Is nursing a stressful job?

Nursing is one of the professions that need to be ready for anything. Whether you have people’s lives to care for, or are working long hours, nursing can sometimes feel like a source of stress. For a career nurse, is nursing stressful? The demands of a typical day of nursing are indeed very tiring. Long hours on back-to-back days, and having to be available at a moment’s notice may take their toll. However, if you want to be successful in this field, you need to know how to deal with your stress and everything that comes in your way with care and precision.

Job stress is one of the main factors that can decrease the productivity of organizations and develop physical and psychological complications efficiency. Today, the stress caused by jobs among normal people, health and education experts, and other people which are responsible for aiding and helping people (including nurses) is very common and is on the top of the issues. People who are in health professions, because of being responsible for the health of others are under the pressure of different causes of stress.

Nursing as a stressful profession:

Nursing is one of the world’s more stressful professions. The stressful factors in this job have seriously affected nurses. With this regard, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after studying health disorders in stressful jobs has declared that among 130 studied jobs, nurses in visiting doctors about their mental condition are in 27^th place. Like patients, nurses experience stress too, and some of them cannot adapt themselves to the present stress. According to estimations in 1997 in the USA, the average of absences because of intense stress is about 4 times more than other non-professional damages and personal disorders. For nurses and their organizations, job stress is very expensive and its side effect becomes clear in the form of tiredness, harsh behavior, anxiety, an increase in blood pressure, lack of self-confidence, lack of job satisfaction, decrease in efficiency, etc. According to some studies, the stress in nurses can cause depression, isolation from patients, absence, and a decrease in their qualification.

The basic answer to the question is nursing as a career can be stressful both physically and mentally, but the outcome and positive impact you make far outweigh any individual stress. This does mean, however, that you will need to be physically fit and also emotionally stable. Most of the time, nurses will have to provide patient care under stressful circumstances with patients who may not want to be in the hospital in the first place. For you to cope with such situations, you should prioritize removing emotion from the situation and viewing every patient with the same care and tact.

Nurse stress: causes and effects:

The COVID- 19 pandemic has increased the stress level even more for nurses everywhere. According to one study, about half of all nurses now say they experience moderate to high-stress levels, with over 60 percent reporting emotional exhaustion. High-stress levels can affect a nurse’s health and well-being, even deplete their energy and impede their critical thinking. While nurse stress is part of the job, certain steps can be taken to combat it.

Many factors make the nursing profession uniquely stressful; the cumulative effects of this stress can take their toll on nurses’ physical health and emotional well-being.

Common causes of nursing stress:

Understanding where nursing stress comes from is one of the most important steps in addressing it. Several underlying factors contribute to the stressors associated with this job.

• Nursing requires high levels of skill: The nursing profession calls for the constant use of high-level skills and technical acumen. It is a mentally demanding job that does not allow opportunities to “check out” or run on autopilot.
• The healthcare environment demands teamwork: Nurses are also required to work seamlessly with doctors and other nurses. Communication problems and personality clashes are inevitable and can lead to stress or frustration.
• Nursing is a 24-hour job: Nurses often work extremely long shifts, which can be emotionally taxing and physically grueling.
• Nurses face emotional burdens: Nurses must regularly confront illness, mortality, and grief, all of which can lead to significant emotional strain.
• Interacting with patients and families can be difficult: Communicating with patients and their loved ones can be taxing. Nurses must be empathetic and clear as they explain diagnoses and treatments, which can be demanding.

Managing nurse stress in the workplace:

Nurse stress is not only common but also potentially highly hazardous to physical and mental health. The good news is that practical steps can help manage nurse stress in the workplace.

• Identify and track personal stressors by jotting down the circumstances contributing to that feeling.
• Take time to recharge and self-care to reduce workplace stress.
• It’s important for nurses to establish firm personal and professional boundaries
• Another important step in relieving nursing stress in the workplace is acknowledging what’s controllable or not.
• The clarity in communication is another significant tool in managing workplace stress. A good way to minimize the communication burden is to keep workplace emails, texts, and face-to-face reports simple and to the point.
• Nurses can also stave off stress by maintaining sound nutrition and regular exercise. Eat a healthy and filling meal before starting a shift.
• Nurse leaders or supervisors also play a role in minimizing workplace stress. Indeed, one of the most important responsibilities of the nurse leader is to create a professional environment in which nurses are empowered to do their best work, caring for patients without being overburdened by stress in the workplace.

Medical professionals know that nurses play a vital role in the health care team. Nursing is an important career and although it comes with its stresses and workplace pressures, helping others heal and return to their families easily balances out the stress of long hours working on your feet, with full mind and strength.