Clinical Leader Series A Virtual Mental Well-being Initiative for Nurse Leaders During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

OBJECTIVE A virtual mental well-being initiative was developed for nurse leaders to provide education about mental health and to teach self-care skills. BACKGROUND Because of substantial demand placed on nurse leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations must address stress and burnout by providing a continuum of care to include education, support, and intervention. METHODS All levels of nurse leaders at a multicampus healthcare system were invited to attend. Data were collected on coping, empowerment, burnout, and quality of life. Participant responses to discussion prompts were compiled and reviewed. RESULTS Although the independent parallel comparison did not show significant improvements, scores on the coping, empowerment, burnout, and quality-of-life measures were maintained. Discussion prompts yielded valuable insights into nurse leader experiences and session effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS This type of education, as well as psychological support, will continue to be needed after the pandemic due to burnout, moral injury, and primary or secondary trauma. Findings are applicable to future crisis situations.

Automated summary

A virtual mental well-being initiative was developed for nurse leaders to provide education about mental health and teach self-care skills. The study found that this type of education and psychological support are important for reducing stress and burnout among nurse leaders.