WenWell Support Sessions™: Preparing Senior Nursing Students for Workforce Readiness Through Capacity, Psychological Safety, and Connection

Nursing students preparing to transition into professional practice are entering healthcare environments characterized by increasing emotional strain, workforce shortages, burnout, and psychological stress. The WenWell Support Session™ model, supported by the Connecticut Nurse Wellness Project (CTNWP), was developed to strengthen emotional wellness, self-awareness, stress management, psychological safety, and relational connection among healthcare learners and professionals. This publication summarizes outcomes from a WenWell Support Session™ conducted with undergraduate senior nursing students at Southern Connecticut State University. Pre- and post-session WenWell Wellness Index™ scores demonstrated a measurable positive shift in perceived wellness, and qualitative findings highlighted themes related to stress normalization, professional purpose, practical stress management application, mentorship, and the importance of sustained emotional support.

Healthcare systems across the United States continue to experience rising levels of burnout, emotional exhaustion, workforce instability, and mental health strain among healthcare professionals. Nursing students preparing to transition into practice are entering clinical environments that are increasingly complex, emotionally demanding, and operationally strained.

Senior nursing students often experience significant pressure associated with academic completion, licensure preparation, clinical expectations, financial concerns, professional identity development, and transition-to-practice anxiety. Despite these demands, many students receive limited structured preparation related to emotional wellness, stress management, psychological safety, and sustainable professional well-being.

Clinician well-being is a systems-level priority requiring proactive and organizational approaches to workforce support. Supporting wellness during nursing education may therefore represent an important upstream strategy for promoting resilience, workforce sustainability, emotional capacity, and long-term professional retention.

The WenWell Support Session™ model was developed to address this need through structured wellness-centered interventions designed to strengthen emotional awareness, reflective practice, psychological safety, peer connection, and sustainable stress management skills. Operating under the Connecticut Nurse Wellness Project (CTNWP), WenWell Support Sessions™ align with the broader mission of advancing nurse wellness as both a workforce and systems imperative.

The purpose of the WenWell Support Session™ was to prepare senior nursing students to transition into professional practice with the skills, awareness, support, and wellness-centered strategies necessary to sustain emotional well-being and workforce readiness.

The session model is grounded in three foundational WenWell™ domains: Capacity — an individual's perceived ability to manage academic, emotional, clinical, and professional demands; Psychological Safety — the extent to which individuals feel emotionally safe to express concerns, stress, vulnerability, and authentic experiences without fear of judgment or criticism; and Connection — an individual's experience of belonging, peer support, mentorship, and relational engagement.

Through guided reflection, facilitated dialogue, wellness-centered discussion, and stress management education, the session intentionally created an environment designed to strengthen emotional wellness and support transition-to-practice readiness.

Host Organization: Southern Connecticut State University.

Initiative: Connecticut Nurse Wellness Project.

Session Date: April 4, 2026.

Participants: 71 Undergraduate Senior Nursing Students.

Session Length: Approximately 40 Minutes.

Facilitator: Dr. Wendy Garvin Mayo.

Participants completed pre-session and post-session WenWell Wellness Index™ assessments measuring perceived wellness across the three WenWell™ domains: Capacity, Psychological Safety, and Connection.

The session incorporated facilitated reflection, wellness education, stress management discussion, emotional awareness exercises, and transition-to-practice preparation dialogue.

Participation in the assessments was voluntary. As a result, pre-session and post-session sample sizes differed. Findings are therefore presented to reflect directional trends in participant experience rather than matched individual comparisons.

WenWell Wellness Index™ Results — Pre-Session (n=71): Mean score 63.8 (Stabilizing). Post-Session (n=55): Mean score 73.1 (Thriving). Net Change: +9.3 (Positive Shift).

Participants entered the session within the “Stabilizing” category, suggesting overall functioning with underlying emotional and academic strain. Following participation in the WenWell Support Session™, post-session scores increased to the “Thriving” category. The observed +9.3-point increase reflects a meaningful positive shift in how participants perceived and experienced stress, emotional support, and wellness following a single session.

These findings suggest that even brief wellness-centered interventions may positively influence nursing student well-being and transition readiness.

Several key findings emerged from the session outcomes. Participants demonstrated increased perceptions of emotional support, stronger awareness surrounding stress and wellness, improved connection and normalization of shared experiences, and increased recognition of practical stress management strategies.

Qualitative feedback additionally reflected strong engagement related to mentorship, professional identity, purpose, and workforce preparation.

Analysis of participant feedback identified six primary themes.

