Practicing Self-Care for Nurses: A Nursing Program Initiative

Author(s):  
Cynthia Blum

Self-care is imperative to personal health, sustenance to continue to care for others, and professional growth. This article briefly reviews stressors common to students and nurses and the importance of practicing self-care to combat stress and promote health in practice. Florida Atlantic University offers a course for all levels of undergraduate nursing students called Caring for Self. The course, supported by principles of Adult Learning Theory, focuses on guiding the nurse to practice and model self-care. The author describes the evolution of this self-care initiative by discussing the needs assessment, course description and strategies, examples of course activities, and an exemplar of student impact. The conclusion offers discussion of challenges and lessons noted by faculty and students.

2020 ◽  
pp. 084456211989648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Beanlands ◽  
Elizabeth McCay ◽  
Angel Wang ◽  
Andria Aiello ◽  
Jasna Schwind ◽  
...  

Study Background Nursing students often have high levels of stress leading to negative consequences for academic performance and overall well-being. Novel strategies are needed to help students manage stress. Purpose To explore students’ experiences with an evidence-based intervention—Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Skills Group (DBT-SG). Methods We conducted a mixed-methods study to pilot test a DBT-SG intervention, modified for use with undergraduate nursing students. Qualitative data collected as part of this study included focus groups and written responses on a study questionnaire. Thematic analysis of these data was undertaken to explore how students experienced the intervention. The results of this analysis are reported here. Results Five themes were uncovered: experiencing stress and de-stressing, feeling accepted and validated, acquiring skills, shifting perspectives, and enhanced well-being. Conclusions Our findings suggest that by engaging with DBT-SG, nursing students felt accepted and validated, acquired a variety of skills to cope with stress, as well as developed new perspectives, such as the value of practicing self-care, which contributed to enhanced well-being. Future research could build on these results by further exploring how to best create accepting and validating learning environments where students are encouraged to develop interpersonal relationship skills and enact self-care to further support their well-being and professional development.


BMC Nursing ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Drasiku ◽  
Janet L. Gross ◽  
Casey Jones ◽  
Champion N. Nyoni

Abstract Background Nurses with degree qualifications offer better nursing care compared to nurses prepared at lower levels. University based nursing degrees have been sanctioned as entry into professional nursing and several low-resource states have introduced university based nursing degrees. The clinical teaching of students enrolled in such degrees is challenged, as most nurses in practice do not have university degrees and may not have the necessary skills to facilitate clinical learning as expected at degree level. A university in Uganda established a bachelor’s degree in Nursing program and was expecting to use nurses in practice at a teaching hospital for the clinical teaching of university-degree nursing students. This study reports on the perceptions of the nurses in practice regarding their readiness for the clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students. Methods A qualitative descriptive research study was conducted among 33 conveniently sampled nurses from Arua Regional Referral Hospital (ARRH) who had been supervising Diploma and/or Certificate in Nursing students. Five focus group discussions and three informant interviews were used to generate the data. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an inductive approach through thematic analysis. Results The nurses in practice perceived themselves as ready for clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students. Three themes emerged namely; “Willingness to teach undergraduate students” “Perceived attributes of undergraduate students”, and “The clinical practice environment”. Conclusion The nurses in practice need support in the execution of the clinical teaching role of university-degree nursing students. The nature of supports would include, continuing professional development specific to clinical teaching, engaging the educators in the clinical environment, positively engaging power gradients and address insecurities among the nurses and the students. Students in these programmes should be exposed to the clinical environment earlier within the programme, and be exposed to interprofessional and trans-professional education.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Coffey ◽  
Hilde Zitzelsberger ◽  
Marianne Cochrane ◽  
Katherine Cummings

