Hiromi Tobe, Adrianna Watson, Gabriel Marquez, Rachel Detrick
BACKGROUND: Nursing students experience heightened stress and emotional burden during clinical training, but opportunities for structured resilience skill development remain limited. AIM: To explore undergraduate nursing students' lived experiences of participation in a resilience-enhancement program. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive phenomenology. METHODS: Undergraduate students participated in a resilience-enhancement pilot program adapted from Japan for American nursing students. Upon program completion, four semi-structured focus groups were conducted. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed inductively. FINDINGS: Three themes were identified: (1) Intrapersonal Resilience Strategies; (2) Interpersonal & Accountability Supports; and (3) Intervention Design & Delivery Factors. Students described increased emotional insight, stronger coping tools and the value of social accountability. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that an undergraduate resilience-enhancement program grounded in mindfulness, journaling and peer support is both feasible and meaningful for nursing students. Integrating brief, scalable resilience interventions into nursing curricula may help prepare the next generation of nurses to care effectively for patients and navigate the emotional, ethical and interpersonal demands of a rapidly evolving global healthcare landscape. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: This study addresses the global challenge of preparing nursing students for the emotional and relational demands of contemporary healthcare. The program's scalability and alignment with global workforce priorities highlight its potential relevance for nursing education internationally. REPORTING METHOD: This study adhered to the SRQR guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: None.