NURS 478 Self Care Journal

Your Name: Kaitlin Scruggs Your Buddy: Katherine Shipley

Select any evidence-based intervention/recommendation to follow (do this over 8 weeks):

 Sleep at least 7 hours per night before and after a work or school day
 Practice mindfulness meditation for at least 10 minutes everyday
 Complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, such as biking under 9
mph, dancing, jogging, or playing tennis; or complete 60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per
week, such as running, kickboxing, or jumping rope.
 Participate in two professionally led yoga classes for one hour or longer per week
 Spend up to 2 hrs in Nature or longer per week
 Other (Must get your Clinical Faculty approval first, and activity should be up to 2 hrs or longer
per week)

Complete Weekly journal entries:

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
1
I attended kickboxing classes at a local gym twice this week, on Monday and Wednesday night. Each
9/23 class was an hour long and involved vigorous exercise. This particular week was more focused on
cardio and leg exercises. There were a lot of circuit workouts and squats performed during the week.

Comments on Activity:
It felt really nice to work out again on Monday after not going since Tuesday last week due to clinical
and work. Working out on Wednesday was really nice as well, as I had clinical the next day and would
got a good night’s sleep that night.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

2
I attended kickboxing classes on Monday and Wednesday this week. Each class was an hour long and
9/30 was vigorous exercise. I enjoyed how my Monday class began with group stretching, and focused on the
use of a medicine ball for weight training.

Comments on Activity:

I left my Monday workout feeling more upbeat and accomplished. Attending the class on Wednesday
before my last week of preceptorship was a great feeling. It was really nice to get a good night’s sleep
before my first shift started that week.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Katie and I both had our preceptorships at the beginning of the semester. Her self-care activity is
sleeping at least 7 hours a night. She talked about how she’s on night shifts, which are a little harder to
adjust to, but she’s able to sleep at least 7 hours for at least 3 of the other days she’s not at
preceptorship.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3
I attending kickboxing classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, each class was an hour long. This week in
10/7 class there was a lot of use of shields for the use of kicking. The focus on kicking this week required a
lot of leg workouts and cardio endurance.

Comments on Activity:

It felt really nice to be able to go to classes two nights in a row after my schedule opened up after
preceptorship ended. Having more free time to work out is a nice relief and I feel a lot more excited to
go each day.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Katie talked about being excited about successfully finishing preceptorship and not having to work
night shift anymore. She said it was sometimes difficult to adjust to night shift in the middle of the week
while also juggling school and her family. I definitely would have struggled with working night shift
and I’m sure it would’ve interfered with my ability to maintain a healthy sleep schedule. She said that
her sleep is still going well though.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

4
I went to kickboxing class on Monday and boxing class on Tuesday, both classes were an hour long.
10/14 The kickboxing class included a really good ab workout, as well as focusing on boxing technique. The
boxing class was very focused on arm workouts and cardio.

Comments on Activity:

This week I decided to change up workout schedule, as kickboxing classes are at 6:30, and boxing
classes are at 5:30 and 7:30. This week I was busier on Tuesday, and couldn’t make it to class until
7:30. I felt especially good about working out because I ended the night on a good note by forcing
myself to workout, even after a long day.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

We talked about being done with our preceptorships for about a week now, and how we were able to
have more time for our self-care activities. Katie did talk about some additional stress about having to
find a new caretaker for her son, however she is still able to average at least 7 hours of sleep for 4-5
nights a week.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

5
This week, I went to kickboxing classes on Monday and Thursday. Both classes were an hour long. The
classes this week involved a lot of circuit workouts, that involved rotation from different
10/21

M O’C Fall 2018

 Comments on Activity:

I enjoyed this week of classes, it took very little motivation to go. I found myself looking forward to
going, as I know that it’s a great way to take my mind off school and just have fun for an hour.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

This week we talked about our public health clinicals starting, and how it was a nice change in hours
compared to our preceptorships. We were both still able to do our self-care activities on the same day
we had clinical. Both of our self-care activities are going really well.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

6
I went to kickboxing classes on Monday and Wednesday this week. Both classes had an equal amount
of each type of activity, such as arms, legs, abs, and cardio. Both days I left feeling like I had a good,
10/28 full body workout.

Comments on Activity:

It was especially hard to go this week because I was busy with a lot of extra activities like taking
graduation pictures and Halloween plans. After attending class though, I felt a lot better and
accomplished for going and participating in a good workout.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Katie said she had a great Halloween with her family. She is still able to accomplish her goal of getting
at least 7 hours of sleep for 4-5 nights a week. We are both excited about the end of the semester getting
closer.

Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):

7
This week I went to boxing classes three times, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. The classes
encompassed a wide variety of focuses, however I definitely worked on cardio a lot. I also felt like I got
11/4 a nice full body muscle workout.

Comments on Activity:

I did not work as much at my job this week, so I was able to go to work out classes more often than
normal. I felt like I made a lot of good progress in my fitness from going this week. I’m also finding
that I have more motivation to go now than I did when I first began. It feels like the boxing classes are
becoming more routine, rather than a forced event that I have to go to.

Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)

Katie talked about still looking for a new caretaker for her son, and the adjustments her family has had
to make to be able to spend more time at home to help. She’s still doing good with her self-care activity
though and is able to successfully stay active in her family and in school.

M O’C Fall 2018

 Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
8
This week I went to two boxing classes, one on Monday, and one on Tuesday. The co-ed classes
involved a lot of push-ups and burpees.
11/11
Comments on Activity:

The workout on Tuesday was especially helpful, as it allowed me to have a study break before an exam
on Wednesday. I was able to relieve a lot of stress and take a nice break from studying. It also helped
me go to sleep at a good time, due to being more tired after my workout.
Complete Survey Below
(Once Completed submit entire document to D2L Assignment Drop box by Due date and add to Your
Portfolio.)

Reflection on Panopto presentation and 8-week intervention:

What did these activities teach you?

These activities taught me that it’s important to perform other activities outside of school and work. I
learned that exercise can be a great asset to a busy work life, as it allows for a healthy outlet for energy
and stress. I also learned how fun it can be developing a good, healthy habit.

Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?

I’ve noticed myself having more energy throughout my days surrounding my workouts. I’ve also
noticed an increase in confidence in body image and strength competency.

Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.

I will continue to attend this kickboxing or boxing classes throughout the rest of the semester. I also
plan to continue going to classes once I start my job as an RN, in hopes of avoiding burnout within my
first few years.

Comments/suggestions:

Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with these statements:
Following an evidence-based recommendation to reduce burnout was valuable to me.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1

This 8-week intervention will help me implement preventative strategies for burnout in my career.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
M O’C Fall 2018
 This Panopto presentation titled: “Nurse Burnout: What this is and how you can minimize it in your careers”
effectively taught me how I can reduce and address nurse burnout in my career.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1

Completing the Big Five Personality Test was helpful for exploring my risk of nurse burnout.

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
1 2 3 4 5

M O’C Fall 2018