Healthcare educators are in a unique position to support students’ personal and professional development. The UOIT-DC Nursing Program curriculum is founded on caring values that assert a commitment to the primacy of relationships. According to humanistic nursing, caring involves the interrelated concepts of ‘being’ and ‘doing’ in which both require an active presence and willingness to come to know another person (Paterson  and  Zderad, 1976). A deeply held tenet of nursing practice is the notion that when a nurse knows or understands a person, he or she will be better able to care for that person. We believe that this notion also pertains to student and faculty relationships in nursing education, ultimately leading to more effective and meaningful learning opportunities and experiences.This poster will report on a qualitative study exploring undergraduate nursing students’ hopes and dreams when they begin their education and the ways these hopes and dreams may shift and evolve as they progress through the program. The intersections of students’ hopes and dreams for their education and faculty members’ hopes and dreams in teaching students will be presented. The impetus for the project arose from conversations among faculty members about the complex relational nature of nursing education and our hope to enhance relational awareness and practices through a deeper understanding of the aspirations and goals that students hold. Exploration of how the findings may contribute to deeper understandings of and responsiveness to students and the significance of nursing practice and education to them will be presented.ReferencesPaterson, J. G.,  and  Zderad, L. T. (1976). Humanistic nursing. New York: John Wiley and Sons.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Drasiku ◽  
Janet L. Gross ◽  
Casey Jones ◽  
Champion N. Nyoni

Abstract Background: Nurses with degree qualifications offer better nursing care compared to nurses prepared at lower levels. University based nursing degrees have been sanctioned as entry into professional nursing and several low-resource states have introduced university based nursing degrees. The clinical teaching of students enrolled in such degrees is challenged, as most nurses in practice do not have university degrees and are incompetent in moulding the clinical reasoning processes which is inherent within degree education. A university in Uganda established a bachelor’s degree in Nursing program and was expecting to use nurses in practice at a teaching hospital for the clinical teaching of university-degree nursing students. This study reports on the perceptions of the nurses in practice regarding their readiness for the clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students.Methods: A qualitative descriptive research study was conducted among 33 conveniently sampled nurses from ARRH who had been supervising Diploma and/or Certificate in Nursing students. Five focus group discussions and three informant interviews were used to generate the data. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an inductive approach through thematic analysis.Results: The nurses in practice perceived themselves as ready for clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students. Three themes emerged namely; “Willingness to teach undergraduate students” “Perceived attributes of undergraduate students”, and “The clinical practice environment”.Conclusion: The nurses in practice need support in the execution of the clinical teaching role of undergraduate nursing students. The nature of supports would include, continuing professional development specific to clinical teaching, engaging the educators in the clinical environment, positively engaging power gradients and address insecurities among the nurses and the students. Students in these programmes should be exposed to the clinical environment earlier within the programme, and be exposed to interprofessional and trans-professional education.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Darpan I. Patel ◽  
Vanessa Meling ◽  
Afsha Somani ◽  
Danila Larrotta ◽  
David A. Byrd

The Summer Undergraduate Nursing Research Immersion Experience (SUNRISE) program was developed to provide opportunities for eligible underrepresented/underserved (UR/US) undergraduate nursing students to participate in a semi-structured summer research experience. First year undergraduate nursing students enrolled full-time in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program were eligible to participate in SUNRISE. Significant improvements were seen in the student’s self-efficacy as scientists (pre: 4.4 ± 0.27; post: 4.6 ± 0.17) and the student’s perception of their role in research. Using a mentor-based approach, UR/US students were given one-on-one training that is often lacking in nursing programs. Though only in its first year, preliminary data suggest that the SUNRISE program can impact UR/US student’s sense of scientific efficacy preparing these students for success beyond nursing school.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Drasiku ◽  
Janet L. Gross ◽  
Casey Jones ◽  
Champion N. Nyoni

