Pilot Testing of the NURSE Stress Management Intervention.

Background/Purpose: The aim of this mixed method pilot study was to evaluate a simulation-based educational program, the framework (individual, microsystem, exosystem, and macrosystem). termed NURSE (Nurture nurse, Use resources, Resilience, Stress and Environment management) that assists nursing students to develop stress management plans. Background: Student nurses experience significant stress during their education which may contribute to illness and alterations in health, poor academic performance, and program attrition. Given the global shortage of nurses and high dropout rates among students, the importance for developing stress management programs for student nurses is becoming paramount. Methods: A mixed methods, randomized pilot design with 3 data collection points (baseline, immediately post-treatment, and 4 months post treatment) was used for the study. Forty junior nursing were randomly assigned to NURSE intervention (n=20) or Attention Control Condition (n=20). Intervention group participants received the 2-sessions of the 4-hour NURSE intervention. Attention control group participants received a case study simulation on therapeutic communication and general stress information. Outcome measures evaluated were: Stress using the Perceived Stress Scale, Resilience using the Brief Resilience Scale, Program Attrition Rates and Grade Point Averages (GPA). Qualitative data were collected at 4 months following the intervention to explore and describe nursing students' experiences with, and application of, the NURSE intervention. Results: Thirty-seven students completed the study. Ages ranged from 18Y46 with a mean of 21.6. There were no significant differences found in stress, resilience, GPA, or attrition rates between intervention and control group participants. However, there was a trend towards increased resilience in the intervention group. A subgroup of 7 intervention students participated in a follow-up interview to describe their experiences in the NURSE program. Interview data were analyzed using Colaizzi's (1978) phenomenological method. Five themes emerged from the data: (1) Stressed and Out of Balance, (2) Remembering to Hit the Pause Button, (3) Individualizing Techniques and Strategies, (4) The Power of Group Sharing, and (5) Integrating New Ways of Doing and Being. Conclusions/Implications: Results from this study provide evidence that the NURSE intervention is highly feasible and support devising additional programs and further testing to examine the effect of the intervention in improving stress management in nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]