The Lifestyle Considerations in Nursing course introduces the concept of healthy lifestyle considerations including nutrition, sleep, physical activity, stress management and social networks from multiple perspectives. The course explores the relationship of lifestyle considerations with health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease care. Students learn about the registered nurse’s unique role in promoting positive lifestyle changes for all populations. This elective integrates online coursework with experiential learning in collaboration with health professionals and researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center and beyond.
During the summer 2025 session, nursing students learned from instructor Megan Turner, MSN, RN, CNEn, KU School of Nursing, Kelly Freeman, AGPCNP-C, RN, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Mary Heft, RN, MSN, Kansas City VA, and Rebecca Lepping, Ph.D., KU School of Medicine Department of Neurology.
June 10, 2025
Every summer, I teach an elective course for our undergraduate nursing students, called Lifestyle Considerations in Nursing. Students learn more about how they can leverage lifestyle considerations such as food and nutrition to promote their health and the health of patients, families and communities. Tonight, we met virtually to cook a whole food plant-based dish, learn basic kitchen safety and knife skills! Our recipe was a Mediterranean-inspired grain bowl and lemon basil vinaigrette.
I love bringing content alive and applying what we learn.
June 13, 2025
Online courses in higher education can sometimes feel disconnected. Facilitating a connection between students and with the instructor needs to be intentional and can be fun! I have thought a lot about this over the course of the three years I have facilitated an online course. Here are the things I have intentionally integrated into my courses to facilitate connections:
- Video discussions—Instead of having students submit written discussions and responses to peers, have them record short 1–5-minute videos! This not only helps me put a face with each students’ name, but it facilitates a connection with peers.
- Provide students with an audio/visual recording of your feedback for assignments. This is a great way for students to see you and connect with you in a unique way.
- Virtual synchronous sessions—Schedule virtual, interactive sessions throughout the semester with students to provide them with an opportunity to connect with their peers and the instructor and ask questions in real time!
- Send out weekly announcements to keep students up to date!
- Record short (less than 5 minutes) video overviews for each module and assignments.
- Build in “module check-ins.” For every module, I include an extra credit question asking students what content/assignments they found helpful, what challenged them and if they are having any technical difficulties. This allows me an opportunity to get ahead of any issues that arise and better understand how students are responding to the module.
- Create informal blog style posts that are easy to read, relate to the content, let students into your life, and provide additional resources. See my example pictured!
July 9, 2025
This week, Kelly Freeman, AGPCNP-C, RN, director of workforce development at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, spoke to students about how they can leverage lifestyle considerations like diet, physical activity, etc., to not only promote the health of patients, but also our personal health, during a virtual synchronous session.
Kelly discussed the many benefits of lifestyle medicine, how registered nurses can incorporate lifestyle assessments and education into their practice and how they can collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to advocate for patients. It was such an encouraging and fruitful discussion.
As a nursing educator, I learned so much as well. I’m grateful for Kelly and all she does to advocate for and advance lifestyle medicine. I am excited to see how lifestyle medicine continues to grow, impact patient care and the role nurses will play in supporting this good work!