Building Psychological Capital in Nursing Education: An Upstream Strategy for Workforce Sustainability
By Jordan C Kabins, Ph.D., MBA
Introduction
Nursing school serves as the foundational environment where students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become professional nurses.
However, it must also function as the setting where students learn how to navigate and endure the psychological demands of the nursing profession.
If we aim to cultivate a resilient, engaged, and sustainable nursing workforce, psychological preparation must commence in nursing school rather than at hospital orientation. Nursing education provides an optimal opportunity to intentionally develop Psychological Capital (PsyCap), coping skills, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism before students fully enter the profession. To begin integrating these elements, educators can introduce curriculum modules focused on stress management and resilience-building. Faculty workshops could also be implemented to train educators on modeling and teaching these essential psychological skills.
Nursing Students Already Experience High Stress
Nursing students are already exposed to the psychological burdens associated with the profession. In many instances, they encounter comparable stressors even before undertaking their licensure examinations.
Nursing students must manage:
Heavy academic loads
Clinical responsibilities
Performance pressure
Gaps between coursework and real-world practice
Multiple expectations from instructors, clinical staff, and patients
Unfriendly or unsupportive clinical environments
Feelings of disconnection or inadequacy
Documented health concerns among nursing students, including anxiety, depression, and self-harm, mirror patterns observed in practicing nurses (Watson et, al., 2025).
Exposure to significant stressors often begins during the initial clinical rotation. Accordingly, the development of coping strategies should also commence at this stage.
The Role of Psychological Capital
Psychological Capital (PsyCap) includes:
Adequate Coping Skills: Goal-directed energy and pathways thinking
Self-efficacy: Confidence in one’s abilities
Resilience: Capacity to bounce back from adversity
Optimism: Positive attribution about future success
Nursing school provides an ideal environment for the intentional development of these capacities. In the absence of such preparation, students may enter the workforce with technical competence but psychological vulnerability, increasing the risk of fatigue, burnout, and turnover (Kabins, 2026).
Coping Methods: What Students Currently Use
Nursing students are instructed to utilize both intrinsic and extrinsic coping strategies.
Intrinsic (Individual) Coping
Problem-focused coping
Emotion-focused coping
Mixed effectiveness strategies
Positive coping examples:
Time management
Positive thinking
Self-motivation
Breathing exercises
Physical activity
Talking with friends
Negative coping patterns:
Irritability and anger
Overeating
Excessive caffeine consumption
Smoking
Students frequently employ a combination of both adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Extrinsic (Institution-Based Resources) Coping
Faculty support
Counseling services
Wellness programs
However, students frequently perceive institutional wellness initiatives as lacking authenticity. While resources may be available, they are not consistently integrated, modeled, or normalized in meaningful ways. Nursing students must be taught to effectively utilize both instructional guidance and extrinsic resources to manage workplace stressors. Concurrently, nursing educators should model and demonstrate appropriate use of these resources. For instance, faculty could schedule regular mindfulness sessions integrated into the curriculum, where both students and educators participate. This not only demonstrates the use of such resources but also normalizes their importance and practice. Additionally, creating mentorship groups where experienced nurses share their coping strategies can provide real-world examples, bridging the gap between availability and effective utilization of resources. As novices to professional stressors, nursing students require explicit instruction in coping strategies (Chen et al., 2024 & Labrague, 2024).
The Call for Expanded Structured Coping Education
The development of coping skills should not be left to chance.
Nursing educators should intentionally develop:
Stress reduction skills
Workload management strategies
Psychological flexibility and agility
Academic support systems
Mentorship programs
Coaching-oriented supervision during clinical rotations
When nursing students cultivate robust coping skills and receive genuine social support, their engagement increases, confidence is enhanced, and professional identity is more securely established (Chen et al., 2024, Dias et al., 2024 & Labrague, 2024).
These efforts constitute workforce development rather than merely academic support.
