Teaching Care That Tends the Spirit in Nursing Education: Implementing a Faculty Development Project
Date of Paper/Work
5-2023
Type of Paper/Work
Doctor of Nursing Practice Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Joyce Brettner
Department/School
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Abstract
Nursing care that tends patients’ spirits is an integral part of holistic nursing. Prelicensure nursing faculty competent and confident in teaching care of the spirit are the foundation of preparing nurses to provide this care. A four-campus, Midwestern technical college employed a virtual, three-cycle, Plan-Do-Study- Act faculty development project to close gaps in preparation of associate degree nursing faculty to
provide instruction related to care of the spirit. Project aims were to increase faculty competence and confidence in delivering spiritual care content and to increase integration of content across the curriculum. Baseline and project outcome data collected through an interactive World Café event and Likert scale, qualitative, and open-ended data questionnaires measured progress toward achievement of project aims. Lowest Likert item scores and faculty input informed the creation of learning modules and evidence-based instructional resources that addressed spirituality, spiritual care, spiritual needs assessment, and interprofessional collaboration. The intervention, aligned with Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, included synchronous World Café and creative workshop events and recorded learning modules that incorporated role-modeling, large and small group collaboration, discussion- board-type activities, and use of spiritual care tools and resources. Comparison of baseline and post- intervention measures indicated significant increases in lowest Likert item scores and total spiritual care competence scores. The increase in total confidence scores was not statistically significant. While inclusion of spiritual care content in current courses was unchanged, faculty developed consistent instructional plans for each of the four semesters of the program across all campuses. Despite time constraints and low outcome questionnaire response, results suggest progress toward meeting project competence, confidence, and spiritual care instructional strategies aims through role-modeling and resources for teaching care that tends the spirit. This is a step forward in teaching ways to preserve and pass on the healing tradition of nursing for the good of nurses and our patients.
Recommended Citation
Libert, Wendie K.. (2023). Teaching Care That Tends the Spirit in Nursing Education: Implementing a Faculty Development Project. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/dnp_projects/199