Evidence-Based Resilience Intervention for Nursing Students: a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Nursing students report chronic stress, and burnout is common. One factor related to lower burnout is resilience, though little research has studied resilience interventions in nursing students. This study had two objectives: 1) to examine the effects of a pilot resilience intervention, and 2) to investigate student attitudes about the intervention. This was a randomized controlled trial that took place from January 2017 – June 2017 at a Midwest university in the United States. First-year nursing students ( N = 27) were randomly assigned to the intervention ( N = 14) or control ( N = 13) group. The intervention group participated in a five-week resilience intervention. Both groups completed three online surveys (before, immediately after the intervention, and three months later). Using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to compare pre- and post-intervention scores, neither group reported significant changes in resilience or the burnout facet of cynicism. The burnout facets of exhaustion and professional efficacy significantly decreased in the intervention group, but not the control group. Participants reported satisfaction with the intervention, though most wanted more hands-on activities. This resilience intervention may be valuable for reducing burnout in nursing students, but interventions should first conduct a needs assessment.