Students can also apply these skills in their personal lives to help alleviate stressors from rigorous nursing school programs . A self-care and mindset course will help nursing students identify the causes and signs of burnout and compassion fatigue . According to Ulrich ( 2010 ), younger nurses and those with less experience were more prone to experience job-related stress .
Conflict resolution is another skill frequently omitted from nursing school , but critical for new graduate nurses . Most new graduate nurses will be entering the workforce for the first time faced with unique challenges . They will be working with senior nurses who are relatively older , more experienced , and have a reputation of “ eating their young ”; these variables can be quite intimidating . New nurses need to be empowered and know that they have a voice and that it is okay to confront a problem , but they need to learn the skills to achieve this successfully .
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that now is the ideal time to incorporate self-care into the academic setting . New graduate nurses are crying out for help , but no one is listening . Let us be their listening ear and support our nurses now . Our lives will literally depend on it .
As explained by Leslie Lobell in Blum ( 2014 ), “ You cannot keep giving to others if you do not give to yourself , first . It is like pouring water from a vessel : you cannot pour and pour without ever refilling it — eventually it will run dry .” n
Blum C . A . ( 2014 ). Practicing self-care for nurses : a nursing program initiative . Online J Issues Nurs , 19 ( 3 ): 3 .
https :// ojin . nursingworld . org / MainMenuCategories / ANAMarketplace / ANAPeriodicals / OJIN / TableofContents / Vol-19-2014 / No3-Sept-2014 / Practicing-Self-Care-for-Nurses . html
Kovner , C . T ., Brewer , C . S ., Fatehi , F ., & Jun , J . ( 2014 ). What does nurse turnover rate mean and what is the rate ? Policy , Politics , & Nurs Prac , 15 ( 3 – 4 ): 64 – 71 .
https :// doi . org / 10.1177 / 1527154414547953
Staiger , D . O ., Auerbach , D . I ., & Buerhaus , P . I . ( 2012 ). Registered nurse labor supply and the recession--are we in a bubble ? N Engl J Med , 366 ( 16 ): 1463 – 1465 .
https :// doi . org / 10.1056 / NEJMp1200641
Ulrich , C . M ., Taylor , C ., Soeken , K ., O ’ Donnell , P ., Farrar , A ., Danis , M ., & Grady , C . ( 2010 ). Everyday ethics : Ethical issues and stress in nursing practice . J Advanced Nurs , 66 ( 11 ): 2510 – 2519 .
https :// doi . org / 10.1111 / j . 1365- 2648.2010.05425 . x
Kym Ali , MSN , RN , is currently a consultant who helps healthcare facilities retain nurses . She provides self-care and mindset tips to support nurses with managing stress from work and personal lives . She is also an advocate for educating nursing students and new grads on the importance of practicing self-care and developing mindset skills to avoid burnout early in their career . Kym has over 15 years of nursing experience in the leadership and education arena . She also worked overseas for five years to help open the first Women ’ s and Children ’ s hospital in Qatar .
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