The Importance of Support Groups in Nursing

Nurses work under stressful conditions, with critically ill patients, demanding work expectations and decreased staffing. The opportunity to discuss these issues with other nurses is critical to avoid career burnout. Support groups provide information, an opportunity to express opinions and a way to ask for help without risk of censure. According to Advance for Nurses, resources for nurses are available and more need to be developed in order to address their needs.

Why a Nurses' Support Group?

• Open discussion is crucial to successful support groups.

  Support groups are formed to address a certain need or provide a forum for a group of people with the same particular concern or disease state. Typically, these groups are formed for people with the same medical condition, often living within a certain geographic location, such as a cancer survivors' group or a head injury support group. People who work in particularly stressful occupations will form a support group to help members cope with the unique stressors in the workplace, such as for policemen, paramedics and nurses. Because the demands of these stressful careers can have a negative impact on the individual's home life, having a forum to vent with co-workers may address these concerns.

What Support Groups Accomplish

• Groups give participants the sense that they are not alone in what they are feeling. Nurses, in particular, need to be able to voice their opinions in front of a non-judgmental group. They may be feeling anger or frustration at the needs of their patients and co-workers, and a support group can provide a venue for these concerns without fear of reprisal. Moreover, in a group setting, members are there to provide support and act as a compassionate audience to others. This provides affirmation to all parties in the group setting.

Types of Nursing Support Groups

• Some hospitals provide nursing support groups to their staff members. These may meet at scheduled times within the hospital setting or off-campus in impromptu venues. Successful support groups can be formed among nursing co-workers with a strong desire to share their concerns and opinions. In addition, support groups that are formed within specialty areas, such as the surgery or nursery department, have the best chance of success as these nurses share common concerns. Support groups may also be accessed through online groups in nursing specialty areas. These have the advantage of anonymity as the nurses discuss issues critical to them without worrying about what other co-workers will think.

The Need for Nursing Support Groups

• The nursing profession has particular stressors unique unto itself. Patients and the technology to treat them are becoming increasing complex. Nurses are also called upon to increase their knowledge base to provide this highly specialized care. These increasing demands are driving nurses from the workforce in great numbers.

  One of the keys of nursing support groups is to identify the triggers of this burnout through open discourse and allow for the free exchange of ideas. This discussion allows nurses to relieve a portion of their stress through active participation in a group that can be an agent for change.