Guided Imagery Techniques

Staff nurses have great responsibilities in caring for patients. Often, these nurses experience heavy workload. Heavy patient load and stress contributes to burnout. Why is burnout important to discuss in relation to nurses? Burnout affects the performance of the nurse and the quality of care he or she provides to the patient. Therefore, it is imperative that staff nurses decrease the possibility of burnout and increase or maintain excitement and enjoyment in the field of nursing. If nurses do so, they will find joy in their work and quality of patient care will be increased. Contributors to burnout and

When most experienced registered nurses hear the word shock, they begin to use their critical thinking skills to determine the patient’s immediate need. However, new graduate nurses in the career field are faced with a different type of shock; they are faced with transitional shock. Transitional shock is a theory created by Judy Duchscher. Her theory is based on reality shock which is a term coined by Marlene Kramer. Reality shock is when new nurses recognize clinical practice and the classroom setting are two different worlds (Hentz and Gilmore, 2011, p.134). When new graduates transition to a registered nurse position, it does not happen with ease. Over the years, there has been a rise in concern with this transition. As new graduates move in the career field, they may feel anxious and uncertain about their new responsibilities. Unfortunately, when there is a high demand of nurses, new graduate nurses are expected to begin a new job at full speed, but they are not able to handle the fast pace position they are placed in. When new graduates are expected to accomplish task they are unprepared for, it sets them up for transitional shock. To minimize transition shock for new graduates, finding a mentor, preceptor, seeking an internship or residency program may help ease the transition.

Transitioning from nursing school to working in a hospital setting can be a challenging time for a new graduate. Due to the nursing shortage, new graduate nurses are being hired with little to no experience. This is overwhelming for new nurses, especially when they are not getting adequate support or training from the hospital. The amount of stress, pressure, and lack of training is leading to a high turnover rate for new graduate nurses. With patient acuity on the rise, new graduate nurses that are filling these vacancies in the hospitals, need to be competent nurses to provide proper and safe care to the patients.

A second suggested activity during pregnancy could be for the pregnant woman to take care of herself psychologically and emotionally, to ensure that she is not too stressed or experiencing anxiety. Regular relaxation could be advised by taking up yoga and meditation. Too much prenatal stress can have negative developmental implications for the child later in life. Research has indicated that when mothers-to-be have high levels of pregnancy-specific anxiety, their offspring were significantly more likely to show lower inhibitory control among girls, and lower visuospatial working memory performance among girls and boys (Buss et al., 2011).

My practice in nursing has been influenced by various elements within my career. I have come to embrace that nursing is a learning process and one should expect constructive criticism. When I began as a “novice,” I found myself nervous in some clinical situations but I managed to remain focused on

Issues such as staff shortage, increased workload, staff feeling threatened by the student nurses, and poor teaching skills can contribute to students not feeling supported (Burns and Paterson, 2005). Nursing students had identified that anxiety as their main concern in the research done by Masoumi and Sharif (2005). The unfamiliarity of tending for patients and worrying of making mistakes during the clinical attachment are the factors that students feel anxious. Mentor can diminish anxiety by utilizing simulation, where genuine case studies and scenarios are being simulated and roles and responsibilities of student nurse are being discussed (Burns and Paterson, 2005).Gradual encouragement in helping student nurse to gain control over their own learning may aid to construct their confidence which will reduce their

It wasn’t that long ago that I had those new graduate nurse’s hopeless feelings of fear and despair, as whether or not I was ever going to be a competent nurse. Wondering whether I was ever going to feel like I know exactly what I am doing and why. Was I ever going to stop being nervous when starting an IV or inserting a Foley catheter. Was I ever going to handle a full assignment of four patients, in busy Emergency Room (ER), without the help of a preceptor. As fast as those feelings overwhelmed me, they have disappeared. These days, the feelings of fear and despair aren’t as noticeable. “Goal setting plays a prominent role in social-cognitive learning

With the increasing demands in Healthcare needs, newly licensed competent nurses are a commodity that simply do not exist. Every year there are new nurses graduating from associate and bachelor’s degree programs that enter the work force. Nursing students whom complete their degree program, whether it be an associates or bachelor degree sit to take the same state sanctioned nursing licensure exam. Upon successful completion of this exam a student quickly transitions from student to professional, in as little as two days, and is now deemed competent to practice safely and effectively. Unfortunately for new nurses whom enter the workforce, they are subjected to an environment that nursing schools simply cannot simulate accurately, and therefore not prepare students for. New nurses are expected to come out of school, especially by the patients they tend to, with competencies that are unrealistic. The reality is that new nurses lack skills that allow them to perform at a truly competent level. What this paper will discuss are the competencies that new graduate nurses enter the work force with compared to what is actually required in order to be proficient in this professional field. This paper will also discuss how the transition from student to professional can be facilitated through extensive orientation programs that have been proven to elevate nurses from novice to professional.

