An Online Module to Promote Self-Care and Resiliency in Nursing Students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Student Well-being
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Nursing education demands can negatively affect student physical and mental health.
• The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials mandate self-care and resilience education in curricula.
• There is a need for effective strategies to integrate self-care into nursing programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a self-care module for an online undergraduate nursing course.
• To assess the impact of the module on nursing students' self-care practices.
• To provide a framework for incorporating self-care education into nursing curricula.

Main Methods:

• Development of an online self-care module for undergraduate nursing students.
• Utilized the REST mnemonic (Relationships, Exercise, Soul, Transformative Thinking) for personalized self-care plan creation.
• Evaluation of the module through end-of-course student assessments.

Main Results:

• The self-care module was successfully developed and implemented in an online undergraduate course.
• End-of-course evaluations indicated a statistically significant increase in students' engagement with self-care activities.
• The most frequently adopted self-care activities included exercise, humor, intentional rest, and healthy eating.

Conclusions:

• Integrating self-care modules into nursing education is feasible and beneficial for student well-being.
• The REST mnemonic provides a practical structure for students to develop and implement personalized self-care strategies.
• Nursing programs should prioritize self-care and resilience education to support student health and academic success.