Being a nurse can be very stressful at times. Nurses work excessive hours, and they are responsible for managing highly specific details and intense situations on a consistent basis. As the health care industry continues to grow exponentially, the increased competition between health care providers has created the perfect storm for nursing candidates to make certain demands as part of their conditions for accepting offers of employment. At the top of the list of concerns for nurses is how hospitals and clinics will help create a less stressful work environment for them. The hospitals that are looking to hire the best nurses have committed to providing the ideal working environment for the nurses they recruit and hire.
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Ensure Adequate Pen Supply
While this first proposed method may seem somewhat trivial, or even silly, the truth is one of the things that drives nurses absolute crazy, is the misplacement of pens at their station, and according to recent surveys, pens are commonly misplaced, which can be a problem when all of the documentation that nurses are required to create and maintain. Working in a fast-paced environment and having to stop to locate a pen, can be annoying and stressful. One way that this can be addressed is by keeping an adequate supply of pens that can be attached to lanyards.
Implement a Zero-tolerance Policy on Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility
It is not difficult to find a plethora of articles that highlight the magnified hostility that newly hired nurses endure at the hands of other nurses. There has even been a book authored on the subject — Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility. It can be immensely stressful to be forced to face constant hostility and abuse by a coworker. By instituting a highly promoted and enforced zero-tolerance policy, hospital administrators can ensure that this type of behavior is minimized. It would also be wise to implement mandatory training on workplace etiquette and professionalism. Nurses should be encouraged to report any violations of the policy, and those who report incidents should be rewarded for their efforts.
Opportunities for Advancement
One constant source of stress for nurses is working a dead end job. When nurses feel that they are locked in a position that is going nowhere, or that the advancement ceiling is extremely low, it tends to magnify the inherent stressors on the job. When there is something to work toward, it allows nurses to more effectively manage their stressful moments — understanding that they will not always be in that position.
Minimize Menial Tasks
Nurses are highly skilled and resourceful workers; their time should not be wasted on performing menial work that can be accomplished by a less skilled worker. Nurses who are truly passionate about their work will see menial tasks as an interference to what they should be doing, which is working with their patients.
While there are certain stressors that are an innate part of a hospital environment, these stressors can often be mitigated by using a number of modalities to help nurses relieve their stress. The use of dark rooms or music rooms have worked wonders as a means to reduce stress. Hospitals that are serious about attracting the best nurses are weighing all of their options.
Tiffany is a Medical Student and also works as a fitness coach in part-time. She is also a writer and writes on health and fitness articles. Tiffany loves to engage with users and help them provide various useful information on General Health. She provides researched-based information and also featured on various blogs and magazines.