Abstract
Nurse burnout remains a critical challenge in healthcare, with national rates exceeding 60% and contributing to turnover, reduced morale, and compromised patient care. Existing end-of-shift practices are largely task-oriented and fail to address emotional decompression or team connection. This quality improvement project implemented the Reflect & Reset (R&R) Check-In Model, a structured, end-of-shift intervention designed to support nurse well-being, enhance psychological safety, and strengthen team communication across two inpatient units.
Grounded in Donabedian’s Structure–Process–Outcome framework and Duffy’s Quality Caring Model, this pre-post, mixed-methods project engaged registered nurses, patient care technicians, and charge nurses over a five-week pilot period. The intervention consisted of a 10-minute, facilitator-led check-in conducted near the end of each shift using standardized reflective prompts and an Emotional Stoplight tool to assess and track staff emotional states. Data were collected through pre- and post-intervention surveys measuring burnout, resilience, and psychological safety, along with participation tracking and qualitative feedback.
A total of 47 check-in sessions were conducted with 235 responses, alongside 27 pre- and 23 post-intervention surveys. Findings demonstrated high staff acceptance (97% agreement), improved psychological safety (77% positive), enhanced well-being (70% positive), and increased opportunities for emotional decompression (90% positive). Day shift participants showed improvement in emotional state across shifts, while night shift staff demonstrated increased emotional strain, highlighting the need for targeted adaptation. Qualitative data supported improvements in communication, teamwork, and perceived support.
The R&R Check-In Model represents a feasible, low-cost, and scalable intervention that can be integrated into clinical workflows to promote staff well-being and foster a culture of psychological safety. This model offers nurse leaders a practical strategy to address burnout while supporting sustainable improvements in team dynamics and patient care.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
DNP Capstone Project
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quality Improvement
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Staff Well-Being, Hospital Nursing Staff, Psychological Well-Being, Reflective Practice, Reflection, Emotional Resilience, Hardiness, Team Communication, Communication, Workplace Culture, Organizational Culture, Psychological Safety, Nurse Burnout, Professional Burnout, Patient Safety, Structured Debrief, Feedback
Advisor
Ellen Buckner
Second Advisor
Fay Williams
Degree
DNP
Degree Grantor
Samford University
Degree Year
2026
Recommended Citation
Williams-Hardie, Tawanda; Jackson, Whitney C.; and Stone, Jamali, "Reflect & Reset Check In: Cultivating Care, Connection, and Culture" (2026). Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing. 244.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/samford/244
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: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Self-submission
Date of Issue
2026-05-20
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focuses on implementing and evaluating the Reflect and Reset (R&R) Check-In to reduce nurse burnout and turnover, strengthen teamwork, and improve patient care outcomes through a structured shift reflection.