Incorporating a Mindfulness Program in a Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner Program

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Psychological Interventions
• Stress Management

Background:

• Graduate students, including nursing students, often experience elevated stress levels.
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is recognized for its psychological benefits.
• Limited data exists on MBSR's effectiveness in reducing stress among graduate nurse practitioner students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a pilot MBSR program on perceived stress in graduate nursing students.
• To assess MBSR as a non-pharmacologic intervention for stress reduction in this population.

Main Methods:

• A 14-week pilot Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program was implemented.
• Program content included mindfulness meditation, mindful yoga, and coping strategies for stressful situations.
• Perceived stress was measured before and after the MBSR training in a sample of 25 graduate nursing students.

Main Results:

• Pre-MBSR training, the mean perceived stress score was 26 (+4), indicating moderate stress.
• Post-MBSR training, perceived stress scores significantly decreased by 6 points (p < .05).
• The findings suggest MBSR activities effectively reduced overall stress levels in the participating students.

Conclusions:

• MBSR is an effective non-pharmacologic tool for reducing perceived stress in graduate nursing students.
• Graduates gained familiarity with MBSR, enabling them to share the practice with patients.
• Integrating MBSR into their clinical toolkit supports holistic patient care.