Preparing graduate nurses for wellness before burnout
As hospitals grow busier and patients present with more complex needs, advanced practice nurses are feeling the strain. Long hours, administrative overload and limited control over work environments have pushed burnout from a whispered concern to a full-blown crisis—one that experts estimate could affect nearly 60% of primary care providers.
In response, nursing educators are rethinking how nurses are prepared for practice, placing wellness, resilience and self-advocacy alongside clinical expertise.
That shift is reflected in recently updated national education standards from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. Notably, the standards elevate personal well-being and leadership development to core competencies, signaling a broader cultural change in nursing education.
Rather than framing burnout as an individual failure, the assignment prompts students to examine systemic contributors, workplace culture and the importance of self-advocacy
Kimberly Mullins, DNP, APRN-CNP
Seeing firsthand how graduate nursing students were entering advanced practice roles clinically skilled but underprepared for the realities of workplace stress and burnout, University of Cincinnati College of Nursing faculty members Lindsay Davis, DNP, APRN, CNP; Margaret Lysaght, DNP, APRN, CNP; and Kimberly Mullins, DNP, APRN-CNP set out to examine the impact of an innovative, interactive case study embedded within graduate nursing coursework.
Developed in collaboration with senior instructional designer Dustin Muncy, MEd, the project Fostering Resilience: Integrating Self-Care Strategies Into Graduate Nursing Education to Build a Sustainable APN Workforce aimed to prepare students for the personal and professional demands of advanced practice nursing before they encountered them in full force.
Kimberly Mullins, DNP, APRN-CNP
The case study centers on “Taylor,” an advanced practice nurse working in a high-volume primary care setting. Taylor’s experience is marked by heavy patient loads, administrative pressure, and limited time for self-care, mirroring the challenges many students reported facing in their own careers.
“Rather than framing burnout as an individual failure, the assignment prompts students to examine systemic contributors, workplace culture and the importance of self-advocacy,” Mullins explains.
Learning through reflection and collaboration
Margaret Lysaght, DNP, APRN, CNP
Delivered in a two-part format, the case study follows Taylor across a six-month period, highlighting both improvements after self-care strategies are implemented and the ongoing challenges that remain. Students analyze each phase using a structured SWOT framework, encouraging continuous reflection and adaptation.
To support collaboration, students worked together on a digital whiteboard platform, allowing them to share insights asynchronously and learn from peers across clinical backgrounds.
“The shared space helped normalize conversations around stress, boundaries and professional sustainability,” Lysaght says.
Lindsay Davis, DNP, APRN, CNP
Following completion of the assignment, students reported strong gains in understanding self-care and resilience in advanced practice roles, with all participants agreeing the experience helped them recognize key components of a healthy work environment and effective ways to prioritize their own well-being. Many also described a personal connection to the case study, noting a sense of validation and community as they realized their experiences were shared by peers.
“Integrating self-care and self-advocacy into nursing education is essential to sustaining the advanced practice workforce. Realistic, reflective learning helps prepare students for the complexities of modern health care,” Davis says.
As the demands on nurses continue to grow, faculty-led innovations like this one suggest a path forward—one that begins in the classroom, long before burnout takes hold.
Feature image: iStock
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