The purpose of the study is to pilot a new training which aims to foster resilience to some of the clinical and workload pressures that nurses encounter on a daily basis.

Background:

Many nurses are exposed to challenges in their clinical setting on a daily basis, which often results in them experiencing stress, burnout and decreased satisfaction with their work; this can have a long term impact on the recruitment and retention rate of these nurses. This stress has intensified over the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online training being piloted in this trial has been adapted from a recent face-to-face resilience enhancement programme developed for nurses in the UK. By creating an online training, it is hoped that this intervention will be accessible to more nurses, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives:

The purpose of this trial is to understand whether the online training can improve levels of resilience, psychological, and wellbeing, and whether or not it has changed the way nurses experience in their work environment.

Methods:

All registered nurses working at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust during the COVID-19 pandemic will be invited. We intend to recruit 100 nurses who are currently working at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust to participate in the pilot study. Recruited nurses will be randomised to the intervention group or the control group. Nurses who are randomised to the intervention group will be invited to do the online training over a four week period. There will be the opportunity to participate in four 2 hour online facilitated sessions during the four-week training period. Nurses will also be asked to complete 30 minutes of independent pre-work ahead of each of the facilitated sessions. The sessions will cover a range of topics and will tackle areas such as building hardiness and maintaining a positive outlook; emotional intelligence and intellectual flexibility; reflective and critical thinking; enabling spirituality and achieving work-life balance. The training also involves twice weekly mentorship sessions ranging between 30 and 60 minutes.

Nurses will be invited to complete two surveys (pre- and post- intervention) which will be used to evaluate the trial outcomes and feedback on training. On completion of the post-intervention survey, nurses will receive a certificate for 10 hours of CPD. Nurses randomised to the control group will only be invited to take part in the pre- and post- intervention surveys, but will not use the online training. However, after completing the survey, nurses will be given the opportunity to complete the pre-work and access the online facilitated sessions so they can receive their CPD certificate.

Implications:

Once the training has been piloted, the effectiveness of the online training will be evaluated at national level.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Any registered, non-agency nurses working at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Willing to participate and provide signed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not willing to participate and provide signed consent

Participants will not be blinded to group allocation and will complete self-reported surveys online. One of the study investigators not involved in the delivery of training or randomisation process and who will analyse the survey responses will be blinded to treatment assignment.