THE MOST TRUSTED PROFESSION
Instructions:
Respond with suggestions to two of your colleagues by confirming their critical role in improving the healthcare system.
**minimum of three (3) scholarly references are required for each reply cited within the body of the reply & at the end**
Supporting the health and well-being of nurses
In this discussion, I have decided to focus on supporting the health and well-being of nurses. I want to discuss how burnout and covid have affected nurses' mental health. I also want to discuss some ways to improve mental health for nurses that are having issues with mental health.
Covid is such a vast topic and has affected many people worldwide. It has impacted the nurses that had to care for covid-19 patients daily. Losing patients at an alarming rate, and having to phone family members because visitation wasn’t allowed. So many nurses were sick and lost family members to covid as well. The nurses caring for the COVID-19 patients were overworked, traumatized, and had less support. (Riedel et al., 2021) Some nurses were experiencing depression, burnout, and PTSD before Covid-19. (Gee et al., 2022) Let’s not forget the everyday stress of life that nurses have to deal with. So you pile everyday life with work stress that nurses deal with, and you can see how easy it is for nurses to develop mental health issues. We know nurses are no strangers to dealing with mental health patients who are medically sick. It's not the patient’s fault; however, that just adds more stress to a nurse’s shift.
I have a few suggestions that can help nurses cope with the mental health that they may develop. Starting an exercise regimen can help reduce stress and develop healthy routines. Seeking out a therapist is an excellent way to help with mental health. I have heard from friends that being able to dump all your problems in a judgment-free zone to a stranger is pure bliss. The therapist also offers objective advice and coping mechanisms. Spending time with family and friends and taking that much-needed vacation is so much fun and relaxing. I see so many nurses overspend, which leads to them overworking. So developing some good budget skills and learning to save can really benefit the entire family and also relieve stress from a hardworking nurse. We nurses also need some alone time away from our spouses, kids, and friends. Sometimes that alone time is better than a lump of gold. I have found out that massages relieve so much stress and tension from my body. Maybe treating yourself to something nice can also help. Sometimes we have to find a new solution to an old problem. So taking an outside-the-box approach to mental health can be so amazing. Try developing new hobbies or making time for old hobbies. I will be using some of my own advice.
References
Gee, P. M., Weston, M. J., Harshman, T., & Kelly, L. A. (2022). Beyond burnout and resilience: The disillusionment phase of covid-19. AACN Advanced Critical Care, 33(2), 134–142. https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2022248Links to an external site.
Riedel, B., Horen, S. R., Reynolds, A., & Hamidian Jahromi, A. (2021). Mental health disorders in nurses during the covid-19 pandemic: Implications and coping strategies. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.707358