DNP Alumna Kulka, De Gagne and Colleagues Publish Article in Creative Nursing

Joanna Kulka, DNP '17; and Jennie De Gagne, associate professor; recently published an article entitled "Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Newly Graduated Registered Nurses" in Creative Nursing. Co-authors include Cydney Mullen and Karen Robeano.

Abstract

Background The transition from student to professional nurse is an important milestone in the development of newly graduated nurses. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to reduce symptoms of stress in those engaged in regular practice (Bazarko, Cate, Azocar, & Kreitzer, 2013; Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Method The quality improvement project used a one-group pre-test/posttest design to measure newly graduated registered nurses’ awareness of mindfulness and perceived stress. Results Mindfulness awareness improved from pre-intervention ( M = 3.66, SD = .81) to post-innovation ( M = 4.03, SD = .69) although this was not statistically significant, ( t [67] = 1.93, p = .057). There was a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress from pre-innovation ( M = 19.47, SD = 7.16) to post-innovation ( M = 15.71, SD = 6.90), ( t [66] = 2.16, p = .034). Qualitative themes of increased patient safety, communication, and teamwork were identified. Conclusion MBSR has the potential to increase mindfulness and decrease perceived stress in newly graduated registered nurses, encouraging improved patient safety, communication, and teamwork.