Building a more resilient future nursing workforce: Our experience of introducing Resilience‑based Clinical Supervision in healthcare education
From top left: Katie Webb, Anita Combes, Faith D. Howard and Wendy Grosvenor
By Katie Webb (NHS England), Anita Combes, Jennifer Oates, Faith D. Howard and Wendy Grosvenor (all of Department of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK)
Nursing is a profession grounded in compassion, commitment and skill, but it also places significant emotional and mental demands on those who practise it. As educators, preparing future nurses must go beyond clinical competence alone. To thrive in practice, students need opportunities to develop resilience, self‑awareness and compassion amid growing pressures across the healthcare system.
At the School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, we have embedded well-being across undergraduate nursing programmes rather than treating it as an optional ‘add‑on’. This commitment has been strengthened through the introduction of Resilience‑based Clinical Supervision (RBCS) for both staff and students. We were lucky to have the support of NHS England and the Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS) in both delivering and evaluating an RBCS pilot.
Why Resilience‑based Clinical Supervision?
RBCS is informed by compassion‑focused approaches to staff support and offers a structured, facilitated model that centres on well-being and resilience. Unlike more traditional supervision models, which often focus on performance or case management, RBCS is strengths‑based and relational. It creates a psychologically safe space for reflection, peer support and the development of practical self‑care strategies.
Evidence suggests that RBCS can help healthcare professionals protect their mental health, reconnect with meaning and enjoyment in their work, and enhance the care they provide. Within higher education, where awareness of staff and student well-being continues to grow, RBCS offers a practical way to embed compassion and resilience into everyday educational practice.
The RBCS pilot
Our initial pilot focused on staff, recognising the importance of supporting those who teach and supervise students. Nurse lecturers and senior leaders were invited to undertake RBCS facilitator training, enabling them to support both students and colleagues.
The training included two workshops, one delivered in-person, by an experienced registered nurse trained in RBCS. Participants were then invited to attend monthly peer supervision sessions. These sessions provided a confidential, supportive space for staff to reflect on their work while also helping them embed RBCS principles into their educational roles.
Staff experiences and learning
We were grateful for FoNS’s support in our evaluation of the pilot. FoNS helped facilitate a participant evaluation session with staff who had undertaken the training. Staff feedback highlighted the positive and affirming nature of RBCS. Many described how it encouraged them to rethink self‑care, not only as something to promote with students but as a responsibility they needed to model for themselves. The psychologically safe environment enabled honest reflection and a deeper understanding of colleagues’ shared pressures.
Importantly, staff also reported using RBCS tools beyond formal supervision sessions, applying them in teaching, personal tutoring and everyday interactions with students. This suggests a wider cultural impact than originally anticipated.
Challenges and next steps
Time emerged as the main challenge, reinforcing the need for flexibility and organisational commitment if RBCS is to be sustainable. Looking ahead, the school is expanding its pool of trained facilitators and piloting RBCS with nursing students, with longer‑term ambitions to involve final‑year students as co‑facilitators.
As workforce pressures continue to intensify, RBCS offers a hopeful and practical approach to supporting resilience, compassion and sustainability within nursing education and practice.
If you want to know more about Resilience-based Clinical Supervision and how to book a ‘Champion and Cascade’ programme for your organisation or look at dates for the next ‘public programme’, visit the RBCS pages