I totally agree with you about having a stress pregnancy. Unfortunately that is not the real world that we live in. Pregnancy is a wonderful and joyous time, but can also be filled with doubt and anxiety. There are a number of circumstances that can lead to stress while you are pregnant, including fluctuating hormone levels, uncertainty about the future, physical discomfort, or a preexisting mental disorder. However, Stress is not all bad. When you handle it right, a little stress can help you take on new challenges. How do you treat stress naturally during pregnancy?

Although there are many factors that affect the development of the fetus, research on the specific effects of prenatal maternal stress and the resulting negative outcomes for the development of the fetus will be reviewed. While there is knowledge of these harmful effects in scientific and medical communities, researchers are still in the midst of discovering the results of these negative effects on human development. An overall review of the literature suggests that this topic is still relatively new in research as most of the articles make note that despite the amount of current research studies, there are still many unanswered questions.

The main factor of Guided Imagery is to envision yourself in a much more calm state of mind, to try and believe that you are in a relaxing place and taking into consideration how thinking that way makes you feel. The goal of Guided Imagery is to allow a person to be in full control of their senses. By being in control of their senses it allows them to acknowledge what it is they are feeling and decide that they can overcome set feeling by accepting it and moving

Nurses are especially vulnerable to several related effects of stress, such as burnout, job dissatisfaction, increased interpersonal problems, increased health complaints, disturbances in sleep patterns, as well as clinical depression and anxiety (Villani, Grassi, Cognetta, Toniolo, Cipresso, & Riva, 2013). The potential for stress can be reduced by resolving difficulties in the workplace promptly, addressing staff shortages, turnover and absenteeism, and developing clear objectives and plans (McIntosh, & Sheppy, 2013). Learning to manage and reduce stress by developing insight and coping strategies will help to maintain and promote nursing integrity and consistent patient care (McIntosh, & Sheppy, 2013).

Stress effects can have an impact even if the woman doesn’t have a history of any mental conditions, and might be influenced by external stressors, such as relationship problems, or financial difficulties. But can you be pregnant and not know it? Extreme stress is known to be an indicator in some cases of miscarriage that goes

At one time or another, most people experience stress. The term stress has been used to describe a variety of negative feelings and reactions that accompany threatening or challenging situations. However, not all stress reactions are negative. A certain amount of stress is actually necessary for survival. For example, birth is one of the most stressful experiences of life. The high level of hormones released during birth, which are also involved in the stress response, are believed to prepare the newborn infant for adaptation to the challenges of life outside the womb. These biological responses to stress make the newborn more alert promoting the bonding process and, by extension, the child's physical survival.

Stress is also linked low fertility in one’s reproductive organs, and can cause problems during pregnancy or one’s menstrual cycle (www.everydayhealth.com). This happens when one is overwhelmed with the stress he or she is going through in their lives. No one person is the same, meaning stressors as well as stress levels differ for each individual. This is why it is hard for scientists to reach the core because it is a subjective sensation related with a variety of symptoms that differ for each of us. Because of this, stress is not always a synonym for distress. Situations like a steep roller coaster ride that cause fear and anxiety for some can prove highly pleasurable for others (www.stress.org). Each person also responds to stress differently. There are numerous physical as well as emotional responses to stress. Stress can cause an ocean of different emotions that are often times unpredictable. It can have wide ranging effects on people’s emotions, mood and behavior (www.stress.org). Stress has said to have been America’s number one leading health problem. It has been shown that stress levels have escalated in children, teenagers, college students and the elderly for reasons that of which have lead to: increased crime, violence, and other threats to personal safety; pernicious peer pressures that lead to substance abuse and other unhealthy life style habits; social isolation and loneliness; the erosion of family and religious