NURS 478 Self Care Journal
Your Name: Jacob Early Your Buddy: Alejandro Dominguez
Select an evidence-based recommendation to follow for 8 weeks:
Sleep at least 7 hours per night before and after a work or school day
Practice mindfulness meditation for at least 10 minutes everyday
Complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, such as biking under 9
mph, dancing, jogging, or playing tennis; or complete 60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week,
such as running, kickboxing, or jumping rope.
Participate in two professionally led yoga classes for one hour or longer per week
Spend up to 2 hrs in Nature or longer per week
Other (Must get your Clinical Faculty approval first, and activity should be up to 2 hrs or longer
per week)
Complete Weekly journal entries:
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
1
During this week I wanted to start off by being active. I decided to run 4 times this week in 15-minute
intervals for a total of 60 minutes.
Comments on Activity:
On the first day of running I forgot how out of shape I was and struggled to finish the 15 minutes. The
second day I had to run had a little slower pace so I did not get as tired during the run. The 3rd and 4th
run I kept the slow pace so I could enjoy the run.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
2
During this week I wanted to work on sleeping a little more since I have been very exhausted from my
preceptorship. I tried to go to sleep 8 hours before days I had school. I did 8 hours instead of 7 in case I
did not fall asleep right away.
Comments on Activity:
I was successful in getting my sleep in. It was a little challenging to make time to get the 7 hours of
sleep each night. I had to push back other school activities and skip my readings this week to do it but I
needed the sleep so it was worth it.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
We talked about the importance of sleep and how big of an impact it has on us and how well we
perform during clinicals.
M OC Fall 2017
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
3
This was a busy week so I didnt have time to get in the sleep I wanted or activity I wanted so I went on
a hike in nature with some friends on a day off. I spent about 3 hours outside in nature.
Comments on Activity:
This was a good activity because it let me catch up with some friends and get outside for a little. It kind
of threw off my day because we went in the morning and I am used to sleeping through the daytime
cause I am on night shift for my preceptorship.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
We talked about how tired we both were but that it was still good to be productive instead of waste the
free time we get sleeping.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
4
This week I will be trying to get 7 hours of sleep a night before school days. I will be laying down for 8
hours that way if it takes me an hour to fall asleep I will still be getting 7 hours of sleep a night.
Comments on Activity:
I was able to get the 7 hours of sleep a night and I even got more than that on some of the nights.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
We talked about how refreshing it was to get good sleep. We also talked about the assignments in class
and how we could use our time efficiently to make sure we get the stuff done.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
5
This week I continued with the 7 hours of sleep a night before class because I think it is very important.
M OC Fall 2017
Comments on Activity:
I am really liking this activity because it is forcing me to get enough sleep before class. I feel a lot better
on the weeks that I force myself to get enough sleep.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
We talked about how I should start being more active since sleep has not been a big issue the last couple
of weeks.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
6
I am going to start running again in 15-minute intervals for 4 days this week.
Comments on Activity:
It felt like the first time running again it was a little bit of a struggle. I did all 4 days in a row this week,
it feels good to be doing cardio again.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
We talked about how its normal to be out of shape when you havent been exercising recently and how
the endurance will hopefully come back quick.
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
7
I am going to continue doing the 15-minute intervals of running for 4 days.
Comments on Activity:
I got a little extra motivation this week so I did 20 minutes on all 4 days this week.
Buddy Check-In Comments: (Note Key Comments from Conversation)
We talked about how much weight we have already lost this semester from not eating and how all this
cardio will make us lose more weight. The rest of the conversation was about delicious foods to eat to
avoid losing weight.
M OC Fall 2017
Week Description of intervention implemented this week (include frequency/length of time):
8
I am going to continue the runs this week. I will go for a minimum of 15 minutes for 4 days. I am
hoping to do a little extra.
Comments on Activity:
On the first day of the week I only did 15 minutes as I was really tired and did not have a lot of energy.
The other 3 days I did 25-minute runs which was a struggle but I think was good that I pushed myself.
Complete Survey Below
(Once Completed submit entire document to D2L Assignment Drop box by Due date and add to Your
Portfolio.)
Reflection on Panopto presentation and 8-week intervention:
What did these activities teach you?
These activities showed me that I do not sleep enough or get enough exercise in. I had to really work to
do these activities during school and especially during my preceptorship. I need to really start working
to continue doing these weekly and start doing multiple activities a week such as 60 minutes of running
and getting enough sleep.
Have you noticed any changes in your life since you began this intervention?
On the weeks that I wanted to increase my sleep I noticed immediate changes. There is a big difference
in how the next day goes based on how much sleep I got the night before. I think that I remember more
information taught in class on the days I got enough sleep. As for days I exercised I didnt notice any
changes aside from the runners high I got right after the run.
Will you do anything differently now? Please explain.
I would like to continue with these activities. I want to continue to run 60+ minutes a week and I have
signed up for a 5k run that is on thanksgiving morning. I also want to try to get more than 7 hours of
sleep every night of the week. I think getting sleep is very important and I have neglected this the past 2
years in nursing school and I need to change that.
Comments/suggestions:
Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with these statements:
Following an evidence-based recommendation to reduce burnout was valuable to me.
Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree
M OC Fall 2017
5 4 3 2 1
This 8-week intervention will help me implement preventative strategies for burnout in my career.
Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
This Panopto presentation titled: Nurse Burnout: What this is and how you can minimize it in your careers
effectively taught me how I can reduce and address nurse burnout in my career.
Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
Completing the Big Five Personality Test was helpful for exploring my risk of nurse burnout.
Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree
1 2 3 4 5
M OC Fall 2017
