Download

Download Primary (528 KB)

Course Name

Clinical Improvement Project II CAPSTONE

Graduation Year

8-2026

Faculty Advisor

Feng Ping (Sarah) Lee

Abstract

Nursing students experience elevated anxiety during the transition into accelerated programs, which can negatively affect academic performance, well-being, and retention. This quality improvement project evaluated Mind Over Scrubs, a peer-led anxiety reduction program for incoming Entry-Level Master of Science in Nursing students at the University of the Pacific, consisting of four 45-minute sessions on evidence-based coping strategies. Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 surveys were administered at baseline, before and after each session, and at two- and four-week follow-ups; Wilcoxon signed-rank tests evaluated matched changes. Thirty-one of 62 enrolled students (50%) attended at least one session. Post-session scores fell below individual baselines for 69–92% of matched respondents, exceeding the 30% improvement target at every session, and baseline-to-post reductions were statistically significant at three of four sessions (p = .033, .013, and .001). Mean scores declined from 10.61 at baseline to 5.67–5.80 at follow-up; reductions were sustained among matched follow-up respondents, and no adverse events were identified; a temporary increase at Session 2 coincided with a cohort examination, and attrition limited follow-up samples. Findings support peer-led wellness programming as a feasible, low-cost, and effective approach to supporting anxiety reduction in graduate nursing education, with future cycles recommended to expand recruitment, improve follow-up completion, and schedule sessions away from examinations.

Keywords

nursing students, anxiety, peer support, quality improvement, GAD-7

Mind Over Scrubs – A Peer-Led Anxiety Reduction Program

Share

COinS