In response to the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, a trio of enterprising nurses here at UVA Health developed a "resilience toolbox" to help care providers take a break during their often exhausting shifts. These boxes contained virtual headsets, sound machines and brief guided meditations that offer mini-mental vacations right when needed most, even if only for a few brief moments.
The goal was to give providers a much-needed breather, and a new survey of users suggests the boxes did just that.
In all, 50 staff nurses and seven nurse managers used the boxes while deployed for test runs across seven hospital units. More experienced nurses and nurse managers found the boxes particularly valuable; the nurse managers also reported that the boxes improved their staff's stress levels and job satisfaction.
The boxes were the brainchild of nurses Nancy Farish, Jane Muir and Jeanell Webb-Jones. Kudos to them. How wonderful they found a way to make a difficult time a little more manageable for their colleagues.