The Feasibility of Tai Chi Easy Training for Registered Nurses

Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, comprising 59% of the healthcare workforce (Salmond, 2021); however, research indicates that 32.8% of newly hired Registered Nurses (RNs) voluntarily terminate their positions within the first year and must then be replaced (NSI Nursing Services, 2023). The turnover problem among nurses threatens the delivery of adequate, safe, and timely patient care, the health and well-being of nurses and other healthcare professionals, and the sustainability of the organizations for which they work.

High job turnover among nurses is a problem that has inspired the design, implementation, and study of numerous organization/system-driven interventions over at least the past sixty years. Numerous researchers have identified the first year of practice as the most stressful time in a nurse's career (Chesak, 2019), with the highest levels occurring at four and eight months of employment (Fang, 2022). These nurses can experience a phenomenon known as 'transition shock,' comprising cognitive, psychological, and emotional distress (Duchscher, 2009). Transition shock can lead to nurses feeling overwhelmed by the stark and unanticipated realities of nursing practice, especially if that reality conflicts with previously held ideals, beliefs, and expectations. In addition to experiencing elevated stress levels and transition shock, exposure to healthcare-related psychological trauma plays a key role in why nurses have left and continue to leave their positions and the profession in droves (Foli, 2019).

Burnout is a common phenomenon among nurses. Key contributors to the development of burnout among healthcare workers include exposure to traumatic events such as witnessing death and suffering, the psychological and physical demands of the job, shift work, low autonomy, inadequate social support, incivility in the workplace, low staffing, and poor communication and collaborative relationships with other healthcare professionals (Chesak, 2019).

Despite the significant human and financial resources invested in solutions that attempt to mitigate nurse turnover, there is surprisingly little evidence in the published literature on the use of integrative mind-body self-care interventions to help individual nurses cope with prolonged or toxic levels of stress, burnout, traumatic stress, and somatic symptoms.

Self-care deficits are common among nurses, who typically focus on helping and serving others. While altruism, compassion, and a commitment to help others draw many people to a career in nursing, the desire to help others deal with their health problems can sometimes overshadow a nurse's motivation or ability to care for themselves (Crane, 2016). A 2017 survey by the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2017) found that 68% of nurses put their patients' safety, health, and wellness ahead of their own. Furthermore, although nurses are well-educated and often teach patients about the importance of health-promoting behaviors, that knowledge does not always translate into engagement in healthy lifestyle behaviors among nurses themselves (Albert, 2014).