Barber, Halina

Howard, Lauren

Payne, Katherine

Sackash, Courtney

Vermeesch, Amber

English

University of Portland

University of Portland Pilot Scholars Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations School of Nursing 2016 Road Less Traveled: Stresses and Coping Strategies of Nursing Students Amber Vermeesch University of Portland, vermeesc@up.edu Halina Barber Lauren Howard Katherine Payne Courtney Sackash Follow this and additional works at: https://pilotscholars.up.edu/nrs_facpubs  Part of the Nursing Commons Citation: Pilot Scholars Version (Modified MLA Style) Vermeesch, Amber; Barber, Halina; Howard, Lauren; Payne, Katherine; and Sackash, Courtney, "Road Less Traveled: Stresses and Coping Strategies of Nursing Students" (2016). Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations. 29. https://pilotscholars.up.edu/nrs_facpubs/29 This Journal Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Nursing at Pilot Scholars. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Pilot Scholars. For more information, please contact library@up.edu. Students entering nursing programs are expected to manage physical and mental stresses of challenging nursing curriculums to become competent and caring nurses. Research shows that nurses face higher levels of stress with adverse health outcomes when compared to other professionals. Stress in nursing has been linked to reduced job satisfaction, increased illness, and poor job performance.1 Developing strong foundations to manage stress early in nursing education may prepare nurses to develop better coping mechanisms, which could aid them in developing healthy habits, decrease attrition rates, and reduce chances of developing stress related sequelae later in life.2-5 This paper provides suggestions for resources and coping mechanisms based on the perceived stressors that baccalaureate nursing students identified. Providing resources and coping mechanisms to help nursing students develop lifelong skills that can reduce the physical and emotional impact of stress later in life.6 To accomplish this goal, a group of nursing students developed The Road Less Traveled, a brochure that identifies common stressors among nursing students, coping strategies, and resources-- identified by and for nursing students.  As part of a community health course at a large Midwestern university, a student group surveyed their peers, all seniors in their last semester of a nursing program, to identity stressors they faced during their baccalaureate program. Common responses included lack of sleep, financial difficulties, lack of time to exercise and eat a balanced diet, difficulties managing multiple assignments, challenges completing assignments due to lack of direction or understanding, and lack of social support. Students were then asked to offer strategies and resources for coping with these problems. Responses included exercises classes offered in the school of nursing, additional and more targeted support from advising staff, communication among lead faculty to ensure even distribution of assignments across courses throughout the semester, and databases that included standard information such as medication descriptions to aid in clarifying clinical assignments. The Road Less Traveled was then disseminated to first-year nursing students at the same school. The brochure highlighted the identified stressors and resources in a visual format along with contact phone numbers. Mentors identified in the brochure included faculty advisors assigned to students by the university, and the brochure encouraged relationship building with informal mentors, such as other faculty members with whom the student has made a connection. Student-identified interventions for minimizing and managing stress may be an effective way to prepare future nurses for success in baccalaureate nursing programs.  1. Puildo-Martos M, Augusto-Landa J, Lopez-Zafra E. Sources of stress in nursing students: A systematic review of quantitative studies. Int Nurs Rev.2011;59(1): 15-25. doi:10.1111/j.1466-7657.2011.00939.x. 2. Matheson E, King D, Everett C. Healthy lifestyle habits and mortality in overweight and obese individuals. J Am Board Fam Med.2012; 25(1): 9-15. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2012.01.110164. 3. Melincavage S. Student nurses' experiences of anxiety in the clinical setting. Nurse Educ Today. 2011;31(8):785-789. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2011.05.007.  4. Parr J. Stress, distress and preventable behaviour. Training Journal. 2011:39.  5. Spring B, Moller A, Colangelo L et al. Healthy Lifestyle Change and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Young Adults: Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Circulation. 2014;130(1):10-17. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.113.005445.  6. Gibbons C, Dempster M, Moutray M. Stress, coping and satisfaction in nursing students. J Adv Nurs. 2010;67(3):621-632. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05495.x.  

Road Less Traveled: Stresses and Coping Strategies of Nursing Students

https://pilotscholars.up.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1034&amp;context=nrs_facpubs

Road Less Traveled: Stresses and Coping Strategies of Nursing Students

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