No. I do not agree with adding this amendment to the already overwhelming list of items/pieces to teach.

Programs already cover self-care in programs. This starts in fundamentals, is interwoven throughout, and concludes in Trends. People are doing the best they can. How can we require more hours - or take hours away from didactic content in preparation for NCLEX to study self care?? Again, self care is already addressed.

And my second question is this: how do you complete, let alone prove, this type of clinical? Are we going to the spa?

No.

I wholeheartedly support this proposal!

I have been a nurse for over 30 years and a nurse educator for 20 years. I can personally tell you that nursing is a mentally and physically challenging profession that has only increased since the pandemic.

The physical and mental health of nurses is a major concern to me. I believe that incorporating behaviors that help reduce work strain, anxiety, and tension by increasing one’s ability to cope through holistic stress reduction strategies is essential to resilience.

I have always prioritized self-care in my life and taught the “concept” of self-care for the duration of my career. However, nursing curricula is so intense that educators only have time to talk about self-care concepts. The reality of practice is simply not feasible.

As nurses, we must change the way we think and act!

New nurses must start to not only value the knowledge of self-care practices but understand how to care for themselves. Therefore, self-care skill development is necessary. Mandating that nursing programs not only teach, but allow nursing students to experience relaxation, healthy eating and exercise through documented self-care activities will help students develop positive coping habits rather than negative ones. Participating in activities such as yoga, exercise classes, support groups, and other activities that promote health and illness prevention will help solidify these behaviors.

I believe that practicing self-care during nursing school will foster a healthier transition into practice and lengthen the time nurses are able to provide safe care to patients in demanding workplaces. I am thankful that this proposal is being considered and support it completely!

Though I feel very strongly about self-care and advocate and encourage nursing students with me for their mental health clinicals, I do not feel it should be mandated into nursing program curriculum. There is so much already mandated in the nursing programs. Where would another up to 10 hours be placed? And no more than 10 hours, does that mean it can also be 1 hour or even 30 min? 

We do discuss self-care in our programs. I provide free apps for nurse self-care handouts to students, which I received during the ANA nursing burn-out series. I tell them if we are not at our best, we cannot give our best. Self-care is personal and there are so many things that it could include. I feel adding this mandate may have the reverse effect and cause nursing students more stress. Prior to starting my ADN program many years ago, the college provided an orientation that did discuss this. Also, when I do discuss self-care-it seems there are some that really look like they feel it is important and others look at me like I have 3 heads and seem very disinterested. Again-this is something very personal. 

Thank you.

Self-care is important for nurses to maintain their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Nursing is a very demanding profession with long hours, and it is often in high stress environments. If nurses do not attend to their own self-care, they risk burnout, leading to decreased job satisfaction, increased turnover rates and eventually, poorer patient outcomes. By incorporating self-care into the nursing curriculum, students are taught early in their careers the importance of taking care of themselves. 

Furthermore, self-care is not just about burnout, it  also promotes overall health and wellness. Nurses who practice self-care are more likely to be healthier, happier, and more resilient in facing challenges.

Opposing self-care in curriculum sends the message that self-care is not a priority or is somehow separate from the practice of nursing. It disregards the holistic approach to healthcare and it undermines the idea that nurses should be advocates for health and wellness. 

Therefore, including self-care in the curriculum, nursing programs can help shape a generation of nurses who understand the importance of caring for themselves in order to better care for others and better prepares students for the demands of the profession.

We all know how demanding nursing can be on us physically, emotionally and mentally but I struggle with having clinical hours count towards self care.  We are challenged with ensuring that our students have enough time in the clinical setting caring for patients and I would not want to lose these hours.  That being said, I do feel we are obligated to teach our students how to care for themselves.  This can be threaded through the curriculum in lectures, in post conferences and even by providing webinars for students to watch.  

I would not want this to be clinical hours.  

While an issue historically, there is an increasing incidence of mental health, anxiety, emotional regulation, resiliency, and decision-making in current cohorts. I know many programs will argue that they already cover self-care but I would urge those programs to reflect on how it is being covered. I find that many do mention it, perhaps even multiple times for "reinforcement" of the concept. But, what is being done or taught? Is is simply defining burnout and related terms? Is it having students list self-care activities or promise they're going to incorporate more of them? What is this really providing the student? Self-care is far more than a face mask and a bath. It requires the ability to identify emotions so we can accurately acknowledge, address, and regulate them so we can then make decisions. Far too often we fail to teach tangible skills with which a student can truly engage in self-care and resiliency. 

Last year I collaborated with a campus mental health professional to include wellness sessions in a course that is required for students on delayed progression. Topics covered include mindfulness (focusing on emotion regulation and decision-making), relationships (how to say no and ask for what you need), radical acceptance, and responding to emotional distress. These sessions give students tools to truly engage in their own well-being and actively change their self-care related behaviors. We've submitted a 2-credit course for approval to offer as an elective for freshmen and sophomores with the thought that empowering them early in the program will improve retention. 

In an ideal world, this would be mandatory for every student. I know the pushback is often that we already have "too much content" to cover and that anything "non-critical" must be trimmed. I absolutely appreciate and understand that concern. However, "critical" content seems to be definite as "content the NCLEX will test on". If we are educating students for more than just passing a standardized test, then I'd argue that there is "critical content" we are missing. What's the point of students passing the NCLEX if they are leaving the profession within five years due to burnout?