This interventional clinical study aims to evaluate whether a structured emotional awareness and communication training program can reduce occupational burnout among oncology nurses. The study will address the following primary questions: Does the intervention lead to a significant increase in nurses' emotional awareness? Does it improve their communication skills in challenging patient and family interactions? Does it reduce their levels of professional burnout? Participants will be recruited from oncology nurses working at Ankara Etlik City Hospital who have been employed in the unit for at least six months and consent to participate. A total of 64 nurses will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=32), receiving four weekly face-to-face training sessions over four weeks, or a control group (n=32), receiving educational materials in written/digital format. Data will be collected using pre- and post-intervention assessments with the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Emotional Requirements Scale, and the Communication Skills Scale for Healthcare Professionals. All data will be anonymized and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing emotional awareness and communication skills and in reducing burnout among oncology nurses.

This interventional study aims to assess the effectiveness of a structured emotional awareness and communication training program in reducing occupational burnout among oncology nurses. The study will be conducted at Ankara Etlik City Hospital Oncology Unit between November 27, 2025, and May 27, 2026. Participants will include 64 nurses who have been working in the unit for at least six months and consent to participate. They will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=32) or a control group (n=32) using stratified randomization.

The intervention group will receive four weekly 45-minute face-to-face training sessions covering:

Recognizing Emotions and Emotional Awareness - understanding emotions and their role in professional practice.

Burnout and Healthy Coping Strategies - identifying burnout symptoms and learning adaptive coping mechanisms.

Challenging Conversations and Effective Communication - practicing empathetic listening, reflection, and emotion-focused communication.

Personal Strategies Against Burnout - applying self-care and stress management techniques.

The control group will receive educational materials in written/digital format after the intervention period to ensure ethical compliance. Data will be collected before and after the intervention using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Emotional Requirements Scale, and the Communication Skills Scale for Healthcare Professionals.

All data will be anonymized, and participants' confidentiality will be strictly maintained. Statistical analyses will be performed using International Business Machines (IBM) Statistical Package for the Social Science Statistics (SPSS) 25.0, including independent and paired t-tests and effect size calculations (Cohen's d) to evaluate the intervention's impact on emotional awareness, communication skills, and burnout levels. This study seeks to provide evidence-based strategies to enhance nurses' psychosocial resilience, improve patient care quality, and reduce occupational burnout in high-stress oncology settings.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Employed as a nurse in an oncology unit for at least 6 months
• Voluntarily agrees to participate in the study
• Able to attend all training sessions
• Completes both pre-test and post-test questionnaires

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently on leave or planning to take leave during the study period
• Has received prior structured training related to emotional awareness or communication skills within the past year
• Diagnosed with a severe psychological disorder that may affect participation

Data collected will be anonymized and used solely for this study. Individual participant data will not be shared outside the research team.

This study is open-label. Participants and researchers are aware of group assignments because the intervention involves face-to-face training sessions, which cannot be blinded. Outcome assessments will be conducted using standardized self-report questionnaires. All data will be anonymized during analysis to minimize bias.