Behaviors, routines, and expectations are established during nursing school, and nurses should develop infection protocols and behaviors that last throughout their careers. During the pandemic, nurses relied not only on their technical skills but also on the psychological skills they acquired in nursing school. These skills included stress management, resilience, and adaptability, which were crucial in navigating the unprecedented challenges faced in healthcare settings. This highlights the importance and influence that nursing educators have on nurses' entire careers, not only in technical knowledge but also in preparing them psychologically for crisis situations (Kabins, 2026).
What Nursing Schools Can Implement
Evidence-informed approaches include:
Mindfulness-based interventions
Behavioral stress management programs
Evidence-based resilience training
Problem-solving skill development
Mentorship structures
Faculty modeling of healthy coping
Increased supervision and coaching in clinical settings
Improved Evaluation
Although it is not feasible to fully replicate real-world clinical environments, nursing schools can implement targeted interventions to build students' psychological resilience. Identifying key simulation elements that closely mimic real-world pressure without overwhelming novices can be vital. These elements might include time-bound decision-making scenarios or role-playing activities that mirror realistic patient interactions. Such carefully calibrated interventions not only enhance students' readiness but also help them develop the necessary skills to face real-world challenges effectively. (Chen et al., 2024, Dias et al., 2024 & Labrague, 2024).
Coaching, Not Just Evaluation
Students need more than grading.
They need coaching.
Early clinical experiences can either reinforce confidence or contribute to enduring self-doubt. Enhanced supervision, supportive evaluation, and structured reflection can facilitate the transformation of stress exposure into professional growth.
Coping starts at the beginning.
If it does not, maladaptive patterns may follow students into practice.
Therefore, increased coaching and professional modeling are essential to equip nurses with strategies to address psychological challenges encountered throughout their careers.
Workforce Implications
By focusing on developing Psychological Capital, structured coping education, and meaningful social support in nursing school, we strengthen the future workforce before burnout begins.
Hospitals alone cannot be expected to remediate psychological strain that could have been proactively addressed during nursing education.
If we want:
Reduced turnover
Lower burnout
Stronger engagement
Better patient outcomes
Therefore, psychological preparation must be systematically integrated into nursing education.
The nursing workforce is shaped well before individuals are formally employed.
Nursing educators have the opportunity and capacity to equip students with advanced psychological tools and coping mechanisms.
Conclusion
Nursing schools prepare students for licensure.
Now, nursing schools must also prepare students for sustained professional longevity.
Building Psychological Capital, coaching coping skills, and fostering authentic support systems are not supplemental; they are essential for creating nursing professionals.
A resilient nursing workforce begins in the classroom. Nursing educators should focus on implementing a Robust Resilience Model to ensure that nurses develop substantial psychological capital (Kabins, 2026).
Reference:
Chen, H., Kewou, N. Y. N., Atingabili, S., Sogbo, A. D. Z., & Tcheudjeu, A. T. (2024). The impact of psychological capital on nurses’ job performance: a chain mediation analysis of problem-focused coping and job engagement. BMC nursing, 23(1), 149.
Dias, J. M., Subu, M. A., Al-Yateem, N., Ahmed, F. R., Rahman, S. A., Abraham, M. S., ... & Javanbakh, F. (2024). Nursing students’ stressors and coping strategies during their first clinical training: a qualitative study in the United Arab Emirates. BMC nursing, 23(1), 322.
Kabins, J. (2026). The Challenges and Experiences of Mask Compliance among Nurses in Southern Nevada during COVID-19.
Labrague, L. J. (2024). Umbrella review: Stress levels, sources of stress, and coping mechanisms among student nurses. Nursing Reports, 14(1), 362-375.
Watson, A., Harper, D., Peterson, C., Anderson, M., Reed, C., Young, C., ... & Sutton-Clark, G. (2025). A qualitative inquiry into stress and coping among baccalaureate students in preparation for entering the nursing workforce. Journal of Professional Nursing, 58, 122-131.
