Title : Addressing nurse faculty burnout through mindfulness training: A pilot study
Abstract:
Nurse faculty are at significant risk for burnout due to heavy workloads and job stress, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This burnout negatively impacts faculty retention and contributes to the national nursing shortage. Mindfulness practices have been identified as an evidence-based method to alleviate stress and promote resiliency. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a one-month mindfulness training intervention would reduce levels of stress and burnout among nursing faculty. This study used an experimental design with pre- and post-test comparisons involving a convenience sample of six nurse faculty. Participants were instructed to use the "Breathe2Relax" mobile application to engage in at least one five-minute cycle of diaphragmatic breathing daily for four weeks. Stress and burnout were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT). Descriptive results indicated a favorable trend, with mean perceived stress scores decreasing by 2.5 points (from 17.0 to 14.5) and mean burnout scores showing a slight decrease (from 2.2 to 2.17). While these findings did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.32), meaningful individual improvements were observed in several participants. A significant challenge was participant adherence; 67% of faculty completed the intervention less than one day per week, which likely limited the intervention's overall impact. Although results were limited by a small sample size and low adherence, the descriptive improvements suggest that mindfulness training is a practical, low-cost, and flexible tool for supporting faculty well-being. It is recommended that educational institutions consider mindfulness-based interventions as a component of broader efforts to enhance job satisfaction and faculty retention. Future research should utilize larger sample sizes, longer intervention periods, and specific strategies to improve participant adherence.
