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October 17, 2024/Nursing/Wellness

Cultivating a Culture of Mindfulness

Wellness initiative helps nurses connect and recharge

Group of nurses with therapy dog

When Josh Campbell, BSN, RN, CMSRN, was promoted to assistant nurse manager on a medical-surgical unit at Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-created a unit-based initiative to benefit nurses and patients.

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“Our Press Ganey results identified a need to address increased stress and fatigue from the daunting effects of the pandemic that affected our nurses’ ability to provide high-quality care,” says Campbell.

He and Julie Kocon, BSN, RN, a clinical nurse on the unit, formed a committee and developed the Connect + Recharge program in 2021. The initiative encourages all caregivers on the unit to participate in three- to five-minute daily activities or “pauses” designed to connect with fellow staff and rejuvenate.

“The idea was to cultivate a culture of mindfulness and wellness,” says Campbell.

Opportunities to de-stress

The Connect + Recharge Committee created a monthly calendar of daily activities that were displayed on huddle boards at the nurses’ station. Favorite activities among caregivers included:

  • Thirsty Thursday – Pop-up coffee bars and tea were available on the unit.
  • Savasana Sunday – A health unit coordinator led chair yoga.
  • Tell Us About You Tuesday – Various games and activities varied weekly to help caregivers get to know one another better. For example, staff shared their favorite song, holiday or vacation.
  • “Dad Joke” Fridays – Caregivers shared wholesome, corny jokes to get peers to laugh – or groan.

“Josh made sure that every caregiver had something that they found relaxing – some activity they could find value in,” says Mallory Sovacool, BSN, RN-BC, nurse manager of the medical-surgical unit. For instance, some nurses indicated they preferred to unwind on their own rather than with others, so the committee included both solo and group activities.

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Expanding on success

Building on the success of the activity calendar, the committee added several other components to the Connect + Recharge Program. They recruited a clinical nurse on the unit to serve as wellness champion. She provides resources offered through Cleveland Clinic. The unit also added a “break nurse” who works four-hour shifts to ensure clinical nurses receive breaks on busy shifts.

One of the most popular additions was a new member to the team – Rosie, the caregiver therapy dog. Rosie is a registered therapy dog owned by the health unit coordinator, who brings her to the unit approximately once a week.

“During the intervention phase of this project, our team reported increased support from caregivers to take breaks and enriched knowledge of available wellness resources,” says Campbell.

Prioritizing wellness

The Connect + Recharge Program contributed to a rise in Press Ganey scores for two consecutive years for the question, “The amount of stress I feel is reasonable.” The committee no longer posts activity calendars – and that’s OK with Campbell and Sovacool.

“Through the program, caregivers now understand the importance of prioritizing their wellness. It’s instilled in their everyday work, whether there is a calendar or not,” says Campbell. “People know they need to take care of themselves before they can ultimately take care of others and uphold Cleveland Clinic values.”

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