Seeking Case Studies for "Work Stress - Implications for Today's Nurse"

[thenursingapprentice]

Greetings fellow nurses!

I am a graduate research assistant (and nurse) working on developing a free online CEU module about work stress in nursing and I'm soliciting personal experiences of actual nursing professionals of all ages and backgrounds to supplement the more traditional learning methods in the training.

I am seeking responses from nurses of all ages, experience levels, specialties, and backgrounds.

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If you are interested in sharing your experience and contributing to the development of improved stress management in nursing:

Please email me at [email protected][/url] (Subject line: CPH-NEW Case Studies) with the following:

Biographical details: Initials, Age, Gender, Racial background, Level of Education, Length of experience, and Specialty area

Average Stress Rating (1/10): At Work __ At Home __

Questions:

Do you perceive a lot of stress in your life? How many days a week do you feel stressed?

What proportion of your stress is related to your work life as opposed to your home life?

Are you satisfied with the balance between work, family and recreation?

What work related stressors most impact your daily experiences as a nurse? What stressors impact your life over time?

(Examples: design of tasks, management style, interpersonal relationships, work roles, career concerns, and environmental conditions)

Do you feel that the level of job demands that are asked of you, match the level of control you have in your role?

Do you feel that the effort you put forth in your job is balanced with appropriate job rewards?

What short-term physical, psychological and psychosocial problems have you experienced secondary to job stress? What long term effects have you experienced? (We are also seeking a story specific to work stress related cardiovascular conditions)

What steps have you taken personally to alleviate job stress? Have they been successful? If so, why or why not?

Have any actions been taken at the organizational level to alleviate job stress? Have they been successful? If so, why or why not? Is there a peer or leader in your workplace that advocates for organizational change?

Have any resources been made available to assist you in the management of job related stress? Are you familiar with any resources outside your organization? If so, how did you learn about them?

What do you think would be most beneficial in reducing work stress as a nurse?

Personal Narratives

Do you have a personal story that highlights the impact of job-related stress for nurses? If so, we would like to share your experience!

Thank You!!!

Rhiannon Doherty, RN BSN, Student PMHNP

University of Massachusetts - Lowell

CPH-NEW Stress@Work

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I'll have to get back to you later tonight on this one. I don't usually participate in surveys, but this one sounds intriguing.

There are ways nursing makes life difficult, and other ways life makes nursing more difficult; however, I don't know what else I'd rather do (except maybe for being a fulltime writer). I'm good at nursing. Nursing has also been good to me in a lot of ways. It's also exacerbated my physical problems, contributed to my mental illness, and left me with a thousand memories that I really don't want.

Yes, I'll have to answer these questions when I have the time to address them with the care and thoughtfulness they deserve. WARNING: it may be more than you bargained for!

[thompd01]

Nursing is a wonderful career. It does like all jobs have stressful moments.

I have found that the more organized I get with my patient the less stress I have. I work in the ICU. I have noted that when I don't get to assess my patient before a problem occurs I feel stressed temporarily. I have learned to first fix the problem and subconsciously tell myself I will get everything done for the patient in appropriate time. I have to attend to the crisis first than I can proceed.

Some days are more stressful than others. Some days I'm having personal issues and must put them aside to work. Other days work is stressful and I look forward to the end of the shift. I would say that 98% of the time, my job is rewarding and I leave the job feeling satisfied with my patient care.

Everyone handles stress differently. I have learned in the ICU that prioritizing what needs to be done for the patient and proceeding accordingly helps decrease my stress. Also, realizing I am only one person and do what I can and if I need help don't be to proud to ask for it. Nursing is a team effort, especially in the ICU setting.

[thenursingapprentice]

Thank you for your contribution. It is very much appreciated!

[thenursingapprentice]

I'm happy to hear it all, just send it along via email to [email protected]. Thanks!