Saturday, 23 February 2019
Schools of Nursing are continuously working on creating new ways of offering and facilitating innovating learning experiences for their nursing students. Nursing academia settings are at the front lines dealing with a broad spectrum of students ranging from young to older adults as well as various demographics among the students. Nursing also has various academic tracks into nursing practice: Traditional, Accelerated, RN to BSN, etc. With so many variables, it is easy to understand how stress can be a common phenomenon within the School of Nursing. Research studies have shown that a stressful work environment can cultivate incivility and an uncaring presence among nursing faculty and students. The studies recommend well-planned strategies to create a transformational shift to cultivate civility in the work environment. A transformational change towards a healthy work environment in a School of Nursing starts with the foundation; nursing faculty. This paper will introduce four steps that will help nursing faculty in making the paradigm shift that will help develop a healthy work environment enhancing caring, collaboration, relationship, and self-care. Nursing faculty in a large metropolitan university will be educated on the Four Steps to Cultivate Civility in Schools of Nursing. The foundation of this educational program will be based on Jean Watson’s Caring Theory. Jean Watson’s theory of caring can support nursing faculty with developing a culture that embraces mind, body and spirit that guides faculty in a holistic approach in facilitating nursing education. This approach will guide nursing faculty in bringing a humanistic and philosophical portion to the nursing department; bringing about civility and a caring presence. The Schools of Nursing that are committed to embracing a caring presence in their environment, will increase civility among their peers and will demonstrate a self-caring presence to their students. This will support strengthen a healthy work environment.