Abstract
Introduction: New graduate nurses are not always prepared for the challenges of the chaotic clinical environment or to exercise leadership skills in a clinical capacity. Resilience and self-care are essential facets of successful leadership, as well as necessary components to prevent burnout in nurses. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how this School of Nursing implemented approaches to prepare the next generation of nurses with strong skills in the areas of leadership, resilience, and self-care/well- being while addressing the Essentials. Methods: Faculty explored new ideas, as well as showcased teaching strategies they had already successfully implemented, that aligned with the Essentials with the undergraduate baccalaureate pilot student cohort. Results: Two “Essential” Competencies, Domain 9 Professionalism and Domain 10 Personal, Professional and Leadership Development, as well as related sub-competencies, were addressed by the thirteen teaching strategies. Anecdotal student reflection comments supported high levels of satisfaction with these strategies. Conclusions: Preparing student nurses to meet the Essentials is critical to helping nurses thrive in contemporary practice settings. Equipping a generation of nurses with self-care practices to protect their own well-being, while at the same time meeting the Essentials expectations, is crucial to cultivating a sustainable nursing workforce.