Nurses and midwives may understandably be wary of the word ‘resilience’, especially if they sense employers use it to absolve themselves of responsibility for staff health and safety. But even without considering factors such as occupational violence and aggression, healthcare workers are routinely exposed to disease, disorder and death – physically and/or vicariously – at levels outside the realm of normal human experience; this alone can lead to higher levels of chronic stress response, and ultimately burnout.
