Practicing What We Preach Teaching Psychiatric-Mental Health Student Nurses to Care For Themselves

It is well known that stress has a profoundly negative impact on the physical, mental, and spiritual health of nurses. In addition, undergraduate nursing students experience a tremendous amount of stress as a result of their academic and clinical requirements. In the current study, new self-care activities were introduced in an undergraduate psychiatric-mental health nursing course at a midsize, teaching-intensive university over the course of four academic semesters. Thematic analysis was conducted using qualitative feedback from 79 students who completed standard university course evaluations, and four major themes emerged: Stress Levels, Use of Self-Care Strategies and Coping Skills, Self-Reflection, and Perception of Instructor. Overall, students found value in self-care activities that have potential to reduce burnout, increase retention, and improve student and patient outcomes. Therefore, a proactive approach should be taken early in undergraduate programs to provide education to nursing students about strategies to combat the deleterious effects of stress and promote self-care.