Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exercise As Self-Care To Combat Nurse Burnout, Jessica Petefish

Theses and Graduate Projects

The demands on nurses continue to grow, inducing stress and other symptoms of burnout. Nurse burnout can cause short and long term physiological and psychological symptoms. Nurse burnout not only affects nurses but has implications for patients and hospitals as well. Exercise has been proven to have many health benefits and the ability to alleviate symptoms of burnout. Nurses on a hematology/oncology unit cited burnout as their reason for leaving the unit. This project proposes a walking program as a self-care method to reduce symptoms of nurse burnout. Utilizing Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring and her idea of self-care …

Empowering Victims Of Sex Trafficking: Developing A Practice Of Self-Care, Samantha Foster

Theses and Graduate Projects

Sex trafficking (ST) is on the rise globally, nationally, and locally. This modern day form of slavery most often victimizes women and children, stripping them of their personal power. The traumatizing crime that is sex trafficking affects its victims physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and has many negative ramifications on communities. Minnesota is leading the Nation in addressing this human rights violation by implementing and enforcing the Safe Harbor Law. Guided by concepts of Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, trauma-informed care (TIC) practices, current literature support, and in cooperation with shelters like Brittany’s Place in Minnesota, nurses may utilize …

The Effectiveness Of Yoga In Preventing And Managing Back Pain, Sonja M. Brockman

Theses and Graduate Projects

In this Doctorate of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) scholarly

project, a yoga program was developed and implemented to educate how the practice of yoga can be utilized to manage or prevent back pain in nurses. Back pain in nurses is a common condition that can cause nurses to become unable to work and ultimately affect the nursing work unit. The practice of yoga has gained popularity in Western culture for improving health and back pain. A review of the recent research literature from 2000- 2015 that investigated back pain in nurses, back pain management, treatment, and yoga, is provided …

Reclaiming Our Sacredness As Nurse Healers, Lani L. Hollenbeck

Theses and Graduate Projects

The nurse-patient relationship encompasses the richness of being in a relationship with another human being. When viewed through a healthcare lens a patient's health, illness, and healing are often defined by procedural testing, diagnosis, and a plan for treatment. Within the community of professional nurses, it is known that healing involves more than an attempt to physically repair the human body. The use of nursing theory, caring science, and recognition of the patient in their wholeness guides nursing practice. Nurses incorporate the use of experiential wisdom (metis) in caring for the life force of another human being in the effort …

Nurse Burnout: When The Flame Goes Dim, Brittany M. Barden

Theses and Graduate Projects

Anticipating and responding to the needs of others is the forefront of the nursing profession. Nurses all too often place the needs of patients, patient's families, and organizations ahead of their own. The constant care of others without proper attention to one's own needs can lead to nurse burnout. There is little education being provided to nurses regarding the danger and effects of nurse burnout and how one can create a healthy balance between meeting their own needs as well as those of others. The purpose of this project is to develop an educational module that will raise awareness of …

A Healthy Work Schedule: Improving Dynamics For Nurses’ Health, Amy Schei

Theses and Graduate Projects

Rotating shift work is an unavoidable, integral aspect of nursing at a large hospital in the Midwest; however, the fatigue involved in rotating shift work is avoidable. Research has shown how fatigue related to rotating shifts can impact nurses and ultimately affect patients. Fatigue caused by rotating shift work has been proven to decrease nurses’ levels of alertness and vigilance, which directly correlates to higher incidences of errors with patients. In addition, nurses who work rotating shifts have been proven to have problems with psycho-physical health, biological functions, and social relationships. It is through an understanding of the risks related …

Self-Care For Native American People With Type 2 Diabetes: A Creative Approach To Enhance Their Well-Being, Manuela Przybyszewska-Wosiek

Theses and Graduate Projects

The development of culturally congruent visual resources on self-care in type 2 diabetes is a culturally appropriate method to provide education to the Native American patients. In particular, the creation of a series of illustrations on foot care is needed. Guided by Leininger's Culture Care Theory and the Sunrise Enabler, materials on foot care are developed through the convergence of emic (generic) and etic (professional) knowledge. Orem's Theory of Self-Care and the Native American perspectives are used to integrate concepts pertaining to self-care. This project supports the enhancement of health literacy as a component of health communication - a goal …

Integrating Mindfulness Meditation Into Undergraduate Nursing Curricula, Michelle Yankowiak

Theses and Graduate Projects

Stress and anxiety impact the lives of undergraduate nursing students. Learning how to cope with the stressful demands of nursing school is essential for student success. Watson's caring and healing philosophy notes that learning to care for self is foundational in learning to care for others. Literature also reports that nursing programs across the country are lacking instruction on alternative therapies as a self-care method. A need to integrate self-care into curricula was identified by personal knowing as a nursing clinical instructor and through a self-care questionnaire to undergraduate obstetric nursing students. The integration of mindfulness meditation, as a means …

Community Gardening And The Somali Immigrant Community, Sarah Sanford

Theses and Graduate Projects

Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are all common diagnoses within the Somali immigrant community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There is an opportunity for collaboration between graduate nursing sfudents at Augsburg College, which is a small inner-city college, the Health Commons, which is a drop-in health center staffed by nurses, and community members in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood to address improvement in health, food choices, and socialization opporfunities for Somali immigrants. The purpose of this project is to develop relationships with Somali immigrant community members in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, Augsburg College graduate nursing students, University of Minnesota Extension Office dieticians and master gardeners, and …

A Model Of Holistic Nursing As A Pathway To Nurse Self-Care, Kristin Mchale

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project is to develop a model of holistic nursing practice as a pathway to nurse self-care. Specifically, this project integrates nursing theory, relevant literature, and reflection on holistic nursing practice. The significance of the project is identified as the current low priority of nurse self-care and the need for nurse self-healing- Additionally, holistic nursing, as a pathway to nurse self-care, is examined through the theoretical lens of Jean Watson. Furthermore, literature and research are examined in the areas of (t) the meaning of the holistic nursing experience, (2) self-care and complementary, alternative medicine use by nurses, …