Nursing Students' Feedback to a Spiritual Health Reflection

It is common for young students to enter nursing school with untested or immature spiritual belief systems. This exploratory study elicited feedback from nursing students in response to a guided reflection about spiritual health. As a precursor to classroom teaching, participants wrote a short, nongraded anonymous response to a series of 10 broad questions, with no single answer considered right or wrong. At the conclusion of this classroom activity, students completed a survey indicating the extent to which they believed it was beneficial. The majority of the participants (97%) considered it important to identify their own beliefs about spiritual matters prior to entering the clinical setting. As a result of the classroom reflection activity, most of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that the exercise (a) heightened their awareness about spiritual issues, (b) encouraged them to consider spiritual matters they had never thought about before, (c) caused them to feel more confident discussing spiritual matters with patients, and (d) inspired them to learn more and/or seek clarity regarding the questions presented. Based on the findings, nursing faculty should consider adding a similar classroom reflection activity prior to entering the clinical setting where patients and/or family members ask questions about spiritual matters.