Nurse resilience: Insights and strategies for a sustainable workforce

Nurses are the backbone of our industry, serving on the front lines of patient care in an increasingly demanding environment. Every day, they juggle high patient volumes, complex care, rising demands, and mental strain—all while staffing shortages, nonclinical responsibilities, and administrative pressures exacerbate their workload and erode their well-being.  

Nurse well-being is far too often overlooked, even as burnout and fatigue threaten to push the profession to a breaking point. Addressing this crisis requires more than recognition. It demands a clear understanding of what helps nurses recover, re-engage, and continue delivering high-quality care—i.e., the drivers of nurse resilience. 

Resilience in the healthcare workforce is the capacity to recover, adapt, and stay engaged—even in demanding work environments, and it serves as an early indicator of burnout risk. It’s comprised of two key components: decompression and activation. Decompression reflects a nurse’s ability to mentally and emotionally bounce back from work-related stress—essentially, how well they can disconnect and recharge outside of their shift. Activation, on the other hand, measures a nurse’s capacity to stay engaged, motivated, and purposeful in the face of daily challenges. Resilience is critical to retaining nurses and consistently achieving high-quality patient care. Understanding how nurses build and sustain resilience—and what factors threaten it—is essential for healthcare leaders committed to supporting their workforce effectively.

New data on nurse resilience sheds light on how nurses across generations, shifts, and tenures cope with high patient volumes, increasing care complexity, emotional and cognitive demands, and chronic staffing shortages—as well as emerging pressures like evolving technology, shifting patient expectations, and regulatory changes. It also highlights critical gaps in support, helping to identify where interventions are needed most and what strategies can strengthen nursing resilience.

The role of activation in nurse engagement

Activation is a critical dimension of resilience. It reflects a nurse’s ability to stay motivated and purposeful in the face of daily challenges—whether that’s navigating complex patient needs or working through a high-stress shift. While activation scores remain strong overall, younger nurses consistently report lower levels than their more experienced peers. This signals an opportunity for leaders to focus on building purpose and connection early on. Engagement strategies like shared governance, meaningful recognition, and clearly defined career pathways can help nurses feel more empowered and committed to their work.

Career development as a retention strategy

Professional development opportunities are more than a “nice to have”—they’re a core driver of retention, morale, and long-term engagement. Organizations that invest in professional development show nurses that their contributions matter and that their future has a place in the organization. From structured mentorship and leadership pipelines to skill-building and certification support, career development efforts help create a culture where nurses feel seen, supported, and motivated to grow within their roles—not beyond them.

Building nurse resilience to reduce burnout and boost engagement

Resilience isn’t just a trait. It has to be woven into the fabric of any healthcare organization. To sustain high performance and minimize burnout, organizations must treat decompression as an imperative. Nurses need built-in opportunities to recover from the emotional and physical demands of patient care—not just reactive support when burnout takes hold. Proactive strategies to support well-being must become part of the workflow.

Healthcare leaders can buck traditional models or reactive support and crisis-driven interventions. Structured decompression programs—like mindfulness training and decompression huddles—can help nurses process their experiences in a nurturing and meaningful way. Just as important is cultivating strong peer-to-peer networks—giving nurses a support system to lean on each other, share challenges, solve problems, and build emotional resilience together.

Empowering nurses through purposeful career development

Organizations that invest in professional development reinforce their commitment and confidence across the workforce. And a workforce that feels valued, inspired, and empowered is more likely to stay engaged—and more likely to stay, in general. 

Leaders must reimagine and align professional development opportunities with individual aspirations to keep both early-career and experienced nurses engaged. Recognition programs can further reinforce a culture of support and continuous engagement, boosting morale and creating a feedback loop where nurses feel seen and appreciated, as well as empowered to perform at their best.

Who’s most at risk of burnout—and turnover? 

Resilience is key to nurse retention. A nurse’s ability to manage healthcare’s high-pressure environment is a muscle that has to be strengthened and exercised over time. The less equipped a nurse is to manage daily pressures, the more vulnerable they are to burnout and turnover. Resilience is shaped by the nurse practice environment, access to support, and a sense of belonging. But not every nurse experiences these factors equally—and that unevenness puts certain groups at higher risk.

Part-time and per diem nurses, for example, often feel disconnected from the full-time workforce. In fact, per diem nurses report lower activation scores, which suggests they may struggle more with staying engaged and motivated over time.

Tenure also plays a major role. The data reveals a clear trend: Nurses with less than five years on the job are the most at risk. Without adequate support, newer nurses may be less equipped to manage the daily challenges of the role—making them more vulnerable to burnout.

But organizations can invest in a few high-impact strategies to alleviate these pressures and support at-risk employees. Flexible scheduling—particularly for those working irregular shifts—can improve work-life balance and help mitigate burnout. Structured mentorship programs that pair experienced nurses with newer staff empower knowledge-sharing, foster a sense of belonging, and ultimately improve retention.

To build a truly resilient workforce, organizations must ensure equitable access to well-being resources for all nurses, regardless of employment status. Deliberate integration strategies like professional development, mentorship, and stronger team connections can go a long way in supporting part-time and per diem nurses. Beyond engagement, targeted support for high-stress environments—such as emergency and critical care—can further reinforce resilience and job satisfaction, ensuring that every nurse feels valued, supported, and equipped to thrive.

The link between workforce resilience and exceptional patient care

The path to better patient outcomes runs through the nursing workforce. When nurses have the tools and support to manage stressors, they are better able to deliver attentive, compassionate, and effective care.

Previous research—including studies from Press Ganey—has shown that engaged, supported nurses are more likely to deliver safe, high-quality care. Resilience plays a key role in that equation. When nurses can recover from stress (decompression) and stay motivated through challenges (activation), they’re better equipped to be fully present with their patients—and less likely to experience burnout that compromises care.

Explore these findings and more in our nurse resilience report. To discuss these insights, as well as actionable strategies for improvement, reach out to a member of Press Ganey’s nursing and workforce teams.