ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Rising rates of secondary traumatic stress and burnout among nurses signal a crisis in healthcare. There is a lack of evidence regarding effective interventions to improve nurse well-being and resiliency. PURPOSE: This study used a randomized controlled trial parallel design to test the effectiveness of a 3-hour Community Resiliency Model® (CRM) training, a novel set of sensory awareness techniques to improve emotional balance. METHODS: Registered nurses in two urban tertiary-care hospitals were invited to participate, which entailed attending a single 3-hour "Nurse Wellness and Well-being" class; 196 nurses consented and were randomized into the CRM intervention or nutrition education control group to determine if the CRM group would demonstrate improvement in well-being and resiliency, secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and physical symptoms. FINDINGS: Pre/post data were analyzed for 40 CRM and 37 nutrition group members. Moderate-to-large effect sizes were demonstrated in the CRM group for improved well-being, resiliency, secondary traumatic stress, and physical symptoms. Participants reported using CRM techniques for self-stabilization during stressful work events. DISCUSSION: CRM shows promise as a brief resiliency training for hospital-based nurses.
