Everyday Stresses Nurses Face
It’s no secret that nursing is a stressful profession, but just how stressful it is may be surprising to some. As a hospital nurse, you work hard, work long, and carry a heavy burden on your shoulders. Add to that a hearty dash of interpersonal conflict, put it on the rocks, and you have a perfect cocktail of potentially anxiety-inducing factors. But the fact that anxiety exists is not the problem. The real issue is the all-too-common unwillingness to recognize and acknowledge that you are suffering from anxiety. So today, we’re exploring the everyday stresses nurses face and what you can do about them.
What causes stress in nurses?
The Nature of the Job
Nursing can be both fulfilling and stressful. Caring for patients in varying levels of health crisis, interacting with their loved ones, doctors and other nurses in and of itself can be more emotionally demanding than many professional jobs out there. Add to that simply being responsible for the lives of those in your care can be daunting for many. The basic elements of being a hospital nurse can cause generalized stress.
What you can do about it…
An easy starting point to ward off stress is to do breathing exercises, which slow your heart rate and release endorphins. Jenny Lelwica Buttaccio, OTR/L writes “Knowing a few simple breathwork strategies can be a valuable tool for nurses during a hectic workday.”
Also, many experts recommend exercising, which functions both as a powerful stress reliever and a way to boost your health and prepare your body for those long hours on your feet. The Mayo Clinic Staff writes that “For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.”
If you’re getting exercise but still feeling fatigued to the point where you have trouble focusing on tasks, you may want to consider changing your schedule. There’s no shame in accepting that long, physically demanding shifts aren’t for you.
Work/Life Balance
Nurses work long, taxing hours. RNs generally have a choice between working 8 hours shifts and 12 hours shifts. Whatever your choice, one thing you can count on is staying a couple of hours longer than you planned. Many nurses choose to work three twelve-hour shifts per week so they can have more free time. This may sound like a great idea until you realize that for those three entire days, the only thing you will accomplish is work and sleep. That’s 36 hours completely wiped from your social schedule, including twelve to fifteen evening hours that you could have used to go to your kid’s baseball game, spend time with friends, or take care of household chores, had you worked a normal 9-5 shift. Instead, you will have to rush to take care of these tasks on your day off.
That’s not to say that working twelve-hour shifts is hands-down a bad idea. There are a variety of factors, including genetics and lifestyle, that determine an individual’s optimal daily routine. There are nurses that can work all day, burn the midnight oil catching up on chores after they get home, and still enjoy their time off. But not everyone can do that, and many nurses burn themselves out trying to work a schedule that isn’t right for them.
What you can do about it…
Consider a less strenuous nursing position. Kati Kleber, MSN, RN, who writes for freshrn.com shares the below 5 alternative nursing positions that could be a better fit for hospital nurses struggling with anxiety and stress.
1. Utilization Review Nurse – typically in an office setting and potentially better hours.
2. Private Clinic Nurse – potentially lower patient volume and better hours.
3. Telehealth – potentially no commute and more flexibility
4. Case Manager – for experienced nurses, less demanding work with the same impact on lives.
5. School Nurse – potentially better hours, an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children
Physically Demanding work
For many nurses, it’s not the hours that are the problem but rather the physical demands of the job. A recent study found that 46% of workplace injuries sustained by nurses result from overexertion. Another 25% were due to slips, trips, and falls. Hospitals and doctors’ offices are dynamic, often unpredictable environments that present many hazards. Nurses navigate these spaces all day, every day – that requires focus. Nursing also often involves a lot of heavy lifting, such as moving patients. Strenuous activity can lead to fatigue followed by lack of focus and ultimately injury.
What you can do about it…
It’s important to take breaks when you are feeling fatigued. It may seem like an unproductive expenditure of time, but not nearly as unproductive as a couple of months’ leave due to a back injury. Beyond mere muscle strain, staying awake and alert means you’re less likely to slip or trip. As mentioned before, exercising to stay in shape is a great way to avoid fatigue by improving your stamina and energy levels.
