Stress on Nursing Students During Clinical Exposure

Nurses train for their potential careers both theoretically in the classroom and practical, clinical experience. Individuals must be enrolled in a teaching program and then find work or go on placements in hospitals. Included in this experience are numerous assignments, leading to a lifestyle centered on meeting deadlines and mastering the art of nursing. The result is stress.

Nature of Clinical Exposure

• Nursing students must observe a wide range of specialist departments before they can specialize and progress beyond the first stage of learning. Clinical examinations and responsibilities cause stress in the workplace. Work is done closely with established staff, but being in a busy environment means these relationships are not always stable or evident. If supervisors are overly busy, this creates a greater burden and strain on the students to compensate for the understaffing.

Importance

• Despite the stress associated with this stray from student life, the clinical practice is vital for the preparation and development of potential nurses. When embarking on training, measures must be taken to ensure the correct people are progressing and filling the incessant employment vacancies. The clinical experience exposes the students to the environment they will be working in when fully qualified.

Benefits

• As ridiculous as it sounds, the stress imposed on nursing students is more beneficial than detrimental. Some of the stress created by demanding deadlines is intentional, but those created by the hospital environment may be unintended but essential. Clinical sources of stress include working with dying patients.

Effects

• The inability to cope is demonstrated in some student nurses; a study conducted and published by the American Journal of Nursing recognized shortages some hospitals are experiencing. The study surveyed the experiences of hospitals across 35 states and of the 3,226 students to be taken on for employment in a 12-month period, 610 decided to step down from their positions. According to the study, 37.2 percent said their reason for leaving was stressful work conditions. The American Nurse Association found in 2001 that 70.5 percent of nurses complained of stress and overwork.

Solutions

• A number of programs help alleviate stress, such as stress-management groups and team-building exercises. The important fact is that the medical community is aware of the stress student nurses undergo and are taking measures to decrease it.