For new graduate nurses working in Intensive Care Units, does the application of the social representation approach compared to no intervention lead to the reduction of stress levels during the first six months of their practice?
- P (population) – new graduate nurses working in Intensive Care Units
- I (intervention) – the application of the social representation approach
- C (comparison) – no intervention
- O (outcome) – reduction of stress levels
- T (time) – the first six months of practice
Description of the Clinical Issue of Interest
The work at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is never simple because nurses should take multiple responsibilities for patients, manage life-threatening health problems, and professionally cooperate with other employees. When graduate students join the ICU, it is hard for some of them to recognize the number of existing obligations and deal with stressors. A new environment, real-life situations, and the direct connection to life-quality issues challenge students’ confidence and competence (DeGrande et al., 2018). Many researchers admit that nursing remains one of the most stressful professions across the globe because of constant exposure to different events and factors when people suffer from pain and complications (Feddeh & Darawad, 2020; Hattingh & Downing, 2020). Creating a safe clinical environment is a significant task for employees, and new graduate nurses need to feel support and understanding. Sometimes, it does not take much time for a new nurse to establish trustful relationships with a team and patients. However, professional care and treatment require integrating various skills and knowledge.
Nursing stressors vary, depending on job circumstances, management, and leadership. Nurses may report poor awareness of care fundamentals and a lack of experience in communication (Almeida et al., 2020). Young people need to demonstrate their readiness to work and participate in all clinical experiences, which contributes to their understanding of real social interactions. Social representations introduce a unique system of values and ideas to promote social order and define appropriate communication methods. This approach was firstly developed in the middle of the 20th century, but its implementation and progress are regularly discussed today. My interest is to understand if the application of social representation could minimize stressors in new graduate nurses who have to work in ICUs.
References
Almeida, R. D. O., Ferreira, M. D. A., & Silva, R. C. D. (2020). Intensive care in non-critical units: Representations and practices of novice graduate nurses. Texto & Contexto-Enfermagem, 29. Web.
DeGrande, H., Liu, F., Greene, P., & Stankus, J. A. (2018). The experiences of new graduate nurses hired and retained in adult intensive care units. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 49, 72-78. Web.
Feddeh, S. A., & Darawad, M. W. (2020). Correlates to work-related stress of newly-graduated nurses in critical care units. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 13(1), 507-516.
Hattingh, H., & Downing, C. (2020). Clinical learning environment: Lived experiences of post-basic critical care nursing students. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 13. Web.