Caring for Caregivers: Fostering Empathetic Educational Practices
Among Undergraduate Nursing Faculty
Karlee Hedrick, BSN, RN; Kaylyn Bourne, DNP, APRN; David Phillippi, PhD, MS; Angela Lane, DNP, CPNP
Belmont University Doctor of Nursing Practice Program
PROBLEM
• Re-traumatization occurs in academic settings, impacting students’ well-being and learning. Nursing students are more at risk for this due to higher rates of adverse childhood experiences compared to the general population.1
• Faculty often lack training to recognize and use trauma-informed strategies, potentially limiting their ability to effectively support students who have experienced trauma.2,3
PURPOSE / AIM
To improve undergraduate nursing faculty’s knowledge and attitudes toward trauma-informed care (TIC) by implementing a two-fold educational intervention.
PROJECT DESIGN
Design: Quality Improvement
Setting: Urban, private university
Intervention:
1. Four-part virtual course from a credible, traumainformed organization.
2. Caring for Caregivers: A Guide for Empathetic Education virtual toolkit developed by project lead.
OUTCOMES
QUALITATIVE EXCERPTS
“I had no idea these were trauma-informed practices—it’s more broad than I realized,” one participant reflected after learning that strategies like using specific praise, explaining the “why” behind classroom activities, and allowing students to summarize or create questions align with trauma-informed education.
“This is a good reminder to realize that we should meet each student where they are to facilitate safe learning.”
KEY FINDINGS
PDSA Cycle 1 & 2
• 100% of participants found TIC beneficial to their teaching practice.
PDSA Cycle 2
• Attitude Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) scores increased slightly (4.3%), indicating a small but positive shift in attitudes.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
• Practical TIC education builds faculty awareness and confidence, fostering a trauma-informed academic culture.
• A virtual education toolkit similar to Caring for Caregivers can be scaled and customized for graduate and interprofessional programs.
• Next steps:
• Develop formal TIC workshops.
• Evaluate long-term faculty changes and student outcomes
Caring for Caregivers logo (left) and homepage (right), developed to support nurse educators with implementing trauma-informed practices.