Wellness Curriculum Sessions for the

Ingram School of Nursing

2020-2021

Working Together for Healthy Learning Environments

Available Sessions

for

Undergraduate Nursing Students

SUMMARY: It is not uncommon for nursing students to struggle with procrastination,

perfectionism, poor study routines and habits at certain points throughout their program, all of which interfere with proper learning. This session will help nursing students develop strategies to improve their

study habits and performance. This session will introduce techniques to overcome procrastination, increase motivation, and manage barriers to productive and healthy learning in the nursing program.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Understand and adopt evidence-based study techniques, including the Pomodoro technique, mnemonics, visualization, practice testing, and effective note-taking

Understand and adopt effective time management techniques, including SMART goals and using a planner

Recognize the relationship between procrastination and perfectionism, as well as strategies to overcome these habits

Adopt strategies for minimizing electronic and social media distractions Understand how self-care can be used to sustain healthy learning

DURATION: 1.5 hours

Master your Time Management and

Study Skills as an Undergraduate

Nursing Student

2

SUMMARY: Chronic stress interferes with the brain’s executive functioning and can impact a

student’s ability to memorize, focus, make decisions, and perform at an optimal level. This session will help students understand what happens to the brain when they are over-stressed, how to incorporate

study and self-care habits to manage stress, and how to self-regulate. In addition, through self-regulation, students can facilitate a safe and trusting alliance with patients.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Self-identify personal stressors and physiological signs of distress

Understand the consequences of stress on healthcare professionals by learning about the stress curve and neuro-physiological reactions to stress

Learn about burnout and signs to identify this early on

Recognize cognitive styles associated with stress and impaired performance, as well as how to use strategies to re-structure these styles

Develop a personalized first aid kit for stress

DURATION: 1.5 hours

Managing Stress in your Learning

Environment as an Undergraduate

Nursing Student

3

SUMMARY: The transition to clinical practice is a particularly challenging and demanding period for

healthcare trainees. Nursing students are at risk of developing poor psychological well-being, including conditions such as burnout, anxiety and depression. This session is designed to teach students about

building resilience in the clinical environment. Students will learn to identify the potential impact of clinical stressors on their well-being, as well as evidence-based strategies to cultivate resilience in their

careers.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Develop a comprehensive understanding of professional resilience Recognize the effects of stress on personal and professional well-being and performance Understand the mental health continuum and how to recognize when external help is needed Learn how to adopt evidence-based strategies to cultivate resilience in clinical practice Engage in case studies to practice adopting resilience-based strategies

DURATION: 1.5 hours

Building Resilience in Clinical Practice

for Undergraduate Nursing Students

4

Developing & Sustaining Healthy

Relationships as Undergraduate

Nursing Students

5

SUMMARY: Nursing students often report experiencing challenges in their personal and

professional relationships. Some barriers to developing healthy relationships include busy and stressful

workloads, isolation, and underdeveloped communication skills. This session will teach students about

the qualities and benefits of healthy relationships, as well as practical strategies, in the area of

communication, to foster better relationships. Lastly, students will learn how to manage conflict

in a positive and constructive manner.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Understand the features and benefits of meaningful, authentic relationships

Learn about three core communication skills (i.e., opening up to others, listening, and conflict

resolution) for building and enhancing meaningful relationships in personal and professional contexts

Learn and practice strategies to develop these skills in close relationships

DURATION: 1.5 hours

SUMMARY: This session is provided by researchers in the Psychiatry Department of McGill

University who have given sessions on the topic at Vancouver hospitals and at McGill University Health Centre sites.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Develop practical solutions to reduce and manage shift work fatigue

Learn practical tips on how to increase alertness during the night and improve sleep after shifts

DURATION: 25-35 minutes

*Please note that schedule is dependent on facilitator’s availability.

