{"id":13783,"date":"2019-05-06T08:28:52","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T12:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dbhids2021.wpengine.com\/?p=13783"},"modified":"2021-07-31T13:03:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-31T17:03:36","slug":"nursing-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthymindsphilly.org\/dev\/blog\/nursing-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Nursing & Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Happy Nurse\u2019s Week to all of my fellow nurses out there! \u00a0I am very proud to be a nurse. It\u2019s an amazing profession. Nursing is more than a job, though; it is a calling. It\u2019s not just something you <\/span>do<\/span><\/i>, it is something you <\/span>are<\/span><\/i>; so it can be hard to maintain a level of separation when work is such an integral part of who you are. So how can nurses step back and make sure that they are caring for themselves in addition to the wonderful care they provide to their patients?<\/span><\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s take a look at some facts. \u00a0The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI)<\/a> found that hospital nurses are twice as likely as the general public to suffer from clinical depression<\/strong>. \u00a0That is, 9% of \u201ceveryday\u201d citizens experience clinical depression while a whopping 18% of nurses are affected. <\/span><\/p>\n

At first I found this number alarming. But then I thought about my last shift at work. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One doctor hung up on me and another doctor walked out of a room while I was mid-question. \u00a0I was on the phone with our pharmacy trying to clarify a medication order. All the while call bells didn\u2019t stop ringing, the other line of the phone rang off the hook, the doorbell was going off, and a co-worker stood over my shoulder trying to tell me something about a patient. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just writing that sentence made my heart rate increase a bit. \u00a0The stress of the job is real, there is no denying that. And this particular example is simply with the \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d of nursing, if you will. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Providing quality care to your patients while making each one feel as if they are of the utmost priority can be difficult. Nurses try so hard to be everything to everyone all of the time, but it is hard to be stretched so thin between competing priorities. \u00a0From malfunctioning or slow equipment to supplies not being restocked and everything in between, there\u2019s a lot that can throw you off your stride. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finding ways to effectively deal with the pressure and stress of the job is important. \u00a0Without strategies for stress management, you personally will suffer and subsequently so will the level of care you provide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Workplace Mental Health – Tips for Self Care for Nurses<\/h3>\n

Bernadette Melnyk, a professor and Dean of the College of Nursing at Ohio State University said, \u201cNurses do a great job of caring for other people, but they often don\u2019t prioritize their own self-care.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking the time for self-care will not only improve your own well-being, it will allow you to be the best nurse you can be for your patients! Consider these self-care tips:<\/span><\/p>\n