1. Informative and Engaging Experience — Students consistently described the session as engaging, practical, and emotionally meaningful. Participants characterized the session as “Very informative,” “Thorough,” “Engaging,” and “Inspirational and uplifting.” These findings suggest that students valued both the educational and emotional support components of the session experience.

2. Normalization of Stress — Students frequently reflected on the importance of recognizing that stress and emotional strain are common experiences within nursing education and professional preparation. Participants shared that “other peers are going through the same stress” and that stress in nursing is common and must be addressed. These findings suggest increased psychological safety and relational connection among participants. Normalization may reduce feelings of isolation and reinforce emotional support within nursing education environments.

3. Practical Application and Skill-Building — Students emphasized the practical relevance of the session content and identified ways they planned to apply the information in future professional settings. Participants noted: “I am planning to use the tips in my professional career,” “Good insight on how to manage stress and support yourself,” and “Helped me understand how to help myself to help others.” This theme highlights the importance of equipping nursing students with actionable wellness strategies prior to entering professional practice.

4. Purpose and Career Alignment — Several students reflected on the relationship between wellness, purpose, and professional identity. Participants shared: “My purpose and values will guide me” and “Good reminder for why I chose this career.” These findings suggest that the session supported not only stress management awareness but also deeper reflection regarding professional meaning, values, and identity.

5. Early Integration Opportunity — Students identified the importance of introducing wellness-centered support earlier within nursing education programs. One participant reflected: “This should be introduced at the beginning of nursing school.” This finding suggests opportunities for longitudinal wellness integration across nursing curricula rather than isolated end-of-program interventions.

6. Need for Ongoing Support and Mentorship — Students highlighted the importance of sustained support, mentorship, and continued connection throughout professional development. Participants expressed interest in mentorship, peer support, and ongoing wellness-centered engagement. These findings reinforce the importance of creating structured wellness and mentorship pathways that extend beyond a single educational session.

Following the session, 26 students (37%) enrolled in the Connecticut Nurse Wellness Mentorship Program.

This outcome demonstrates substantial interest in continued support, professional connection, and ongoing wellness-centered engagement. The strong mentorship enrollment rate further suggests that students value opportunities for sustained emotional support and professional guidance during transition-to-practice experiences.

The outcomes from this session suggest that structured wellness interventions may positively influence nursing student perceptions of support, emotional wellness, stress management readiness, and workforce preparation.

Importantly, participants entered the session within the “Stabilizing” category and shifted into the “Thriving” category following participation. This measurable improvement, combined with strong qualitative feedback, reinforces the potential impact of brief psychologically safe wellness interventions.

Students consistently emphasized practical stress management value, emotional normalization, peer connection, mentorship, and professional purpose. These findings are particularly relevant given ongoing concerns surrounding nurse burnout, emotional exhaustion, workforce sustainability, and transition-to-practice stress.

Proactive, systems-level approaches to workforce well-being are essential. Integrating wellness-centered interventions within nursing education may therefore represent an important strategy for strengthening long-term workforce sustainability and emotional resilience.

The WenWell Support Session™ model contributes to this growing conversation by providing a scalable, facilitator-led wellness approach focused on strengthening capacity, psychological safety, connection, and workforce readiness.

Start Early — Integrate WenWell™ wellness principles and support sessions at the beginning of nursing education programs.

Sustain Support — Implement ongoing WenWell Support Sessions™ and WenWell Support Circles™ throughout academic progression.

Build Structured Mentorship — Develop cohort-based mentorship models that strengthen emotional support, workforce transition, and professional connection.

Measure Wellness Continuously — Utilize the WenWell Wellness Index™ longitudinally to monitor wellness trends and student support needs over time.

Equip Faculty — Provide faculty development related to psychological safety, wellness-centered communication, and supportive learning environments.

Normalize Wellness as a Professional Competency — Position emotional wellness, stress management, and self-awareness as essential components of nursing professionalism and workforce readiness.

The WenWell Support Session™ reinforced that wellness is foundational to workforce readiness. Strengthening capacity, psychological safety, and connection improved participants' perceived ability to manage stress, prepare for professional transition, and sustain emotional well-being.

The measurable increase in WenWell Wellness Index™ scores, combined with strong qualitative findings, demonstrates that brief, structured wellness interventions may create meaningful impact among nursing students preparing to enter professional practice.

Participants left the session with practical wellness strategies, increased self-awareness, strengthened peer connection, and a greater sense of support.

As healthcare systems continue confronting burnout, workforce instability, and emotional exhaustion, integrating wellness-centered support within nursing education may become increasingly important.

The WenWell™ movement reinforces a central principle: Wellness is not separate from professional preparation. Wellness is professional preparation.