Teaching and Practicing Caring in the Classroom: Students' Responses to a Self-Awareness Intervention in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the assumption that caring could be taught by nurse educators in the classroom environment and that learning to be self-aware in a mindful state would facilitate students to listen more closely to their inner spirit, which would affect caring behaviors. A convenience sample of 238 students in the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing course in a baccalaureate program was obtained from 2007 to 2011. At the beginning of each class and throughout the semester, self-awareness was explained to the students, a reflection statement was read, and students were asked to take two minutes of quiet time, with their eyes closed. At the end of each semester, an author-composed Self-Awareness Questionnaire and Measurement Scale was administered to consenting students to assess whether self-awareness led to caring behaviors. Students' responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings were positive and supported the assumption that self-awareness and silence positively affected caring behaviors in nursing students in their psychiatric nursing rotation.