Implementing a stress management training for DNP students to improve stress management, stress reduction, and mindfulness awareness

Abstract

Background: The absence of a standard stress management training program may result in poor knowledge of stress management, increased stress levels, and higher chances of burnout among graduate nursing students.Purpose/Aim: The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate whether DNP students’ participation in a stress management training would result in a reduction of stress level, improvement in mindfulness awareness, and increased knowledge of management of stress over the course of an academic semester. Methods: This project implemented an online-based stress management training for second-year DNP students at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, focused on mindfulness-based stress reduction. Utilizing a single-group pretest posttest study design, the project assessed students’ perceived stress level and mindfulness attention awareness as well as students’ perspective of knowledge of stress management. Results: Analysis of pre- and post-intervention data revealed a possible increase in mean scores of students’ perceived stress scores and a possible decrease in mean scores of students’ mindfulness attention awareness scores. However, mode and median scores of students’ perceived stress scores possibly decreased, while students’ perceptions of knowledge of stress management possibly improved. Conclusion: The project demonstrates the effectiveness of stress management training in improving students’ knowledge of stress management and its applicability if incorporated into a DNP curriculum. It provided students with the knowledge and education to better manage stress in the academic and healthcare field. Implications/Recommendations: Future efforts in incorporating stress management training in the academic DNP curriculum can help provide DNP students with the knowledge and education to better handle stress early on to help reduce future burnouts.