Chap' 4: Mentally Healthy Nursing

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Chap. 4 Mentally Healthy Nursing

• J. Davis BSN,RN
• 08-09

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Attributes of Caring

• Caring concern for the well-being of another
• Five Cs of Caring
• Commitment (personal pledge to a course of
  action)
• Compassion (sharing in the emotional state of
  another) empathy
• Competence (applies principles knowledge to
  problem solving decision making)
• Confidence (belief in oneself)
• Conscience (ethical conviction or belief about
  right wrong and acting in accordance with
  nursing ethics)

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Caring

• Caring is an important value in the nursing
  profession
• Nursing standards require that you treat clients
  w/ respect, acceptance, support advocacy
• If you are not capable of caring, you should not
  be a nurse

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Nurses under stress

• Working as a nurse can be challenging
• The work is hard work (long shifts, physically
  burdensome, complex equipment)
• The profession requires to not only be there
  for your clients but to do an excellent job _at_
  caring for them
• The people (patients, physicians, co-workers,
  families) can be very demanding
• The feelings can be heartbreaking (some people
  die)

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Personal Boundaries

• It is possible to care too much
• Personal Boundaries the healthy limits set on
  what is appropriate for them to do
• Nurses may find themselves doing for others what
  those individuals should be doing for themselves
  (Dont make excuses for other peoples behaviors)
• Maintain a professional relationship w/ clients.
• Potential areas of boundary crossing are
• Touching (keep touching at a professional level)
• Gift-giving (accept only on behalf of a whole
  unit)
• Self-disclosure (its not about you)

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Codependency

• Codependency letting another persons behavior
  affect you becoming obsessed with controlling
  that persons behavior
• Codependents make it possible for others to avoid
  the consequences of their own maladaptive
  behavior
• Codependents
• Are often in relationships w/ people who have
  substance abuse problems
• Often love, care about, or work with troubled
  people
• Are often nurses

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Codependency (cont)

• You may be a codependent if
• A concern has turned into an obsession
• Compassion has turned into unhealthy care-taking
  or excuse making
• You are taking care of other people not
  yourself
• Codependents
• Help people avoid the consequences of their own
  actions
• Enable people to avoid responsibility for their
  own behavior
• May ignore behavior that suggests a peer or
  co-worker is impaired
• Codependents allow people to avoid natural
  consequences of their behavior there is no
  opportunity for the individual to change
• Each of us only has real control over our own
  behavior
• Read Box 4-1, pg 52

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Burnout

• Burnout is a state of physical, emotional,
  mental exhaustion caused by long-term involvement
  in situations that are emotionally demanding
• Risk factors
• High work load
• Poor social institutional support
• A sense of putting in more than they receive
• Perception of high stress, role conflict
  helplessness

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Burnout (cont)

• Signs/symptoms of burnout
• Decreased efficiency productivity
• Perception that there is never enough time or
  staff to do the work right
• Dissatisfaction
• Increased illness absenteeism
• Reduced sense of personal accomplishments

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Ways to Care for Yourself

• Balance work, family personal needs
• Be as healthy as you can be
• Set realistic expectations
• Recognize accept your limitations
• Solving problems is more important than blame
• Be flexible be competent
• Understand yourself be proud of yourself
• Cooperate with your coworkers value each person
  as an individual

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Develop Self-Understanding

• Develop insight
• Acknowledge your own feelings
• It is healthy to have a wide range of genuine
  feelings, both positive negative

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Use Teamwork

• Acknowledge the hard work of your coworkers
• As for help when you need it

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Healthy Professional Communication

• Take a problem-solving approach to interpersonal
  problems _at_ work
• Dont gossip
• Use the chain of command appropriately
• Think positively

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Take Care of Yourself

• Start with realistic expectations
• Plan fun into your schedule
• Be physically healthy
• Good health requires the hard work of developing
  good habits
• Nurture your spiritual self

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References

• Eby, L. Brown, N. (2009). Mental health nursing
  care (2nd Ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall Upper
  Saddle River, New Jersey.