Faculty writing accountability groups: A protocol for traditional and virtual settings.

Publishing is a measure of faculty performance, yet barriers often include getting started, time management, and difficulty finishing. Manuscript submissions also lack deadlines, which creates additional challenges. Writing accountability groups (WAGs) are associated with increased faculty writing productivity. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of WAGs, including the process, participants, writing productivity outcomes, benefits, challenges, and unintended consequences. To maintain our writing progress during the COVID-19 pandemic, we moved our WAG sessions to a virtual platform. Our WAG protocol (both face-to-face and virtual) is shared to help other faculty members or doctoral students implement writing accountability groups. We also advocate for hybrid WAG sessions to promote attendance. In addition to facilitation of scholarly writing and improved writing habits, our WAG created opportunities for scholarly communication and networking with colleagues.

The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Stress and Burnout in Nurses.

Background: Occupational burnout related to stress in the workplace is experienced by nurses who are regularly confronted with trauma, suffering, and high workloads. Burnout can negatively impact patient care and have detrimental effects on nurses' physical and mental health. Mindfulness-based stress reduction programs have been researched as a potential holistic intervention for reducing stress and burnout in nurses through cultivating present awareness, emotional regulation, and positive thinking. Purpose: This critical review of the literature explores current knowledge on the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation on stress and burnout in nurses, examines gaps in the current literature, and provides recommendations for future research on this topic. Methods: Search terms included mindfulness, meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction , occupational stress, stress, burnout, and nurs*. Peer-reviewed research directly related to the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction on nurses experiencing stress and/or burnout was reviewed. Findings: Findings reveal evidence that mindfulness meditation is effective in decreasing stress and burnout in nurses. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to significantly decrease stress, improve all aspects of burnout, and increase self-compassion and compassion satisfaction in practicing nurses. Conclusions: Mindfulness meditation has the potential to decrease stress and burnout in nurses by decreasing self-judgment and overidentification with experience, and by increasing resiliency, compassion, and emotional regulation.

Nursing Students' Attitudes and Use of Holistic Therapies for Stress Relief.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore student nurses' openness to using or recommending holistic therapies, the strategies they use to manage stress from school or work, and their perceptions of the impact of holistic therapies on personal health. STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative component of a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study. METHODS: A convenience sample of undergraduate nursing students in a southeastern U.S. university completed baseline surveys, including demographics and three open-ended questions regarding attitudes toward holistic therapies and strategies used for stress management. Qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken to identify recurring themes in textual data. FINDINGS: Students are open to using or recommending holistic therapies but identify lack of knowledge and lack of time as barriers to their practice. Among strategies used by student nurses to manage stress from school or work were physical activity, prayer and meditation, time management, distraction, socialization, artistic pursuits, animal interactions, and other activities. Themes describing holistic therapies' impact on personal health were wholeness, self-empowerment, relaxation/restoration, and alternative/complement to traditional medicine. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate receptiveness by student nurses to the use of holistic therapies but point to the need for the inclusion of informational as well as experiential education on holistic therapies within nursing curricula.