Meaningful recognition program for nursing faculty insights learned during the pandemic

Abstract

Nursing programs face faculty shortages further aggravated by burnout and low pay compared to the private sector. As meaningful recognition programs are linked to resiliency and improved job satisfaction, this university initially implemented the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty program in 2014. With the significant changes experienced during the pandemic, the university wanted to strengthen the Daisy Award program and determine its impact on Compassion Satisfaction (CS) and Compassion Fatigue (CF). Nursing faculty are at increased risk for CF (burnout and secondary traumatic stress) due to clinical errors, patient illness, death, and multicultural differences. These risks have increased across nursing settings with the pandemic. In the clinical setting, research has shown that effective implementation of the Daisy Award Program provides nurses with meaningful recognition that increases CS and decreases CF. There is limited literature on how meaningful recognition programs influence CS and CF for nursing faculty. The purpose of this research study is to evaluate whether strategies to improve the DAISY Award program influence CS and CF for nursing faculty. The study design was quasi-experimental, utilizing a pre-and post-survey design following interventions to strengthen the DAISY Award program through centralized communication and recognition strategies. Across the two data collection periods, CS remained high and CF low (non-significant findings) overall, though visiting professors had statistically significantly higher CS and lower CF than full-time faculty. Given the pandemic timing, it is unknown if the meaningful recognition program contributed to maintaining the desired CS and CF results, and further research is needed.