Definition: A state of whole person well-being in which every individual experiences life-long growth and capacity building, adapts to emerging challenges and adversities, lives fully and fruitfully, and experiences a sense of belonging and meaning within their community.
(Adapted from WHO and Arizona Health Improvement Plan)
The AACN Essentials (2021) also addresses well-being throughout the introduction. Under Foundational Elements Nursing as a Discipline (p.2), it sites "The emergence of nursing as a discipline had its earliest roots in Florence Nightingale’s thoughts about the nature of nursing. Believing nursing to be both a science and an art, she conceptualized the whole patient (mind, body, and spirit) as the center of nursing’s focus. The influence of the environment on an individual’s health and recovery was of utmost importance. The concepts of health, healing, well-being, and the interconnectedness with the multidimensional environment also were noted in her work."
Continuing to describe nursing as a discipline (p. 2), "contemporary nursing as it is practiced today began to take shape as a discipline in the 1970s and 1980s. Leaders of this era shared the belief that the discipline of nursing was the study of the well-being patterning of human behavior and the constant interaction with the environment, including relationships with others, health, and the nurse….In a historical analysis of literature on the discipline of nursing, five concepts emerged as defining the discipline: human wholeness; health; healing and well-being; environment-health relationship; and caring."
Under Advancing the Discipline of Nursing (p.3), the Essentials further states that "students must not only be introduced to the knowledge and values of the discipline, but they must be guided to practice from a disciplinary perspective –by seeing patients through the lens of wholeness and interconnectedness with family and community; appreciating how the social, political, and economic environment influences health; attending to what is most important to well-being; developing a caring healing relationship; and honoring personal dignity, choice, and meaning."
The Essentials, delineate four spheres of care for nursing practice (p. 6). The first sphere of care is "disease prevention/promotion of health and well-being, which includes the promotion of physical and mental health in all patients as well as management of minor acute and intermittent care needs of generally healthy patients… Entry-level professional nursing education ensures that graduates demonstrate competencies through practice experiences with individuals, families, communities, and populations across the lifespan and within each of these four spheres of care."
Clinician Well-being:
Faculty Suggestions for Use: This free landmark resource is an ideal learning resource on systems, policy, and leadership. It provides background information, explanation regarding factors especially external factors, that impact individuals’ and system wellness and addresses policy related issues. Faculty and graduate students can benefit from this resource.
Individual Well-Being
Student Well-Being
General Well-Being Resources
National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities (NCBHAC)* The NCBHAC is a consortium of academic institutions committed to promoting healthier learning environments. It provides tools and events to set and achieve standards for academic wellness. * Note: There is a membership fee for organizatons.
The learning strategies presented here are examples of activities and assignments that faculty could possibly implement in the curriculum depending on the institution’s curriculum and learning environment.
If the activities implemented are part of a larger, ongoing wellness initiative, it's essential to conduct periodic evaluations. Consider quarterly, twice-yearly, or annual assessments to measure targeted outcomes, including burnout, well-being, health, or self-care, using relevant and validated measures.
Sample Measures:
Under the Key Resources section above, the National Academy of Medicine tool kit includes resources for self-evaluation. Additionally, suggested well-being scales can be accessed at Positive Psychology, and they are also listed in the Harvard Center Repository of Positive Psychological Well-Being Scales. Notably, the MAAS scale has been used most frequently by the members of the grant’s Advisory Work Group or Questionnaire Center | Authentic Happiness.
Additional Resources:
Explore other valid and reliable survey instruments to measure burnout, well-being, and related dimensions. A comprehensive list can be found at NAM - Valid and Reliable Survey Instruments. For a more in-depth understanding of these measures, refer to the Pragmatic Table, provided on the National Academy of Medicine's website. This table offers insights into the various measures and their applications in assessing well-being and related dimensions.
Caution: Please do use the individual assessment of mindfulness carefully; students who have not yet integrated awareness practices as a component of their wellness strategies may find the results distressing.