation to another. Cycles of telling and listening allow new nurses to gleam insights to practice while older nurses reflect on meaningful past experiences; both contribute to our collective nursing memory. We are the stories we tell.
Description
Storytelling is foundational to the human experience. Resilient storytelling can integrate new knowledge in all care settings worldwide. Nurse narratives can relate stories of compassion and resilience, while research, EBP, and QI have their own stories. Sifting dirt to extract data requires linking quantitative findings with qualitative context to round out the narrative and is critical in weaving stories into the fabric of nursing science. We are the stories we tell.