Stress in the nursing professional and in nursing students is well documented in the literature. However, the extent to which it occurs and the means of coping with stress vary. Family responsibilities, finances, and academia have been identified as main stressors for graduate school nurses. It is important to establish coping mechanisms that address the two hemispheres of stress, due to the physiological and psychological effects on the body. The purpose of this study was to develop a stress management education session for Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) students enrolled in their initial clinical rotation at Rhode Island College (RIC). The education session consisted of a review of stress and coping methods, followed by the instruction of two stress management techniques: paced-breathing meditation (PBM) and relaxation/diaphragmatic breathing. A pre and post survey researcher developed method was utilized to evaluate the effects of the intervention on perceived stress levels. A convenience sample of six students participated in the intervention, course evaluation and pre-survey, and five students responded to the post-survey. The intervention did result in an overall mean reduction of PSS-10 scores of 2.2 points, indicating a decrease in perceived stress. Keywords: stress management, coping, perceived stress, meditation AcknowledgementsI would like to thank my first reader, Dr. Lescault for her patience and support throughout this process. I would also like to acknowledge my second reader, Dr. Padula for her expertise and guidance, and my third reader, Stanley Goodman, NP, for his assistance.To my husband Troy, for whom I would not have made it through this program without, thank you. I would also like to thank my peers, family, and friends for offering me their unconditional love and support. Table of Contents DECREASING STRESS IN THE MASTER'S LEVEL NURSING STUDENT: A STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATION SESSION Background/Statement of the ProblemStress occurs when an individual is faced with a situation that brings about a positive or negative physical or emotional reaction. Stress is defined as the psychological, physiological, and behavioral response experienced by an individual when there is a perceived imbalance between life demands and their ability to meet those demands (Palmer, 1989). How an individual attains the balance between various life demands is called coping. The ability to improve coping skills to decrease the stress response is essential to maintain an individual's physical and emotional well-being.While stress is inevitable for any student enrolled in an MSN program, excessive stress is counterproductive and can ultimately lead to poor student outcomes. Increased levels of stress in bachelors and masters level nursing students have a negative effect on attrition and retention rates, and overall health (Deary, Watson & Hogston, 2003).Research has demonstrated increased levels of stress and anxiety in the Bachelors in Science of Nursing (BSN) and MSN students (Lust, Ehlinger, & Golden, 2...