A nursing education expert from ATI is shining a light on the need for trauma-informed care to reduce burnout among nurses and urging reauthorization of federal legislation to help prevent burnout in the healthcare workforce.

Stephanie Turner, EdD, MSN, RN, ATI NCLEX Services Manager for the Texas region, expressed her concern in a letter to the editor of STAT, a news site covering health and medicine. 

Dr. Turner submitted the letter in response to an essay about the link between trauma and burnout in healthcare professionals. The essay, written by Veterans Health Administration physician Sadie Elisseou, MD, and published on May 23, urged more widespread use of trauma-informed care as a framework for upgrading current strategies to fight burnout.

In her letter to the editor, published on June 22, Dr. Turner applauded Dr. Elisseou “for underscoring the importance of trauma-informed organizations and the critical value of workplaces that are safe, supportive, and flexible.

“As a nurse educator and researcher, I have come to understand the important role of resilience in the work that nurses do,” the letter continued. “Considering two-thirds of nurses (65%) experience burnout, resilience-building skills are critical to mitigating nurse exhaustion and preserving our nation’s nursing pipeline. If actions are not taken to better protect the physical and mental health of our healthcare workforce, patient care will suffer.”

In the letter, Dr. Turner urged lawmakers to take action. She explained that Congress has introduced legislation to reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Provider Protection Act, which recognizes the need for mental health resources and support programs for healthcare professionals. 

“Since its original enactment, this act has been instrumental in funding grant programs for mental health training, education, peer support, and crisis intervention services,” Dr. Turner wrote. “The reauthorization of this measure would expand grants to more than 200,000 other types of health care settings as well as renew the focus on reducing administrative burden for health care workers. 

“… I urge Congress to finish the job and fully reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Provider Protection Act this year,” she concluded.

For information on evidence-based strategies to manage burnout in nurse educators, see this post on the ATI Educator Blog.