About the Book
We have prepared this Self-Care for New and Student Nurses Instructor's Guide to assist you in class preparation and to offer our thoughts and experience in teaching much of this material. The instructor's guide content parallels the activities in the Self-Care for New and Student Nurses workbook, providing you with a menu of classroom activities and assignments. That said, we encourage you to rely on your own experience, creativity, and local resources to make this course as valuable as possible to your students.
Depending on the year or level of student, some topics may merit more focus than others. For example, fourth-year BSN students might want to take a deep dive into Chapter 17, "Healthy Work Environment: How to Choose One for Your First Job." If, by some chance, you are teaching in the middle of a global pandemic, you may want to spend more time with Chapter 10, "Self-Care and Systemic Change: What You Need to Know." We hope that in every chapter you will share your expertise, experiences, and wisdom with your students. Most of all, we hope you enjoy the self-care discovery process together and that your study of self-care is valuable for student and teacher alike.
About the Author :
Dorrie K. Fontaine, PhD, RN, FAAN (she/her), is the Dean Emerita at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Nursing, where she served as dean for 11 years until 2019. A champion of creating healthy work environments in clinical and academic settings, she is a Past President of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). In 2009 she created the Compassionate Care Initiative at UVA, which has grown to be a guiding force in transforming the culture of the school with a focus on fostering human flourishing and resilience for students, faculty, and staff. A noted author of critical-care texts, a leadership book, and multiple papers and presentations on creating healthy work environments through compassionate care, Fontaine credits a spring 2009 retreat at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe with the Abbot Roshi Joan Halifax for setting her on the path of mindfulness, meditation, and a renewed focus on self-care. She attended Villanova University and the University of Maryland, and she received her PhD from The Catholic University of America. Her four-decade career of teaching and academic leadership includes the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Fontaine lives in Washington, D.C., and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband, Barry. Tim Cunningham, DrPH, MSN, RN, FAAN (he/him), began his professional career as a performing artist and clown. As a clown, he worked for two organizations that changed his life. The first, The Big Apple Circus, employed him to perform as a clown doctor at Boston Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, and Hasbro Children's Hospital. Concurrently, he volunteered for Clowns Without Borders (CWB), performing in various refugee camps, war zones, and other global zones of crisis. He later served as Executive Director of CWB. It was in pediatric hospitals and refugee camps where he witnessed and began to learn about the true meaning of resilience and self-care. This performance work inspired him to pursue a career in nursing, and he completed a second-degree nursing program at the University of Virginia. Cunningham became an emergency trauma nurse and worked clinically in Charlottesville, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. During his time in New York City, he completed his doctoral degree in public health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Cunningham is the former Director of the Compassionate Care Initiative at the University of Virginia, where he had the opportunity to work closely with Drs. Fontaine and May as this book came to fruition. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and serves as the Vice President of Practice and Innovation at Emory Healthcare, where he also holds a joint appointment as an adjunct Assistant Professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. Cunningham began his academic journey receiving his BA in English from the College of William and Mary in 2000. For self-care, he is an avid runner and wanna-be gardener. He also loves any chance he can get to swim in the ocean or meditate as the sun rises. Natalie May, PhD (she/her), recently transitioned to the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Nursing after 30 years as Associate Professor of Research in the Division of General Medicine, UVA School of Medicine. She is a founding member of the UVA Center for Appreciative Practice. Certified as an Appreciative Inquiry facilitator and lead author of Appreciative Inquiry in Healthcare, she enjoys developing Appreciative Inquiry projects and teaching appreciative practice workshops at her home institution and beyond. May is an experienced qualitative researcher, and she has extensive grant writing, program and curriculum development, and program evaluation experience. Her current research projects include the Mattering in Medicine study and the Medical Subspecialties HOME Team Program for high utilizer patients. She was also an investigator for the Wisdom in Medicine Project: Mapping the Path Through Adversity to Wisdom, a study funded by the John Templeton Foundation. She is coauthor of Choosing Wisdom: The Path Through Adversity and coproducer of a PBS film, Choosing Wisdom. She has codeveloped and implemented an innovative curriculum for medical students, The Phronesis Project, designed to foster wisdom in young physicians, and has implemented a similar program, Wisdom in Nursing, in the UVA School of Nursing. May earned a BA in economics and urban studies from Wellesley College, an MA in creative writing from Boston University, and her PhD in educational research from the University of Virginia Curry School of Education. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, Jim. Her most consistent and effective self-care practices are modern quilting and walking near water, especially the James River and the ocean at the Outer Banks, North Carolina.
Review :
"In Self-Care for New and Student Nurses, Dorrie Fontaine and colleagues have compiled a compendium of resources relevant to all nurses engaged in clinical practice, education, and leadership. In elevating the necessity of self-care, the authors acknowledge the reality that while nursing is one of the most noble professions, it is also one of the most difficult. From working in a global pandemic to countering systemic racism, the book identifies anticipatory challenges and provides tools and resources for self-care and leadership. This is an astonishingly rich and relevant text that truly should be required in every nursing program. If widely adopted, this text has the potential to transform the profession."
-Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, FAAN
Director, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing
Professor, University of Minnesota School of Nursing
"Our work as nurses brings gladness into our lives and, at the same time, meets some of the world's greatest needs. But because these needs are so great, the work's demands can threaten this gladness. Self-Care for New and Student Nurses teaches us all, including seasoned nurses, practices that safeguard our gladness. It is a timely and exigent wellness handbook. I highly recommend it."
-Mark Lazenby, PhD, APRN, FAAN
He, him, his
Professor of Nursing and Philosophy
Associate Dean for Faculty and Student Affairs
University of Connecticut School of Nursing
"A rare intersection of essential, practical, science-based, and aspirational wisdom! Readers will appreciate the genuine emphasis on whole-person self-care and a focus on organizational aspects of healthcare that still require advocacy and effort. The authors provide a 360-degree view of self-care for student nurses that is also highly relevant and engaging for nursing faculty and clinical preceptors. A guide that readers can turn to repeatedly for renewed insights and inspiration."
-Teri Pipe, PhD, RN
ASU Chief Well-Being Officer
Founding Director, ASU Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience
Dean Emerita and Professor
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Arizona State University
"This book blends current scientific evidence with practical strategies to empower not only students and new-to-practice nurses but also experienced nurses in building resilience and enduring life skills that are as important as any learned in the sim lab. Introduce this book early in their program and integrate it throughout to guide discussions of professionalism, nursing identity, patient and self-advocacy, and team-based care. It is life changing!"
-Kathleen McCauley, PhD, RN, FAN, FAHA
Professor of Cardiovascular Nursing
Former Associate Dean for Academic Programs
NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
"A rich and powerful book on the importance of self-care for nurses and practices that enhance resilience and well-being. This is a must-read for every nurse!"
-Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax
Abbot, Upaya Zen Center
Santa Fe, New Mexico
