Stress For Community Home Health Nurses

I personally define nursing as aiding in the recovery and survival of another person using the specialized knowledge, ability, and critical thinking skills attained through study and experience. The word nurse translates in Latin to nourish. This Latin translation reveals that nurses nourish when a person is in need. Angelo Gonzalo (2011) states, “Nursing is an art through which the practitioner of nursing gives specialized assistance to persons with disabilities which makes more than ordinary assistance necessary to meet needs for self-care” (Major Concepts section, para. 1). Nursing requires a diligent and hardy person to be able to assess the situation, access the appropriate knowledge and skills, and accordingly provide the care a person needs.

A nurse is a health care professional who cares for ill or disabled individuals, their families and communities ensuring that they attain, maintain or recover optimum health and functioning (Crosta, 2013). There are several kinds of nurses classified depending on their education and experiences. As an example,

A Registered Nurse (RN) is an individual that has completed formal education from an accredited school in nursing, has

The profession of nursing is usually described as high-demand job, as well as stressful. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses believes that nurses can empower their work environments and truly make a difference (AACN, 2016). Although nurses have the ability to join committees and help make changes slowly, there are many factors in the nursing that cannot be changed by nurses. “The global increase in the aged population, the intensity of health care problems, the incidence of chronic illnesses and advanced technology, nurses are faced with a variety of work-related stressors” (Lambert & Lambert, 2008, p. 38). Regardless of nursing communication and social aspects of units, nurses need to accept some stressors as they are and

Transitioning from a practical nurse to a registered nurse will build upon my already existing knowledge and expertise by developing my skills and gaining more experience. My future role as a registered nurse will involve being able to think critically and analyze issues more deeply. I also must be able to consider underlying conditions and how they relate to my patient’s status. As a registered nurse I must examine my personal qualities and analyze whether I have the mental or emotional capacity to do what is required of me.

What does it mean be a registered nurse? To some, it may be someone who goes and fetches a cup of water or a cup of coffee. Perhaps it is someone who just provides the patient with warm blanket and a pat on the head; or just maybe someone who delivers medications to the patients. A registered nurse (RN) may provide those services, but there is much more behind the scenes of planning that the patient may not realize. A RN is also responsible for the proper delegation of care to the patients under his/her care with the appropriate staff that is suited for such tasks. For example, a RN may delegate the CENA’s (Competency Evaluated Nurse Aides) to take vitals on a patient while the LPN/LVN

A Nurse Practitioner can be defined as the performance of advanced- level nursing actions, with or without compensation and by a licensed registered nurse with advanced education, knowledge and skill.

Nurse practitioners are registered practitioners who are certified, licensed and are trained to provide healthcare services to the patients with illness under clinical settings.

A Registered Nurse is a healthcare professional that is involved in direct patient care. They are responsible for giving patient care while educating them on their condition in words they understand. Registered Nurses inform the public on the current health conditions they see coming through their place of work. Nurses are also required to provide physical and emotional support while advising patients on the best steps they can take. A major focus of the healthcare field is care planning and prevention; RN's must have a vast range of knowledge to be able to stop and ailment before it happens.

Nursing burnout is serious and in order to ensure that nurses are taken care of, the administration must implement incentives and policies that will provide nurses with the resources to maintain a healthy work life balance. Burnout accounts for many of the medication errors and patient injuries in healthcare facilities. Most nurses are overwhelmed because of the caseload and longer workdays necessary to complete charting. Many nurses are also disgruntled because of denied vacation requests that cannot be approved because of non-coverage. Research has shown that when employees are happy then there are less errors and injuries in

A Registered Nurse is a person who has graduated from a nursing program and met

Bourgeault (2012) indicates that attracting and retaining nurses in home care and long-term care “can be most challenging” (p. 44). Newly registered nurses (NRN) wanting to work in community home health care (CHHC) environments may be required to completed up to two years of acute hospital based nursing care as a prerequisite to CHHC employment (Meadows, 2006).

This paper will address and evaluate the research problem itself, the design of the study, the sample, how the data is collected, its limitations, and its findings. Furthermore, how does this study impact the overall nursing process?

Nursing is more demanding than many other professions or occupations, as a result of the combination of sicker patients, exhausting schedules and arduous physical work (Gordon 235). It can take a significant emotional toll on many, hence the higher levels of depression and stress-related illnesses (Gordon, Buchanan, and Bretherton 190). Higher workloads not only were related to burnout, but also impacted both the nurses’ and the patients’ safety (Gordon, Buchanan, and Bretherton 191).

Stressful work environments, long work hours and inadequate sleep all contribute to an increase in physical and mental exhaustion amongst nurses. Typically, people choose nursing as a career to help others and to make a difference in their lives, without realizing the number of duties this career demands. Nurses may suffer in silence when they are experiencing stress. The effects can impact safe and reliable care by decreasing job satisfaction, decreasing productivity, causing poor personal health, and compromising patient care. Many facilities would benefit from implementing evidence-based strategies to address nurse fatigue and burnout.