Integrating Spirituality into Undergraduate Nursing Curricula

Abstract

Nursing programs have done a commendable job keeping pace with the rapid advances in disease management. Yet, spirituality has received far less attention in nursing curricula (Keefe, 2005) and nursing students often do not have a strong foundation in this area. The purpose of this project was to integrate spirituality into the undergraduate nursing curricula and measure student outcomes related to spiritual knowledge and attitudes. Nursing faculty participated in a spirituality education program and followed this with sessions focused on integration of spiritual content into individual nursing courses. Student pre and post-tests were administered using a standard instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Significant differences in spirituality knowledge and attitudes among senior-level nursing students (t = -3.059, p = .004) were revealed. As the healthcare system becomes increasingly complex, providing students with tools to identify and strengthen inner resources is essential to patient care.

Spirituality in the Undergraduate Curricula of Nursing Schools in Portugal and São Paulo-Brazil

“…Several experts underline the need to include spirituality in nursing teaching and clinical training [11][12][13][14][15][16], but the following barriers have also been identified: a reductionist approach to spirituality [10]; lack of time to provide spiritual care and to include spiritual assessment in clinical practice [6]; lack of knowledge about the concept of spirituality [14]; the absence of teaching programmes or guidelines [11][12][13][14]; lack of training of nursing teachers to support students in the assessment, diagnosis, planning, and definition of nursing outcomes related to spirituality [24,25].…”

A Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study Examining the Effects of Spiritual Nursing Care Education Based in Biblical Truth on Pediatric Nurses' Competence in Providing Spiritual Nursing Care

“…Pesut (2008) also discussed that the current nursing literature on spiritual care uses the nursing process, and the interventions are indistinguishable from good psychosocial care. Wallace et al (2008) found that spiritual education in senior undergraduate nursing students had an impact on their spiritual knowledge and perspectives yet the juniors in the same study did not. The interventions varied between junior and senior students in this study making it difficult to determine effectiveness.…”

“…Previous research has indicated that education on spiritual care in undergraduate nurses positively affected their knowledge and ability to provide spiritual care (Burkhart & Schmidt, 2012& Wallace, et al, 2008. There is limited research on education of currently practicing, experienced nurses, but it is reasonable to conclude that education to these nurses would also positively affect their knowledge and competence with spiritual care.…”

“…There has been little research on the effect of spiritual nursing education in clinical practice (Wallace et al, 2008). I have found no research on the effects of spiritual education provided to currently practicing nurses on their competence and knowledge levels of spiritual nursing care.…”

Trives på sykehjem

“…Klassifiseringssystem North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, (NANDA), har utviklet sykepleiediagnosen åndelig uro (spiritual distress). Åndelig uro er beskrevet som en forstyrrelse i en persons trossystem (14). I denne diagnosen inngår variabler som inngår i denne diagnosen: åndelig smerte, åndelige fremmedgjøring, åndelige angst, åndelig skyldfølelse, åndelig tap, og åndelige fortvilelse.…”