Mind-Body Skills among Nursing and Medical Students (1CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Nurses

Course By: Tamara Avery, PsyD

Content By: van Vliet, M., Jong, M. C., & Jong, M. (2018). A mind-body skills course among nursing and medical students: A pathway for an improved perception of self and the surrounding world. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 5, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333393618805340

Course Description: Health care practitioners work in complex environments and are confronted with human suffering and pain, are expected to adequately respond to the needs of patients and their families and collaborate within multi-professional teams at the same time. Despite increased recognition of self-care and self-awareness as core competencies for health care professionals, little attention is paid to these skills during their education. Past research recorded a Mind-Body (MB) skills course as potentially enhancing self-care and self-awareness among medical students. The current study examined the lived experiences with an MB skills course among Dutch medical and Swedish nursing students. Overall, participation in the MB skills course served as a pathway to inner awareness and supported connecting with others as well as with the surrounding world. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the purposes of the study and the methods related to self-care and self-awareness as examined in the article
2. Analyze the data by exploring the statistical tests used in conjunction with the discussed findings
3. Integrate the study limitations with the identified areas of future research

Course Outline:

• Read and understand A Mind-Body Skills Course Among Nursing and Medical Students: A Pathway for an Improved Perception of Self and the Surrounding World
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Consider the factors related to a MB skills course coupled with the statistical findings from the accompanying article
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the article for clarification regarding the three main themes that were identified (e.g., ability to be more present, increased perception and awareness of self, and connection on a deeper level with others), or for any missed questions

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics, i.e., gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Reference

FitzGerald, C., Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8

Approvals: