Incorporating Well-Being Into an Accelerated Second-Degree Nursing Curriculum: The Student Self-Care Project

BACKGROUND: More than 50% of nursing students report high stress levels along with impaired well-being since starting nursing school. This article describes an innovative teaching strategy that enables accelerated second-degree nursing students to identify personal stressors and incorporate individualized self-care strategies to support their well-being. METHOD: This self-care project was delivered over a 10-week period in an accelerated second-degree nursing program. The project included preparatory reading, stress assessments, a personalized self-care plan, small group reflection, journaling, and a short reflective paper. RESULTS: Students utilized a variety of self-care strategies over the course of the project to mitigate stress and support self-care. Students reported benefits from keeping the self-care log. Students expressed that participating in the small group reflections provided them with a sense of belonging and support. CONCLUSION: This activity proved to be a low-cost and effective way for accelerated second-degree nursing students to incorporate self-care practices to support well-being.