Document Type
DNP Project
Publication Date
8-2023
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Faculty Advisor
Sue Penque, Ph.D., APRN, ANP-BC, NE-BC
Practice Mentor
Noelle Denome
Abstract
Significance and Background
Job dissatisfaction among critical care nurses can result in poor mental health, increased incidences of burnout, increased stress levels, and lower quality patient care. Evidence supports mindfulness practices and their ability to improve job satisfaction by promoting calmness, decreasing stress, and reducing anxiety. In a cardiothoracic intensive care unit (CTICU) in a large teaching hospital in the New York metro area, there was no strategy in place to address low job satisfaction among nurses.
Purpose
Implement a Mindfulness-Based program for CTICU nurses to engage in mindfulness exercises during their shifts and at home. Compare reported job satisfaction scores before and after the mindfulness program and track nursing participation in mindfulness exercises throughout the project.
Methods
Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA). Plan: A Mindfulness-Based program was developed to present to CTICU nurses. The Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) was administered to nurses before the implementation of the program. Do: Daily mindful moments were encouraged during every shift and weekly educational materials were given to nurses regarding mindfulness practices and their benefits for eight weeks. Study: Data regarding weekly participation in mindfulness exercises was collected. The JSS was administered again after eight weeks of the mindfulness-based program. Act: present data to stakeholders.
Outcome
Total Job Satisfaction did increase after 8 weeks of project implementation; however, it was not a statistically significant increase (p=0.22). Two subset categories of the JSS, nature of work, and communication did demonstrate statistically significant increases in satisfaction after the implementation of the mindfulness program. Using p= 0.05 or less to indicate statistical significance, satisfaction with nature of work was significant with p= 0.01 and satisfaction with communication was also significant with p=0.02. Over the course of eight weeks of implementation of the mindfulness program, there was a decrease in the number of overall nurses participating in mindfulness exercises each week. However, the nurses who did participate, increased the average days per week of participation from 3 to 5 days per week. Nurses verbalized their positive feedback regarding the implementation of the mindfulness-based program.
Discussion
The project successfully implemented a mindfulness-based program for nurses in the CTICU. Despite a lack of statistically significant increases in total job satisfaction, subset survey results, minor increases in total job satisfaction, and qualitative feedback from nurses support the effectiveness of this project as well as return on investment.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Haggerty, M.A. (2023). Increasing job satisfaction of nurses using a mindfulness-based program: A quality improvement project [Unpublished DNP project]. Sacred Heart University.
Comments
A DNP project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice, Sacred Heart University Davis & Henley College of Nursing.