Stoicism and Cognitive Strategies for Nursing Professional Development

Abstract

Background: Nurse educators are experiencing a vocational crisis, and the unsustainable rate at which nurses are leaving the profession impacts the health of the nation. Nurse educators, including academic and professional development faculty and preceptors, need skills to manage the complex academic and clinical environments. This article describes the development of a course for nurse educators and preceptors around Stoicism and cognitive strategies, describes the perceived takeaways of one group of learners who experienced the course, and offers recommendations for the use of this content. Method: This course was evaluated with survey data from 23 nurse educators for demographic information and use of strategies after an educational course. Results: Participants identified several specific takeaways from the training that could be incorporated into their personal, teaching, and clinical practices. Themes included emotional regulation, using the cognitive triangle, and managing stress in emotionally charged situations with patients and colleagues through creating a healthy emotional distance to better evaluate situations. Conclusion: Stoicism and cognitive strategies are important additions to nurse educator personal and professional development. [ J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(8):378–386.]