Date of Award

4-26-2024

Document Type

Restricted Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Joyce P. Miller, DNP, RN

Second Advisor

Deborah Schuhmacher, DNP, RN

Third Advisor

Rev. Shelly Olson, M.Div

Abstract

Spirituality is a universal human need and a significant source of support for patients and families at the end of life. Nurses are spiritual healers, accompanying persons with spiritual and existential concerns. Caring for dying persons is stressful for nursing students who need guidance on how to be with people during uncertain moments. A spiritual care curriculum was developed and implemented at a Midwest university to teach undergraduate nursing students about spirituality and spiritual needs at the end of life. Margaret Newman’s theoretical concepts of holistic health, chaos, pattern recognition, and presence were used to guide students in their anxieties about death. Following implementation, nursing students reported increased confidence in assessing spirituality and providing a compassionate presence at the end of life. This scholarly project increased nursing student awareness of spirituality and demonstrated a need to teach spirituality as part of holistic nursing assessment and care.

Identifier

SC 11.DNP.2024.Lindee.E

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