Self-compassion in undergraduate nursing: an integrative review

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveTo explore self-compassion and its role in supporting well-being, compassionate care, and the academic experience in undergraduate nursing students.MethodWhittemore and Knafl’s (2005) integrative review methodology was used to search articles published between 2007 and 2020, which resulted in 36 articles meeting the inclusion criteria: compassion for self and others, strategies to support self-compassion; and self-compassion and student learning.ResultFindings indicate that self-compassion may promote compassionate care, personal well-being, resilience, and emotional intelligence while supporting indicators of academic success. Compassion literacy, mindfulness training, and experiential exercises are some of the strategies that could be integrated into nursing curricula to enhance compassion in nursing students for self and others.ConclusionIntegrating mindfulness and self-compassion in undergraduate curricula requires innovative teaching and learning approaches within a supportive organizational environment. To this end, a Self-Compassion Curricular Model to guide nursing programs is proposed.