Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of facial massage, as a nursing technique, in alleviating stress in healthy women using physiological and psychological indicators. Methods: A crossover design was employed; participants were 22 healthy females between the ages of 20 and 22. Participants were assigned to Sequence 1, wherein they received a 3-minute facial massage in Period I and 3-minute rest in Period II, or Sequence 2, which employed the reverse order. Participants' blood pressure (BP), pulse rate, salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), Profile of Mood States (POMS), "Relaxation level," "Comfort level," and "Wakefulness level," as measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), were assessed before and after the facial massage or resting intervention. Results: Between the two groups, changes in systolic BP increased in the facial massage group, but there was no difference in pulse and sAA. While there was no difference between the two groups in the POMS, VAS scores revealed an increase in the "Relaxation level" and "Comfort level" in the facial massage group. Facial massage participants reported feeling "refreshed," whereas the control group reported feeling "sleepy." Conclusions: The 3-minute facial massage increased relaxation with respect to psychological measures; however, BP change could not explain stress reduction. (This study was enrolled in the UMIN as an intervention study and as a prospective randomized crossover trial. The trial registration number is UMIN000033939.)

Clinical nurse instructors (CNIs) play a crucial role in integrating theory with clinical practice in nursing education; however, the impact of CNIs' instructional time on the quality of clinical practicums remains unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between nursing students' perceptions of clinical practicum quality and the number of CNI instruction days in Japan. Participants included 60 third-year nursing students and 4 CNIs from two hospital wards. Following the completion of the practicum, students completed the "Student Evaluation Scale for the Teaching-Learning Process in Nursing Practicum (SESTLP-NP)," whereas CNIs reported their instruction days during the practicum. Logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between CNI instruction days and total SESTLP-NP scores (odds ratio [OR]: 29.39; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.46-351.01). Key SESTLP-NP subscales associated with CNI instruction days included "CNI-Student Interaction (OR: 4.03; 95% CI: 1.59-10.18)," "use of clinical practicum records (OR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.23-6.47)," and "Student-human resources relationship (OR: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.29-7.31)." The findings suggest that the more days a CNI provided instruction, the more likely students were to be satisfied with their practicum experience. Nursing managers should consider adjusting shift schedules to maximize CNI availability and instructional time during the practicum.