Report on fraying resilience among the Ontario Registered Practical Nurse Workforce in long-term care homes during COVID-19

Aim: Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) are frontline healthcare providers in Ontario long- term care (LTC) homes. Throughout COVID- 19, RPNs working in LTC homes experienced prolonged lockdowns, challenging working conditions, and inadequate resource allocation. This study aimed to describe the personal and professional resil-ience of RPNs working in LTC during the COVID- 19 pandemic.Design: An open cross-sectional online survey containing the Connor- Davidson Resilience Scale, Resilience at Work Scale (R), and Resilience at Work Team Scale (R).Methods: The survey was distributed by the RPN Association of Ontario (WeRPN) to approximately 5000 registered members working in Ontario LTC homes.Results: A total of 434 respondents participated in the survey (completion rate = 88.0%). Study respondents scored low on measures of resilience and reported extreme levels of job (54.5%) and personal (37.8%) stress. Resources to support self-care and work- life balance, build capacity for team- based care practice(s) are needed.

Automated summary

This study aimed to describe the personal and professional resilience of Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) working in long-term care (LTC) homes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario. The findings revealed low resilience scores among the respondents and extremely high levels of job (54.5%) and personal (37.8%) stress. Resources to support self-care and work-life balance, as well as building capacity for team-based care practice(s), are needed.