Evidence-Based Strategies to Reduce

Shift Work Fatigue and Cope with

Night Shifts for Nurses

6

Available Sessions

for

Graduate Nursing Students

SUMMARY: This session draws from Schwarts and McCarthy ’s work titled, “Manage Your Energy,

Not Your Time,” which was introduced at the International Conference on Residency Education. This

session teaches techniques to find balance and improve self-care while also helping students cope with

the realities of the profession.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Learn to self-assess if one is heading towards an energy crisis and how to adopt effective time

and energy management techniques Discover what is needed to refuel one’s energy by looking at the different areas of energy

management and personal identification of needs

Complete the Personal Energy Management Plan Questionnaire and develop personalized SMART goals

Learn evidence-based strategies to reduce fatigue specifically for nurses

DURATION: 1.5 hours

Master your Time & Energy

Management and Study Habits as a

Graduate Nursing Student

8

SUMMARY: Perfectionists often struggle to enjoy the process of the work they do in their lives

because they place their worth entirely on the achievement of their goals. Most perfectionists know what

they need to do to better-manage their stress but they struggle to engage in stress-reducing behaviors

because perfectionism trumps self-care. In this session, students will begin to learn about perfectionism,

how to change this habit, begin to prioritize self-care, reclaim joy in the process of the work, and still

achieve greatness.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Learn about the traits of perfectionism and the difference between perfectionism and striving for excellence

Understand the consequences of perfectionism, learn strategies to help overcome it, and challenge oneself to invite self-care

Recognize how perfectionism often goes hand-in-hand with procrastination and why overcoming

perfectionism often leads to decreased procrastination, better performance and overall better

quality of life

DURATION: 1.5 Hours

SPECIFICATIONS

Please see the session Experiential Rounds for optional follow-up sessions to this seminar. During

experiential rounds, students will engage in group discussions and explore, share, and discover their

personal challenges with overcoming perfectionism. Through this, they will learn how to support each

other to start changing this habit.

Managing Stress & Coping with

Perfectionism in your Learning

Environment as a Graduate Nursing Student

9

SUMMARY: Based on the Residents of Canada STRIVE (Stress Resilience in Virtual Environments)

training model, this two-part session builds from theory to practice and helps students apply the skills and strategies needed to build resilience. Part I includes the Building Resilience in Clinical Practice for

Undergraduate Nursing Students session (see page 4). Part II provides students the opportunity to put into practice and debrief the skills and necessary strategies to integrate the teachings and prepare them for

the challenges of the profession.

*Please note that none of the facilitators are in evaluative roles.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Learn how to process the emotional challenges they may face rather than bury them, as they may

develop into more challenging conditions, such as PTSD Practice the skills that build resilience and, as a group, process areas that are challenging in order

to prepare students for what they need to do when they encounter such situations in clinical settings

Discover strategies from peers, senior student facilitators, and trained facilitators

LOGISTICS:

Part I: Theoretical component is 1.5 hours in the classroom on a date prior to Part II, or at the Sim

Centre immediately before Part II.

Part II: Experiential component is 1.5 hours at the Sim Center per group of 48 students. Please

consider travel time for students when booking.

*Sim Centre budget and room bookings must be arranged by the Program prior to requesting a session.

Building Resilience in Clinical Practice

for Graduate Nursing Students

10

SUMMARY: This session was created on demand to help graduate nursing students hone the

leadership and advocacy role of their work in the nursing profession. It is important for students to explore what gives them meaning and purpose as nurses and remember the privileged position they

inhabit when patients share their stories. Sometimes students can lose sight of what is important to them and can perceive certain challenges of the training as great personal failures. It is important for

students to learn how to engage in a growth mindset, stay connected to their values and purpose and

keep the focus on being an advocate for others.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Explore beliefs and perceptions around personal failures and unhealthy coping strategies

Learn about the concept of grit and develop strategies to shift thought processes and engage

in a growth mindset, avoid burnout, and invite recovery Learn about recent research on leadership: The power of vulnerability, courage, and living by

one’s values

Through reflection exercises and small group activities, students will rewrite a new narrative around their failure and discover how their values play a key role in helping them develop grit during challenging times

DURATION: 1.5 hours

Grit, Growth and Leadership Skills for

Graduate Nursing Students

11

SUMMARY: Being in the nursing profession requires the ability to function as part of a team. It

requires strong interpersonal skills in order to advocate for oneself and for one’s patients. In this session, students will learn coping strategies to handle difficult situations and will have the opportunity to put

these skills into practice with case scenarios at the Sim Centre. In these scenarios, students will have the opportunity to debrief and explore in a safe, non-evaluative setting.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Through the use of Thomas-Kilmann’s Conflict Modes, students will begin to explore and discover

their conflict style and identify areas they feel they thrive in and struggle with in conflict Develop active listening and assertiveness skills and learn how to assess when it is appropriate

to use either

Develop strategies to cope with difficult interpersonal situations and practice and develop these skills through case scenarios and debriefs at the Sim Centre

LOGISTICS:

Part I: Theoretical component is 1.5 hours in the classroom on a date prior to Part II.

