Understanding Resilience Among Generation Z Baccalaureate Nursing Students: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology Study.

BACKGROUND

Supporting resilience for nursing student success is critical to future health care. This study explored the meaning and process of resilience among Generation Z traditional baccalaureate nursing students.

METHOD

Using a qualitative hermeneutical phenomenology approach, 13 Generation Z nursing students with the lived experience of resilience were surveyed and interviewed. Results were analyzed interpretively.

RESULTS

Themes of resilience among Generation Z nursing students were identified relative to study questions. Identified themes included "Maneuvering the Murky Water" and "This Can Either Ruin Me or I Can Keep Moving With It," as well as a resilience process within the context of nursing education. Open-response data provided further reflective insights on resilience and recommendations for resilience in nursing education programs.

CONCLUSION

Supporting resilience begins with understanding students' individual and generational perspective. Future nursing education research should include innovative interventions wherein the perspectives of Generation Z students are central to design.