Mindfulness Meditation For Anxiety And Stress Reduction For Nursing Students

Abstract

Location: Dewberry Hall

The activity being showcased is the introduction of Mindfulness Meditation (MM) into the undergraduate nursing curriculum. This was brought to the nursing curriculum as a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project to provide the students with the skills needed for anxiety and stress management. In addition, this practice may assist with reduction of the physical and emotional effects of chronic stress. The MM teaching modules were given to students in undergraduate skills labs classes over a period of 4 weeks with one module opening each week. The modules targeted multiple learning styles by including Kaltura videos, journal articles, YouTube videos, one-page handouts, and weekly suggestions for skills practice. All learning modules included an evidenced-based foundation relevant to nursing practice as well as a new mindfulness technique each week. The DNP student was in class during week 5 to practice the skills outlined in the modules with the students. An acceptability survey was given upon completion of the project to assess student and faculty acceptability of the curriculum. Collaboration with the School of Nursing faculty was essential for the success of the implementation of the modules into the skills lab courses. The DNP student and skills lab faculty worked as a team to determine optimal placement within the course curriculum and plan for student engagement.