Abstract Background: Nurses with degree qualifications offer better nursing care compared to nurses prepared at lower levels. University based nursing degrees have been sanctioned as entry into professional nursing and several low-resource states have introduced university based nursing degrees. The clinical teaching of students enrolled in such degrees is challenged, as most nurses in practice do not have university degrees and are incompetent in moulding the clinical reasoning processes which is inherent within degree education. A university in Uganda established a bachelor’s degree in Nursing program and was expecting to use nurses in practice at a teaching hospital for the clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students. This study reports on the perceptions of the nurses in practice regarding their readiness for the clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students.Methods: A qualitative descriptive research study was conducted among 33 conveniently sampled nurses from ARRH who had been supervising Diploma and/or Certificate in Nursing students. Five focus group discussions and three informant interviews were used to generate the data. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an inductive approach through thematic analysis.Results: The nurses in practice perceived themselves as ready for clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students. Three themes emerged namely; “ Willingness to teach undergraduate students ” “ Perceived attributes of undergraduate students ”, and “ The clinical practice environment ”.Conclusion: The nurses in practice need support in the execution of the clinical teaching role of undergraduate nursing students. The nature of supports would include, continuing professional development specific to clinical teaching, engaging the educators in the clinical environment, positively engaging power gradients and address insecurities among the nurses and the students. Students in these programmes should be exposed to the clinical environment earlier within the programme, and be exposed to interprofessional and trans-professional education.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Drasiku ◽  
Janet L. Gross ◽  
Casey Jones ◽  
Champion N. Nyoni

Abstract Background: Nurses with degree qualifications offer better nursing care compared to nurses prepared at lower levels. University based nursing degrees have been sanctioned as entry into professional nursing and several low-resource states have introduced university based nursing degrees. The clinical teaching of students enrolled in such degrees is challenged, as most nurses in practice do not have university degrees and are incompetent in moulding the clinical reasoning processes which is inherent within degree education. A university in Uganda established a bachelor’s degree in Nursing program and was expecting to use nurses in practice at a teaching hospital for the clinical teaching of university-degree nursing students. This study reports on the perceptions of the nurses in practice regarding their readiness for the clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students.Methods: A qualitative descriptive research study was conducted among 33 conveniently sampled nurses from ARRH who had been supervising Diploma and/or Certificate in Nursing students. Five focus group discussions and three informant interviews were used to generate the data. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an inductive approach through thematic analysis.Results: The nurses in practice perceived themselves as ready for clinical teaching of undergraduate nursing students. Three themes emerged namely; “Willingness to teach undergraduate students” “Perceived attributes of undergraduate students”, and “The clinical practice environment”.Conclusion: The nurses in practice need support in the execution of the clinical teaching role of undergraduate nursing students. The nature of supports would include, continuing professional development specific to clinical teaching, engaging the educators in the clinical environment, positively engaging power gradients and address insecurities among the nurses and the students. Students in these programmes should be exposed to the clinical environment earlier within the programme, and be exposed to interprofessional and trans-professional education.


Author(s):  
Fuad Alhosban ◽  
Samantha Ismaile

Effective presentation of information is essential in teaching and learning. We assessed the promoters of and barriers to utilization of a learning man-agement system, namely Blackboard (Blackboard Inc., Washington DC, USA), by undergraduate nursing students. We investigated their utilization of Blackboardand provided recommendations to improve their teaching and learning. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 304 women in their second to fourth years of study using a validated questionnaire that evalu-ated their perceptions of Blackboard utilization. Data were collected be-tween January and February 2017 and analyzed using descriptive and com-parative statistics. The response rate was 67.5%. The most frequently report-ed promoters of Blackboard utilization were factors related to obtaining course specifications, materials, and grades (means: 3.54  1.18, 3.54  1.25, and 3.55  1.34, respectively). The most commonly mentioned barriers to Blackboard utilization were factors related to loss of communication and feedback from educators (mean: 4.21  1.05). Our results revealed that students experiences of using such systems are often negative, especially in terms of communication, interaction, and feedback. Investment in staff training and creation of new roles to monitor, maintain, and audit the quali-ty of such systems are recommended.


2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Chow, ◽  
Ruth Grant Kalischuk,

This study took place in Western Canada; it examined undergraduate nursing students’ self-care behaviors. The researchers developed a 27-item questionnaire asking students about sleep, exercise, diet, fluid intake, weight, checkups, relaxation, complementary therapy use, alcohol intake, health goals, and smoking habits. Of 330 degree, diploma, and post-diploma nursing students, 211 students responded to the questionnaire. The majority of students reported that they engaged in health-promoting selfcare behaviors. However, it seems that busy schedules often prevented students from having enough sleep, fluid, exercise, and self-care activities. The majority of the students reported that they used complementary therapies.


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