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One of the most common themes in nursing is that “nurses eat their young.” The same type of undesirable behavior may apply to other healthcare professions as well. These negative interactions may begin while learning and still in a formal academic program. Students spend a great deal of time in assigned clinical settings interacting with clinical and non-clinical staff in specially designated healthcare facilities. These interactions can play a large role in the degree of burnout a student might experience.
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Students must be more adequately prepared for the “trials and tribulations” they will face in a clinical healthcare setting. The degree of uncertainty, inherent chaos, and unpredictability can all be extremely concerning for those entering a new healthcare role. While the processes of care are usually well-established, the inconsistency between practitioners can be alarming. Each healthcare provider develops and has their own style of practice, and those who are the most successful have developed a hardiness for the inherently chaotic and stressful environment.
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Many practitioners have learned to be resilient using skills gained in “trial by fire” situations. The author and contributors of this workbook posit there must be a better way. Those learning and entering the healthcare professions must be formally educated and astutely aware of the potentially negative consequences they will encounter from stress in healthcare work environments. The encounters will undoubtedly include feeling overwhelmed, feeling helpless, experiencing grave clinical cases, dealing with difficult people, navigating conflict, using innovation and creativity to solve complex problems, and more. In this chapter, you will find resources to assist with identifying the symptoms of burnout and, most importantly, what to do about it.
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Practice Pearl
Have a credible measurement tool in place to identify burnout in nursing and healthcare students.
Develop “de-stress” resources for students to access throughout their program.
Action Step: Utilize the SMART (Stress Management and Resiliency Training) training video found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np6T0M-vjWQ
Action Step: Investigate and/or locate available resources for students in your healthcare entity or on your academic campus.
Action Step: Check to see if your academic institution provides students with a list of available resources such as counseling, academic advising, tutoring, a food pantry, financial resources, etc. to assist in managing stress.
Conduct periodic program reviews, including student feedback, to identify ways to assess and decrease stress for both students and faculty.