Resilient Educators, Resilient Nurses: Supporting Mental Health in Nursing Education

While new nurses face the pressures of high-stakes clinical environments, the challenges don’t begin at the bedside—they often start in the classroom and simulation lab. Nurse educators, who serve as the backbone of nursing education, are facing increasing levels of emotional exhaustion, burnout, and workplace stress.

These educators are responsible for preparing students not only to master clinical skills but also to thrive in complex, often overwhelming healthcare systems. Yet their own well-being is frequently overlooked. The emotional labor of mentorship, the strain of staffing shortages, and the pressure of academic responsibilities all contribute to a growing mental health crisis within nursing education.

Resilience is a critical component in addressing this challenge—not only for nurses in practice, but also for those teaching the next generation. When nurse educators build resilience in themselves, they are better equipped to support their students and model healthy professional habits that carry into clinical practice.

Below are five strategies nurse educators can use to build personal resilience while cultivating it in their students.

1. Advocate for Institutional Change, Starting in Academia

Burnout among nurse educators is not solely a personal issue… it’s systemic. Faculty often face increased teaching loads, reduced budgets, limited administrative support, and growing student needs. These structural pressures can lead to disengagement and high turnover.

To support mental health and resilience, academic institutions must address educator well-being at the policy level. This includes equitable workloads, protected time for mentorship and research, adequate compensation, and mental health resources tailored to faculty needs.

Advocacy at the institutional level—whether through faculty committees, leadership engagement, or collaboration with professional organizations—can create more sustainable environments. When educators are supported, they’re in a stronger position to model resilience and set their students up for long-term success.

2. Prioritize Educator Self-Care

Despite often encouraging students to engage in self-care, nurse educators may struggle to apply the same advice to themselves. The demands of the role—grading, curriculum development, meetings, and student mentorship—can quickly consume personal time and energy.

Prioritizing self-care is essential for long-term resilience. This includes:

• Building in recovery time during the academic year
• Practicing stress management techniques like mindfulness or movement
• Taking regular breaks and utilizing PTO fully
• Setting clear work-life boundaries (e.g., limiting after-hours emails)

These practices are not only beneficial for the educator’s mental health, but they also model professional self-regulation and balance for students observing them.

3. Reclaim Work-Life Balance

When your identity is tied to being “the one who’s always there” for your students, it’s hard to say no. But long-term resilience depends on sustainable boundaries. Educators who regularly work nights and weekends or skip lunch for meetings eventually burn out—and leave.

Give yourself permission to:

• Protect your off-hours
• Delegate when possible
• Say no to overtime demands when your cup is empty

As Marissa Kloss, MS, RN, PED-BC, Nurse Educator at UbiSim, notes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup. And you shouldn’t have to.”

Build and Lean on Your Educator Community

You are not alone. Connecting with fellow nurse educators—locally or online—creates space for empathy, shared resources, and renewed purpose. Whether it’s a weekly vent session, a professional learning circle, or just a Slack group of like-minded colleagues, these communities provide emotional oxygen.

Encourage your department to create regular spaces for peer support, mentorship, and celebration. The act of showing up for one another is itself a form of resilience.

Access Mental Health Support Without Stigma

Just because you teach resilience doesn’t mean you’re immune to burnout, depression, or anxiety. Seeking mental health support isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a practice of sustainability.

Resources for educators can include:

• Institutional employee assistance programs (EAPs)
• Professional therapy or coaching
• Mental health apps (like Headspace or Calm)
• Peer debriefing or faculty wellness program

Resilience Begins With Care for You

Nurse educators carry an extraordinary responsibility and that work deserves to be supported, protected, and honored. Caring for your own mental health and well-being isn’t just beneficial for your students or the profession, it’s essential for you.

You deserve rest. You deserve support. And you deserve the same compassion you so freely give to others. Resilience doesn’t mean carrying everything alone—it means knowing when to pause, connect, and care for yourself first.