Nurses Under Stress: Strategies for Managing a Demanding Profession - Essay Example

NURSES UNDER STRESS: STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING A DEMANDING PROFESSION affiliation Stress is one of the most recognized terms over the last years. It has become a cause for concern for various nurses at their places of work. According to The Health and Safety Executive, stress is defined as the adverse reaction that people experiences due to excessive pressure or other demands that are placed on them. It is important to understand the adverse effect of stress on nurses because the mental and psychological harm that stress causes affects their service delivery. Additionally it is good to understand the impact of stress on nurses because it causes distress to employees (Hamdy, 2010, p. 101). Stress can also affect the health and attendance record of an employee. As nurses, by training and tradition, they are good at spending their physical, emotional, and mental energy on caring for their patients. They normally take time thinking about caring for their patients; that is difficult and daunting. For this reason, the paper discusses various responses to events and situations that are stressful. The paper also outlines ways in which one can reduce stress and manage the responses effectively. In addition, the paper discusses ways in which nurses can manage their occupational distress. NURSES UNDER STRESS: STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING A DEMANDING PROFESSION There are various ways of managing pressure at work. The most appealing part is that not all the strategies of managing stress at workplace rest on someone’s shoulder. Although there is no legislation that handles stress at work, an employer can handle stress as one of the occupational safety and health hazard, and take actions in controlling factors at places of workplaces contributing to stress (Elizabeth, 2013, p. 305). According to Health and Safety at Work Act places the employer’s duty to make sure that the workplaces have a healthy and safe environment. It is normally argued that occupational stress can be a safety and health issue if stress is made worse in a work setting. Under the Safety and Health Regulation of 1999, the employers need to consider hazards in places of work and assess the risk level that the hazard can cause to employees. After determining the degree of risk, action needs to be taken in controlling and eliminating the likelihood of the employees to be harmed (Northrup, 2011, p. 601). The Health and Safety Executives provides several warning signs as signs of stress among nurses. Loss of commitment and motivation, nurses working increasingly over time with diminishing returns, poor or erratic timekeeping, and increase in their absence due to sickness absence. Relationships at work can also arise to stress at workplace. Such stress will be seen when there are conflict and tension between colleagues, poor relationship with patients, and increased disciplinary and industrial relations problems. Another sign can be considered in the job performance of the nurses (Zainab, 2013, p. 53). As a result, there will be a reduction in the productivity and output, increase in the error rates and wastage, poor decision-making, and deterioration in control and planning of work. Addressing and managing the above problems can be useful for the nurses. Proper strategies will lead to increased job performance, reduced sickness absence, improved nurse morale, and improved relationship at work. There is always a real cost benefit in financial terms and human resource (Northrup, 2011, p.601). Some of the strategies that the employer can begin tackling the factors contributing to stress as a safety and health hazard include risk assessment, taking action, staff support, Stress Policy, and stress management training. Employers need to carry out risk assessment at organizational and departmental level (Aikens, 2009, p.140). During the exercise, the evaluation team needs to identify the risks through management information system like records for sickness absence. Nurses can also be interrogated on various aspects of their work that places unacceptable demand in their line of work (Elizabeth, 2013, p. 701). This can be carried out through discusses and issuing of questionnaires. Employers also need to take action. The strategy involves identifying factors that causes harm and requires elimination. The outcome of this approach may result in organization change (Hamdy, 2010, p. 101). Staff support policy ensures that the support systems for nurses are available to them. These entail the formal and informal groups for clinical, supervision, and mentoring purposes. The most important strategy is developing a stress policy. Here the employers need to introduce a stress policy. These guidelines should include recognizing stress at workplaces, access to counseling, assessment of stress causes, and arrangement for nurses that suffer as a result of pressure. Additionally, companies may need to offer regular training events that will encourage the nurses to attend those trainings (Northrup, 2011, p.601). Management of stress requires participation and taking advantage of mentors or preceptors provided. Trainers allow one to gain more focus on activities that are performed by the nurses (Elizabeth, 2013, p. 305). Nurses require recreation that puts them away from the tight schedule and shifts where they only focus on managing patients. Recreation helps maintain good health in the nurses reducing stress cases. Fatigue is a major factor that leads to stress in nurses. Self-awareness enables nurses to control instances of fatigue. More education for nursing also contributes much to management of stress as all roles are completely analyzed. Understaffing that contribute much to stress in nurses should be looked into by the directorate such that nurses are to perform only activities that do not make them stressed, but makes them happy (Aikens, 2009, p.140). Reduction in stress in nursing enhances patients’ health as there will be more care when there is no pressure in carrying out duties. When there is no fatigue, services that are offered to patients are of quality. Nurses should be motivated to reduce stress in their activities to enhance safety and quality services to patients (Zainab, 2013, p. 53). Management can reduce stress in the environment in which the nurses operate by developing consistent reputation of being approachable. Being approachable enables nurses to interact freely and share ideas that reduce pressure. Management of stress in nurses also requires continuing in faith practices. This provides a steady focus and centering on roles that the nurse is to undertake, reducing instances of pressure in the work (Aikens, 2009, p. 140). . References Aikens, C. (2009). Hospital management. London: Routledge, 124(2), 140. Elizabeth, B. (2013). Stress and coping in nursing. London: Chapman and Hall, 55, 305-307, 701. Hamdy, K. (2010). Stress in nursing. London: Distance Learning Centre, 124(1), 101. Northrup, C. (2011. Nursing. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 32, 601-603. Zainab (2013). Critical Factors in Managing Relationally Demanding Jobs, in Care for Very Ill and Dying Patients: A Phenomenological Study among Public Hospital Nurses. Open Journal Of Nursing, 05(01), 53-57. Doi:10.4236/ojn.2015.51007 Read More