Stressors experienced by student nurses during clinical placement in psychiatric units in a hospital

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Date
1998-11
Authors
Gontsana, Maphosa Ruth
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: Psychiatric nursing students find themselves in a situation in which they are confronted by stressors in their personal and professional enviromnent, as well as stressors caused by their inexperience in psychiatric nursing. An exploratory study was conducted with the aim of discovering and describing possible stressors experienced by psychiatric nursing students during clinical placement in a psychiatric unit. The study had two objectives: firstly, to identify factors experienced by student nurses as stressful while working in psychiatric units and secondly, to recommend guidelines to minimise stress, for inclusion in the psychiatric clinical nursing curriculum. For the purpose of the study an unstructured interview was conducted with each participant during their first placement in a psychiatric unit to identify the factors experienced as stressful. The results indicated that all eight participants experienced average to high stress. Sources of stress identified included, among others, ineffective teaching and learning programmes, poor managerial governance of the service, detachment of professional nurses from their teaching role, poor relationships among staff, over-reliance on the medical model of care and patient neglect. Psychiatric nursing students sampled indicated universal support for in-service education and training for professional nurses, attitude change of professional nurses towards students, support for student initiatives, student involvement in patient care and adequate allocation of resources for patient care and nurse training. Arising from the findings, guidelines were established for the guidance of psychiatric nursing students. The exploration and description of stressors experienced by the psychiatric nursing students will help nurse educators plan clinical learning opportunities in such a way that they are less stressful, thus ensuring that psychiatric nursing students are equipped to utilise themselves as therapeutic instruments.
Afrikaans: Studente in psigiatriese verpleegkunde bevind hulself in 'n situasie waarin hulle met stressors in hul persoonlike en professionele omgewing gekonfronteer word, asook met stressors wat deur hul gebrek aan ervaring in psigiatriese verpleging veroorsaak word. 'n Verkennende studie is onderneem met die doelom moontlike stressors wat deur psigiatriese verpleegkunde studente tydens kliniese plasing in 'n psigiatriese eenheid ervaar mag word, te ontdek en te beskryf. Die doelwitte van die studie was eerstens, om faktore wat deur studente as stresvol beleef is wanneer hulle in psigiatriese eenhede gewerk het te identifiseer, en tweedens, OlD riglyne om stres te minimiseer voor te stel vir insluiting in die psigiatriese kliniese verpleegkunde kurrikulum. Vir die doeleindes van die studie is 'n ongestruktureerde onderhoud met elk van die deelnemers tydens hul eerste plasing in 'n psigiatriese eenheid gevoer om die faktore wat hulle as stresvol beleef het, te identifiseer. Die bevindinge het getoon dat al agt deelnemers gemiddelde tot hoë stres beleef het. Bronne van stres wat geidentifiseer is sluit, onder andere, die volgende in: oneffektiewe onderrig-en leerprograme, swak bestuur van die diens, afsydigheid van professionele verpleegkundiges jeens hul onderrigrol, swak verhoudings onder personeel, te veel steun op die mediese model van versorging en verwaarlosing van pasiënte. Die psigiatriese verpleegkunde studente wat by die studie betrek is het almalondersteuning vir die volgende aangedui: indiensopleiding vir professionele verpleegkundiges, verandering van houding van professionele verpleegkundiges teenoor studente, ondersteuning vir studente inisiatiewe, student betrokkenheid in pasiëntsorg en toereikende toewysing van hulpbronne vu pasiëntsorg en verpleegopleiding. As gevolg van die bevindinge is riglyne vir die begeleiding van psigiatriese verpleegkunde studente opgestel Die verkenning en beskrywing van stressors wat deur psigiatriese verpleegkunde studente ervaar word sal verpleegopvoeders help om kliniese leergeleenthede op so 'n manier te beplan dat hulle minder stresvol sal wees. Dit sal verseker dat studente toegrus sal wees om hulself as terapeutiese instrumente te gebruik.
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Nurses -- Job stress, Nursing -- Psychological aspects, Psychiatric nursing, Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc. (Nursing))--University of the Orange Free State, 1998
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