Role Shock In Nursing
When a newly qualified nurse finds it difficult to adjust to their new role, they may suffer from overwhelming anxiety and stress. This transition period is known as “role shock”, which is often referred to as “transition shock” (Clipper, & Cherry, 2015). This time in a nurse’s career is a sudden reality change from what they may have expected from their new role. Graduates find themselves suddenly with higher numbers of patients, increased acuity of patients, daily struggles with staff shortages and feelings of having no support in the workplace (Phillips, Kenny, Esterman, & Smith, 2014).
This role shock creates a lack of confidence in graduate nurses, causing self-doubt especially with medication administration. Graduate nurses suddenly …show more content…
realise that they are fully responsible for doing their patients drug rounds and, become nervous and vulnerable to mistakes (Kumaran, & Carney, 2014). This puts added pressure on graduate nurses and puts them at risk of fatigue, burnout and disappointment in job roles (Phillips, Kenny, Esterman, & Smith, 2014).
Role shock can cause disillusionment with a nurse’s new role and may lead to graduates deciding to leave nursing.
To prevent this from happening, new graduates need to seek adequate support and encouragement, to improve job satisfaction and career opportunities. Encouragement and support can be in the form of positive feedback, which can provide self-confidence and reduce stress levels in new graduates (Parker, Giles, Lantry, & McMillan, 2014).
During my transition year it is important as a nurse to stay emotionally and physically well (Reed, 2014). Two self-care strategies I will employ will include debriefing with my educator or preceptor to stay emotionally well and, to eat well and exercise more to improve my physical health.
Debriefing is the opportunity for a nurse to reflection events that have occurred, to air concerns and receive feedback and encouragement from a preceptor (Ashton, 2015). Debrief should provide structured supportive environment where nurses can feel safe to express their feelings to reduce the risk of psychological harm due to highly stressful situations (McCorkle, 2016). Talking with other team members will also assist to manage emotions and reduce workplace stress and anxiety (Luff, Martin, Mills, Mazzola, Bell, & Meyer,
2016).
There are many contributing factors that influence a nurse’s physical health. My second self-care strategy involves eating and increasing exercise to improve my physical health. Often nurses miss meals during long work hours than tend to overeat after work. Feeling exhausted also contributes to nurses not wanting to do other exercise activities. Weight gain and low levels of physical activities contribute to stress, anxiety and depression (Nahm, Warren, Zhu, An, & Brown, 2012).
I choose to combat these issues by eating well and not skipping meals during my shifts. I will plan ahead of time what I will eat and make time to have meals. I will attempt to do more exercise through things that I enjoy like gardening and playing with my kids. All these activities will contribute to sleeping better and stressing less (Nahm, Warren, Zhu, An, & Brown, 2012).
This role shock creates a lack of confidence in graduate nurses, causing self-doubt especially with medication administration. Graduate nurses suddenly …show more content…
realise that they are fully responsible for doing their patients drug rounds and, become nervous and vulnerable to mistakes (Kumaran, & Carney, 2014). This puts added pressure on graduate nurses and puts them at risk of fatigue, burnout and disappointment in job roles (Phillips, Kenny, Esterman, & Smith, 2014).
Role shock can cause disillusionment with a nurse’s new role and may lead to graduates deciding to leave nursing.
To prevent this from happening, new graduates need to seek adequate support and encouragement, to improve job satisfaction and career opportunities. Encouragement and support can be in the form of positive feedback, which can provide self-confidence and reduce stress levels in new graduates (Parker, Giles, Lantry, & McMillan, 2014).
During my transition year it is important as a nurse to stay emotionally and physically well (Reed, 2014). Two self-care strategies I will employ will include debriefing with my educator or preceptor to stay emotionally well and, to eat well and exercise more to improve my physical health.
Debriefing is the opportunity for a nurse to reflection events that have occurred, to air concerns and receive feedback and encouragement from a preceptor (Ashton, 2015). Debrief should provide structured supportive environment where nurses can feel safe to express their feelings to reduce the risk of psychological harm due to highly stressful situations (McCorkle, 2016). Talking with other team members will also assist to manage emotions and reduce workplace stress and anxiety (Luff, Martin, Mills, Mazzola, Bell, & Meyer,
2016).
There are many contributing factors that influence a nurse’s physical health. My second self-care strategy involves eating and increasing exercise to improve my physical health. Often nurses miss meals during long work hours than tend to overeat after work. Feeling exhausted also contributes to nurses not wanting to do other exercise activities. Weight gain and low levels of physical activities contribute to stress, anxiety and depression (Nahm, Warren, Zhu, An, & Brown, 2012).
I choose to combat these issues by eating well and not skipping meals during my shifts. I will plan ahead of time what I will eat and make time to have meals. I will attempt to do more exercise through things that I enjoy like gardening and playing with my kids. All these activities will contribute to sleeping better and stressing less (Nahm, Warren, Zhu, An, & Brown, 2012).