Decreasing Burnout and Promoting Well-Being in Nurse Practitioner Students Using Mindfulness

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Nursing burnout is a dangerous phenomenon that poses threats to healthcare quality, safety, cost, and accessibility. There is a call for action urging academic institutions to offer well-being assessments and early interventions for burnout in clinical training programs. The aim of this quasi-experimental single-cohort mixed-methods study was to improve clinical nurse practitioner student well-being, decrease the likelihood of burnout, and improve perceptions of patient safety using mindfulness. This study took place at a Missouri university and relied on convenience sampling. Ten clinical nurse practitioner students voluntarily participated and completed a five to- 10-minute guided mindfulness exercise one to two times per week for eight weeks. Outcomes included participant well-being and likelihood of burnout, measured using the Well-Being Index for Advanced Practice Providers, and patient safety, measured using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Pre- and post-intervention outcome data was collected before and after the eight weeks of mindfulness practice. Participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements in well-being (p=0.029) and likelihood of burnout (p=0.036) after six weeks of mindfulness compared to no intervention. There were no significant changes to patient safety perceptions with mindfulness. Incorporating mindfulness into nurse practitioners’ formal education may benefit future clinical practice and aid in sustaining a robust healthcare workforce.

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