This course addresses the signs of suffering during a tragedy, how to use proper self-care techniques to combat stress and compassion fatigue, and other related topics. Along with resources for more information and help, it suggests methods to deal with challenges and build resilience.
Long shifts, competing obligations, and seeing or hearing about challenging patient experiences can all cause stress while working as a healthcare professional. As a first responder, you probably put in longer hours, spend less time with family, and work in a stressful environment. At the same time, you may be coping with the mental health effects that all types of disasters, including public health emergencies, often have. As a result, you may be noticing signs of stress and distress in yourself and your coworkers.
What You’ll Learn
- Introduction to healthcare professionals and stress
- Stress and compassion fatigue
- Causes of work stress
- Controlling stress in the workplace
- Addressing compassion fatigue
- Tips for managers
Details
Course length: 30 minutes
Languages: American English
Key features: Audio narration, learning activity, and post-assessment.
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Work Stress and Mental Health
Work stress refers to the detrimental physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of a job do not match the worker’s capabilities, resources, or demands. Poor physical and emotional health may result from work stress. A person’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being are all parts of their mental health, which has an impact on how they feel, think, and act.
Stress Rates and Statistics in Healthcare
The medical field has long been concerned about workplace stress. Studies show that compared to other occupations, healthcare providers experience greater rates of substance abuse, suicide, and elevated levels of depression and anxiety related to stress at work.
In addition to psychological suffering, other effects of occupational stress include burnout, absenteeism, employee intent to leave, decreased patient satisfaction, and diagnosis and treatment errors.
Tips for Managing Stress at Work
Actions to lessen work-related stress should typically prioritize organizational changes that enhance working conditions. However, it is unlikely that any attempts to enhance working circumstances, no matter how sincere, will totally relieve all employees’ stress. For this reason, the most effective strategy for lowering stress at work frequently involves a combination of organizational changes and stress management.
Eliminating the stresses through work redesign or organizational changes is the most efficient strategy to reduce occupational stress. Organizations should take the following steps:
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Make sure the workload is appropriate for the workers’ skills and resources.
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Establish a clear understanding of each employee’s duties.
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Give employees the chance to engage with actions and decisions that have an impact on their careers.
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Boost communication.
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Reduce doubt around future employment opportunities and career advancement.
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Create opportunities for workplace socialization.
In healthcare settings, team processes, multidisciplinary healthcare teams, and multicomponent interventions are the organizational interventions that are most frequently used.
