Occupational Stress suffered by Anesthesiologists - Essay Example

In which case, physical and emotional stress are natural and cannot be avoided (Alves, 2005). This situation is called occupational stress. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (1999), occupational stress refers to the unsafe physical and emotional responses that surface when the abilities, resources or needs of a worker do not match the latter’s abilities. In other words, this is felt when the demands on a worker become too much for such worker’s ability to fulfill those demands (Lazarus, 1991).

In a survey conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services (1999), 40% of the American workers see their jobs as enormously stressful which made the healthcare expenditures of US increased to as much as 50% (Sauter & Hurrell, 1999). According to the study of Dickson (1996), the main sources of occupational stress for anesthesiologists were overload in work, professional relationship and lack of control. The study of Nyssen (2003), on the same note, identified the lack of control over work, risks and time factors, the lack of supervision, and communication within the organization, particularly with the surgeons, as the major sources of stress for anesthesiologists (Nyssen et al, 2003).

The studies conformed with the study of Kinzl (2007) that lack of control, especially for female anesthesiologists, is really a major contributor of stress. A different set of factors have been elicited during the ASA Annual Meeting in Orlando Florida in October 1998 wherein the attendees of the ASA Resident Component House of Delegates responded to an anonymous questionnaire about stress factors. However, it has to be noted that the respondents are anesthesiologists undergoing the residency programs.

The answers identified were the insufficient support given by the residency program, lack of contentment with the teaching given during the residency program, the lack of time for reading and the small chance to recreate