LopSided

Thanks for your response Ruby Vee. I think staff turnover is one of the key reasons educators are looking at including stress-management programmes in the curriculum. Some of the more effective programmes were offered in addition to the students' current workload, so not everyone wished to attend as it would take up more time in an already busy schedule. The skills were generally effective and useful in the long-term so it was a case of short term strain for a long term gain.” The example you give on self-care” highlights the fact that we all have our own methods of stress relief (some with extended health benefits outside of stress relief itself, e.g. exercise and relaxation). So perhaps an effective stress management programme may be less about offering a standard X amount of lessons for X amount of weeks as an extra course/unit/module; but more about learning new techniques (e.g. deep breathing, cognitive restructuring) that can be taught briefly but reinforced regularly within normal contact hours; in addition to encouraging students to maintain their preferred (healthy) methods of self-care regularly. One barrier to effective stress management may be the number and variety of different stressors experienced on the job each day, as each may require a different coping strategy; and sometimes things come up that we aren't prepared or trained for. I suppose the challenge of being short-staffed is having the time and resources to facilitate support measures that will reduce the turnover that leads to being short-staffed. When I was speaking with some nursing students here recently, they thought it was strange to suggest stress can actually be positive, but your point about the fear of making mistakes is a perfect example. Most people would worry about making mistakes, but its how each person perceives this and responds. One's fear may lead to serious anxiety, while another's may result in extra care and vigilance.

Hello! I have friend who is studying nursing and she often talks about how stressful the journey is, as she has to juggle schoolwork, placement, friends and family. After reading posts on this board, I can see why she feels this way. As a postgraduate student in Psychology, I wish to learn more about the stressors nursing students experience as well as the types of stress management techniques you apply. My aim is to create a stress management programme for nursing students at my university in Ireland. I was hoping some of you may share your thoughts and experiences. Do you learn stress management techniques as part of your education and training? Are there certain things about STUDYING NURSING that you find most stressful? Are there certain things about WORKING IN THE FIELD that you find most stressful? How do you cope with these stressors? Are there any stress management techniques you apply? (e.g. Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Mindfulness, Meditation, Physical Activity, Problem Solving etc.) Or do you engage in "unhealthy" behaviours (e.g. excessive alcohol or caffeine use, over/undereating etc.). Is there a time when you find stress to be useful (e.g. to motivate you to work harder; creating a new challenge etc.)? Are there any stress management techniques you would like to learn or you feel should be taught? If so, what are they? I'm still undecided if I want to run a programme on-campus or create a stress management app that students can use at any time and work for when things get tough. Maybe both!