Combating Burnout With Creativity
Nurses who have been on the frontlines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic are experiencing unprecedented rates of trauma, stress, and burnout. Two years into the pandemic, the alarm is sounding as the crisis has wreaked havoc on the profession, directly affecting nurses and their patient populations.
Seeing the trauma brought on by recent events and the result it had on the caregiving experience led Tara Rynders, RN, MFA, BSN, to seek out a way to help her colleagues. Using her experience in the arts, mindfulness, and dance, Tara started Creative Caregivers.
Creative Caregivers facilitates customized workshops and creative wellness experiences for healthcare organizations, hospital networks, and nonprofit organizations like the Oncology Nursing Foundation. Led by nurses and artists, the workshops aim to guide caregivers in building emotional resilience and combating burnout.
A partnership between Creative Caregivers and the Foundation led to a four-month, virtual pilot program. Five ONS chapters participated in workshops that focused on creative exercises as a tool for reflection on the caregiving experience. The program was designed to foster a community where oncology nurses could be seen and heard by each other in both hardship and resilience.
Learn about the creative techniques used in the workshops and follow the journey made by ONS chapter members toward combating burnout at this year’s 47th Annual ONS Congress®.
Sessions will be held from 3 to 4 pm on Thursday, April 28, and Friday, April 29, during ONS Congress in the Anaheim Convention Center Learning Hall Theater 1.
The Creative Caregivers pilot for oncology nurses was supported by the Oncology Nursing Foundation and from contributions from Sarah Cannon, the Cancer Institute of HCA Healthcare, and the ONS Chicago and North Carolina Triangle Chapters.
Register today to join us for this session and others and to meet and network with expert speakers at this year’s ONS Congress.