Effective Interventions for Nursing Student Burnout

A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: 

Burnout in nursing students negatively impacts students' health, decreases academic success, increases attrition, and threatens the quality of patient care.

Purpose: 

To identify empiric research evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to prevent nursing student burnout.

Methods: 

This scoping review examined the PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases to identify original studies evaluating burnout interventions in nursing students.

Results: 

Of the 258 studies identified in the primary search, 208 were screened and 29 were selected for full-text review. Five quantitative reports and 1 qualitative study met the inclusion criteria. Effective interventions included recreational music-making, mindfulness-based and resilience education, integral-caring-holistic-science curriculum, Acceptance and Commitment Training, and progressive muscle relaxation. Statistically significant reductions in burnout were reported in all 5 of the quantitative studies.

Conclusion: 

This review demonstrates a need for further research. Burnout interventions should be embedded in the nursing curriculum to yield a more sustainable profession.