Increasing Knowledge of Emotional Intelligence: An Emotional Intelligence Education Workshop for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists

Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) provide safe, efficient, high quality yet low-cost anesthesia care for the United States of America. However, job- related stress can contribute to poor performance and burnout in the nurse anesthesia profession. Emotionally intelligent individuals are aware of their own emotional state, are able regulate their emotions and can handle stressful situations leading to a healthier physical and mental state. Existing literature cites various implications of emotional intelligence (EI) in the healthcare field such as improved job satisfaction, decreased burnout, improved interprofessional communication, and enhanced patient outcomes. EI is teachable; however, there is no standardized teaching methodology. The most frequently cited and successful interventions to increase one’s emotional intelligence levels recommended multiple in-person education sessions lasting one to two hours over the course of a year; however, this pilot study was only conducted as a single one hour in person workshop. Based on the literature, the purpose of this pre-test/post-test pilot project was to develop and implement an educational workshop to solely increase knowledge levels of EI in a sample of Michigan CRNAs.

A convenience sample of 39 Michigan CRNAs consented to participate in the workshop. No statistically significant difference was found [t (38) = -.595, p = .55] between the pre-test assessment (M = 8.97, SD = 1.11) and post-test assessment (M = 9.05, SD = 1.05). Statistical significance was found [t (37) = -5.441, p < .001] in the presentation evaluation item which prompted participants to rate their knowledge or familiarity with EI before (M = 3.84, SD = .86) and after (M = 4.5, SD = .60) the workshop [t (38) = -5.441, p <.001]. The workshop design was an effective teaching modality to increase participants personal knowledge levels of EI.