Part II: Experiential component is 1.5 hours per group of 48 students at the Sim Center. Please

consider travel time for students when booking.

*Sim Centre budget and room bookings must be arranged by the Program prior to requesting a session.

Positive Solutions to Negative Interactions:

Tools to Manage Conflicts and Effectively Communicate

Your Needs for Graduate Nursing Students

12

SUMMARY: The clinical placement can be extremely challenging. It can be triggering to see a patient who has the same diagnosis as a family member, and it can be difficult to handle a patient’s death, ethical dilemmas or feelings of failure. Additionally, students who are completing their research-based programs have to deal with significant academic challenges, which include demanding academic expectations, tight deadlines, performance anxiety, writer’s block, and a sense of isolation and comparativeness. The Experiential Rounds are a confidential support group for students to share their academic or clinical experiences, develop strategies to overcome hardship, build confidence, and recognize that they are not alone in their experience and learn to reach out for support. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Develop strategies to handle the emotional rollercoaster that can come from clinical practice as a novice healthcare practitioner or completing graduate-level research

Normalize the challenging experiences of clinical practice or graduate-level research, and learn that

it is a collective struggle and develop supportive networks and strategies to overcome difficult

situations Develop a self-care routine for energy restoration, handle the daily challenges, and maintain better

work-life balance

DURATION: 1 hour per session

SPECIFICATIONS: Maximum 20 people per session. A minimum of two sessions is required for this

session. If the group exceeds 20 students, the group can be broken up into two groups and facilitated

back to back on the same day. This session is often well placed in a course that complements the clinical placement or in a lab course.

Experiential Rounds: A Support Group for Nurse

Trainees to Process the Challenges of the Academic

Environment and/or Clinical Placement & Develop

Effective Coping Strategies

13

SUMMARY: Research shows that healthcare professionals tend to be highly self-critical, self-sacrificing, and tend to put their profession above other emotional, financial, and family needs. However, bypassing one’s own needs can lead to fatigue and burnout and these conditions can translate into lower quality of patient care and safety. Studies are showing how mindfulness can alleviate burnout and help promote the much-needed self-care that is required to thrive in this profession. *This series is recommended for students who have been introduced to the Stress Management and/or Resilience session. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Learn how mindfulness can help cultivate the self-awareness needed as a healthcare professional in

order to respond versus react to situations of high stress Adopt mindfulness techniques that can help in moments of high stress that are quick and accessible

to the busy healthcare trainee Experience different mindfulness techniques and reflect on their impact DURATION: 1.5 hours

Mindfulness and Self-Care in

Professional Nursing Practice

14

SUMMARY: Nursing students often report experiencing challenges in their personal and

professional relationships. Some barriers to developing healthy relationships include busy and stressful

workloads, isolation, and underdeveloped communication skills. This session will teach students about

the qualities and benefits of healthy relationships, as well as practical strategies, in the area of

communication, to foster better relationships. Lastly, students will learn how to manage conflict

in a positive and constructive manner.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Understand the features and benefits of meaningful, authentic relationships

Learn about three core communication skills (i.e., opening up to others, listening, and conflict

resolution) for building and enhancing meaningful relationships in personal and professional contexts

Learn and practice strategies to develop these skills in close relationships

DURATION: 1.5 hours

Developing and Sustaining Healthy

Relationships as Graduate

Nursing Students

15

SUMMARY: This session is provided by researchers in the Psychiatry Department of McGill

University who have given sessions on the topic at Vancouver hospitals and at McGill University Health Centre sites.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Develop practical solutions to reduce and manage shift work fatigue

Learn practical tips on how to increase alertness during the night and improve sleep after shifts

DURATION: 25-35 minutes

*Please note that schedule is dependent on facilitator’s availability.

Evidence-Based Strategies to Reduce

Shift Work Fatigue and Cope with

Night Shifts for Nurses

16

Contact Us

For more information about our services and to access our Session Request Form, please visit our website at:

https://www.mcgill.ca/thewelloffice/our-services

Address: 3708 Peel Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1W9 Tel: 514-398-5836

Lesley Potts

Projects Administrator

Prof. Deborah Friedman, BSc pht MMgmt

Assistant Dean Student Affairs

Schools, Faculty of Medicine

Nicole-Ann Shery

M. Ed., c.o, Psychotherapist

Wellness Consultant

Camila Velez, M.A., C.C.C.

Wellness Consultant

Susan Begg

Administrative Coordinator