Occupational Health

The New Jersey Safe Schools Program (NJSS) provides required training for secondary school career–technical education work-based learning (WBL) supervision, allowing certified teachers to supervise students in school-sponsored work placements. During each training’s virtual live session day, a new activity for teachers to use to connect the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) “Eight Dimensions of Wellness” model (8DW) to individual young workers was conducted. NJSS implemented an optional “Eight Dimensions of Young Worker Wellness” activity with 67 volunteer participants (44% response rate) in February–November 2024. Using Mentimeter, teachers were given a student worker scenario and asked how aspects of the scenario pertained to each of the 8DW (emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, spiritual). A qualitative, inductive content analysis of open responses collected via Mentimeter was conducted. Most teachers selected emotional and social dimensions of 8DW when asked to select the two most important for young workers to incorporate into their work lives. This new NJSS activity encouraged teachers to examine different aspects of their own health, and potentially they could then apply it to the health, safety, and wellness of their students and co-workers, as a proactive approach to promote comprehensive wellness.

Background: Poor mental health is a major contributor to absenteeism and turnover among nurses. Psychological flexibility may act as a protective factor for work-related well-being. This early-phase feasibility study explored the delivery of an online adaptation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) training for UK nursing professionals. Methods: A self-guided, 4-week online adaptation of an ACT training course was delivered via Moodle. Measures of professional quality of life, work engagement, and work-related psychological flexibility were collected at baseline and post-intervention (6 weeks). Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, retention, intervention adherence, and user engagement, assessed through platform usage statistics and user experience feedback. Results: A total of 43 participants enrolled in this single-group pre–post feasibility study. Recruitment targets were met, and completion of baseline measures was high. Engagement with course content was acceptable for an early-stage digital intervention. Among the well-being outcomes, work engagement showed the clearest indication of potential measure responsiveness. Retention was acceptable for the post-intervention survey but low for the usability survey and follow-up interview, limiting further exploration of engagement drivers. Conclusions: This study supports the feasibility of delivering online ACT training to nursing professionals. Key areas for refinement were identified, including closer integration with existing workplace communication and professional development systems, ongoing stakeholder involvement across study phases, and workplace-embedded engagement mechanisms to improve retention. Future research should further explore how workplace context influences intervention acceptability in larger feasibility trials.

Occupational health serves as a critical foundation for human well-being and sustainable socioeconomic development [...]