Patient Interactions
Patient interactions can make or break a nurse’s day. The primary stress related to patient interactions is forming bonds with patients, especially severely ill patients. Whether you are working in a hospital or a private practice, chances are you will work with patients who are suffering. Compassion fatigue is a major contributor to the high attrition rate among nurses in the U.S.
Patient misbehavior is another common problem. Your love of your patients is the reason you do what you do, but those you are caring for are suffering from mental illness or extreme emotional stress. This can lead to aggressive behavior towards those around them, especially individuals who are not familiar to them. According to the same study mentioned earlier, nurses are more than twice as likely to suffer injuries from physical violence than all other occupations.
What you can do about it…
When dealing with negative interactions with patients or their family members, it’s important to remember that they are in the middle of a very stressful, possibly traumatic time in their lives. Don’t take it personally; anxiety can make people behave in negative ways. Sharing your experiences with colleagues can alleviate stress related to these events. Or, if you prefer to sort things out yourself, journaling has been shown to help nurses work through tough experiences.
Journaling and group discussions are also helpful when dealing with grief. “Sharing their experiences with colleagues, who may have had similar experiences, helps nurses cope with their grief, “Elisa Becze writes for ONS Voice. She continues, “in contrast, bringing those experiences home to loved ones is not helpful because nurses’ family members may not be able to relate in the same way.”
Bullying
Workplace bullying is surprisingly common among nurses. In one 2018 study, 60% of nursing directors and managers said they experienced workplace bullying, with 26% describing the bullying as severe. Another study found that 78% of nursing students experience bullying during nursing school. Turnover resulting from bullying costs hospitals an estimated 4-7 million dollars a year.
The worst part about bullying among nurses is that it has become ingrained in the culture. Bullying has become an accepted right of passage in many workplaces. That isn’t to say the older, more experienced nurses are more commonly the aggressors. Bullying occurs at every level of experience, generally directed from a certain in-group to an individual or group perceived as outsiders.
The American nursing association identifies bullying as a major problem in the nursing industry, defining bullying as “repeated, unwanted actions intended to humiliate, offend, and cause distress in the recipient.”
Bullying is less a problem of individuals misbehaving than a systemic problem within an organization. Bullying arises out of a sense of instability, lack of structure, and powerlessness. Bullies often originate as victims. Nursing positions often have little autonomy but high accountability, which can lead to feelings of anxiety, inadequacy, and vulnerability, the perfect cocktail for producing bullies.
What you can do about it…
You may feel like there isn’t much you can do as an individual to curb bullying, but actually, there is. There are three components to bullying behavior: aggressor, victim, and bystander. By speaking up against bullies, you alter that formula. It’s easier to say it than to do it; after all, speaking out can potentially make you a target for bullying as well. But at least you will know you are doing the right thing.
Having the right mindset is important. If you’re being bullied, try to remember that the negative behavior directed at you is the result of the bully’s own feelings of inadequacy. Bullying typically arises in institutions with poor leadership. So if you’re tired of dealing with bullies where you currently work, look for a position elsewhere. When interviewing for jobs, there’s always a point in the interview where they ask if you have questions. Be sure to ask about the organization’s values and the work culture. It won’t harm your chances of landing the position if you ask. In fact, it will make you look more desirable to a company that takes its values seriously.
What Hippo Lending can do to help
As a nurse, you work hard to help those in need. When you’re working to help your patients, the last thing you want to worry about is your finances. That’s where Hippo comes in. Hippo offers to finance designed for Healthcare professionals and help ease some of the everyday stresses nurses deal with. We understand the challenges of working in the healthcare industry and use a value-based business model to evaluate each individual applicant based not just on a credit score but their work ethic, values, and potential. We’ve helped thousands of nurses and doctors achieve their financial goals.