Exploring the resilience of frontline nurses in Wales

Senior Lecturer Judith Benbow is exploring the concept of resilience among front line nurses in Wales as the focus of her RCN Wales funded PhD, with the ultimate aim of improving the health and wellbeing of nurses and so, in turn, their patients.

With 30 years of experience in the nursing profession, Judith started her PhD exploring the concept of resilience among nurses earlier this year having successfully applied for a scholarship from RCN Wales to carry out her research. RCN Wales Professor of Nursing Research Daniel Kelly is the lead supervisor as well as Professor Andy Smith (School of Psychology) and Dr Aled Jones (School of Healthcare Sciences). The research fits well with existing nursing workforce research in the School of Healthcare Sciences.

The starting point for the research project is a recognition of the challenges faced by nurses today, including patient demand and sicker, more infirm patients, paralleled with increased productivity demands and workloads as a result of financial constraints. Potential consequences can include low morale, sickness, presentism, stress and burnout, all of which affects ability to care effectively for others.

A resilient profession

“Nursing is a hugely rewarding job, and considering the challenges and demands that can come from caring for sick and vulnerable people, nurses can be incredibly resilient. I’m interested in how nurses develop strategies to help them cope positively with the demands of their work, and how this can be applied more widely to help alleviate stress and enable nurses to provide excellent patient care.” Judith says.

Research suggests that healthier employees are generally considered to be more resilient - better able to cope with modern complex organisations fraught with change, uncertainty and ambiguity. Resilience is a key component of wellbeing; a resilient person can adapt emotionally to life’s challenges. Judith’s research will examine this concept of resilience when applied to frontline nurses in Wales by exploring their own perspectives of how the nature of the work and workplace environment helps or hinders their resilience.

How you can get involved

In the new year, a Wales wide survey will be launched to capture nurses’ perceptions of ‘resilience’ and factors that help or hinder them developing resilience.

“My project will listen to the voice of Welsh nurses to help reveal the subtle organisational factors that shape standards of care; the pressures they face, and what factors influence their resilience. All band 5 and 6 (or equivalent) RNs will be welcome to complete the survey – to make sure that they have their voice heard.”

In the second phase of the PhD three diverse case study clinical sites will build on the data captured by the survey. In-depth interviews will elicit what is common and what is contextually different and how the theory of resilience can inform our understanding.

It is a growing academic view that everyone has the capacity to develop and enhance resilience. The ultimate aim of this study will inform practice, education, policy and research of what works well and what could work better; in order to develop the resilience of frontline nurses in Wales and benefit the health and wellbeing of nurses and so their patients.

Nursing alumni will be emailed in the new year inviting you to participate in the survey or alternatively you and your colleagues will be able to access the survey via the School of Healthcare Sciences and RCN Wales websites.