How rituals support nursing teams

How rituals support nursing teams 
American Nurse Journal - American Nurses Association; by Heather Fitzgerald, DBe, MS, RN; 7/2/24
Question: I’m a clinical manager for a pediatric critical care unit. We’ve recently had a significant increase in end-of-life care. I’m proud of our nurses and the skillful, compassionate support they provide to patients and families during these tragic events. In an emotional support debrief, nurses expressed a desire for more opportunities to pause and reflect on meaning and purpose in their challenging work. How do I regularly schedule time to support nurses in ways they value while also adhering to our organization’s budget and productivity expectations?
Answer: ... creating a supportive sense of community and connection need not violate your commitment to budget management. You can enact opportunities to orient to meaning and purpose, to shared identity and belonging, and to unit and organizational mission through small rituals that deliver benefits similar to your debriefing forum. Rituals ... have deep, prehistoric roots, which indicate that humans have long sought connection and meaning-making in moments of joy, grief, and uncertainty. Nurses participate in patient-centered rituals in various settings. For example, organ donor honor walks, the ringing of a bell to mark a cancer treatment milestone, discharge celebrations after a long hospitalization, and celebrations of life and of birth. The nursing profession also should pay more attention to the importance of nursing-centered rituals.
Editor's Notes: Nurse burnout is a root cause for both high turnover and increased unionization/strikes among nurses, especially nurses in their first year of practice. What nursing-centered ritual(s) might bring meaning and renewal to your nurses? Ask. Create, pilot, and evaluate. Engage them in the process.