Problems in the Nursing Profession Bordignon
Problems in the Nursing Profession
Bordignon, M., and Monteiro, M. I. “Health problems among nursing professionals and
related factors.” Enfermería Global, 17(3), 2018, 459-69. NCLIVE, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.6018/eglobal.17.3.302351
A discussion of a cross-sectional study on injury occurrence in the nursing profession, written by two nurse PhD candidates, one in which is a professor in the graduate program in nursing. This journal article includes data from an approved and thorough study of nurses who work in a hospital emergency department. The effects on the nursing profession are displayed in numbers collected from several measurements. It spotlights the severity of the number of nurses injured through work in this emergency department. Among the many pressures, violence towards nurses is mentioned affecting both, a nurse’s mental well-being as well as physical. Work-related injuries, illnesses, and overall stress have widespread impact in this specific emergency department. Another important note made in this article is that nursing staff call off of work due to work-related illness or injury, which adds more stress to the staff on duty. One eye-opening and easily passed-over realization brought to light in this article is that a patient’s life is in the hands of a nurse, therefore, a nurse’s wellness is imperative. Points are made about the need for corrective measures to be put in place to alleviate the situation.
Jordan, T. R., Khubchandani, J., and Wiblishauser, M. “The impact of perceived stress
and coping adequacy on the health of nurses: A pilot investigation.” Nursing Research and Practice, 2016, NCLIVE, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/5843256.
In this very informative journal article, how nurses perceive stress at work is the question. The article features an expansive array of stressors nurses face while at work, and their abilities to cope with those stressors. Many nurses struggle to juggle all of the tasks they must complete such as patient care, educating patients and their families, detailed charting, following through with doctor’s orders, and meeting the requirements set by superiors. Patients can be aggressive and actually combative; further heightening a nurse’s anxiety. In most cases, once a nurse’s shift ends there are plenty more duties at home that await; children need tending and chores need attention. When does a nurse have time to take proper care of themselves? Too often many nurses do not have time to take care of themselves or practice healthy habits and are quite unhealthy, partially due to their jobs. Grab-and-go unhealthy food is more than common for the nurse’s diet. There is no time or energy to exercise. Destressing is a rarity for nurses as well because time alone is short and uncommon. Many nursing professionals suffer from hypertension, most likely due to unhealthy habits. Sleep irregularities are frequently found among nurses. These issues lend a hand in building depression, exhaustion, and a sense of not feeling well.
Lee, Ya-Wen, et al. “Quality of work life, nurses’ intention to leave the profession, and nurses
leaving the profession: A one-year prospective survey.” Journal of Nursing Scholarship; Indianapolis, Vol. 49, Iss. 4, Jul 2017, pp. 438-44. NCLIVE, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12301.
This journal article, written by university professors, speaks of and studies the crucial turnover rate in the nursing profession within the hospital setting, in partial relation to the work-life balance that can be lacking for many nurses. The one-year board approved prospective survey is of many locations and states that the issue is global. When nurses decide to leave the profession, it can add stress to the remaining staff, leaving some frustrated. Not having enough nurses can cause patient care to decline which can lead to very ill outcomes including nursing errors. With so many demands on nurses and long hours at work, it is difficult to balance it all. In this article, there is some focus on the work-life balance among nurses who are also mothers. This article looks to management for effective solutions. It is evident that without enough nurses, healthcare is seriously impacted. If solutions to these many problems within the profession cannot be implemented and nurses cannot be kept happy and healthy, we could have a real crisis situation.
Umesh, S. R., et al. “Work-related health problems among nursing personnel.” Nursing
Journal of India, 2014, pp. 254-57. NCLIVE, http://nclive.org/cgi-bin/nclsm?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1687838795?.
Due to being up on their feet for long periods of time and lack of proper breaks, nurses are one of the highest professions with musculoskeletal complaints and diagnoses, 8.8 per 100 in hospital settings and 13.5 per 100 in nursing home settings (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2002). An extensive study in this scholarly journal reported on nurses in different hospital departments to show how vast nurses health is impacted by their job. Musculoskeletal issues and varicose veins appear in these nursing professionals, some departments show more issues than others. Varicose veins appear in those participants who did more heavy lifting compared to those who did not lift as much or as often. Nursing is very demanding and physically exerting. Nurses adjust patient’s positions by shifting and lifting them to help make them more comfortable or to examine them. More female nurses suffer from musculoskeletal pain and varicose veins than male nurses. Body mechanics are taught and practiced, yet pain and injuries still occur. Mechanical tools seem to alleviate a few nurses who develop issues, but they do not prevent them. This serious problem causes many nurses to quit the profession or take a leave. Typically, there is a limited availability of nurses as it is, therefore the problem is quite serious.
