Hello,

My name is Jay Gottschalk and I am a PhD candidate at the Marquette University College of Nursing. I am studying how nurse leaders are affected by burnout (long-term emotional and physical fatigue from work-related stress), compassion satisfaction (the satisfaction that comes from helping others), positive thinking (the ability to not only be optimistic, but come up with positive solutions to problems), resilience (the ability to overcome stressful events and be more resistant to stressors as a result), and secondary traumatic stress (psychological trauma that occurs because of repeated exposure to the suffering of others). While nurse leaders are often tasked with helping staff with burnout, resilience, and these other elements, there is still a lot of research that needs to be done to understand the experience of nurse leaders and their mental welfare. My goal with this study is to better understand the mental state of nurses in leadership positions so that we can identify areas for future interventions to improve nurse leader mental wellness.

Participation in this study involves completing an online survey that is approximately 60 questions in length and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. To participate in this study, you need to: (1) have a degree or diploma in nursing, (2) hold the position of assistant manager (or its equivalent) or higher, (3) have at least one person who directly reports to you, and (4) be able to read English fluently. By doing this survey, you are agreeing to participate in the study and that you meet the four requirements for participation. All responses to this survey are anonymous and you may stop doing the survey at any time with no repercussions.

Should you complete the survey, you will be provided with a $25 Amazon gift card to show appreciation for taking the time to participate in this study. To protect your anonymity, a link at the end of the first survey will take you to a second survey asking for the email address where you would like the gift card sent. These two surveys are not linked, so the email address you provide in the second survey are not connected to the responses you provided in the first survey.

If you meet the requirements listed above and would like to participate, please use the following link: https://marquette.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9st9aRXnMJEtOZ 

Sincerely,

Jay R. Gottschalk