Written by Stephen Lim, Lic # 0M66738

How to Deal with Work-related Stress as Healthcare Professionals?

Organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) do not hesitate to point to stress as the epidemic of the 21st century.
However, in the case of doctors and nurses is particularly acute.

The working days of physician and nurses are especially exhausting. It takes a lot of physical endurance to run in the hospital corridors and spend hours without eating or sleeping. Mental strength is also needed, as they must give their full attention to each patient, deal with extreme situations, and know-how to relate emotionally to people.

Proper work-related stress management in healthcare professionals is vital to their job performance and to avoid physical and psychological problems. Only by feeling good will you be able to heal others.

Here are some tips for making your guards more bearable without interrupting your work or succumbing to unhealthy habits.

Work-related stress and its effects on professional performance

Stress is part of our survival instinct because it helps us stay alert and act accordingly.

The development, span, and intensity of our stress response depend on how we perceive the challenge we face, but also the resources we have to meet it. An example of "positive stress" in a hospital is when you have to give a diagnosis. Sometimes doubt strikes, but when you trust your experience and knowledge, the right answer comes to you.

However, stress can become a harmful, negative agent when circumstances exceed us making us feel overwhelmed. This activation is not adaptive. It requires self-control strategies, in which case they reduce stress in the short term, but have dangerous consequences over time. "Negative stress" is common in extreme situations, such as a medical emergency or surgery.

Work-related stress is a response to the demand for performance and external stimuli. From environmental aspects, such as noise; to interpersonal factors, such as the relationship with colleagues or the lack of conciliation between personal life and work, anything can be an inexhaustible source of tension.

Common causes of work-related stress in the medical field

Stress is perhaps the psychological disorder that most affects doctors and nurses health, causing alterations and dysfunctions that affect both workers and the hospital.

In general, there are many factors involved in work-related stress in physicians, surgeons, nurses, and medical technicians. Here we only name the most frequent ones:

Physiological conditions of the worker (insufficient rest, short time to eat)
Unfavorable conditions in the hospital (absence of a resting site, problems with distribution of medical supplies)
Over-saturation of clinical cases and patients with different symptoms
Conflicts between colleagues
Contact with death or suffering
Poor tact in dealing with patients
Lack of positive feedback from patients or bosses

The level of stress depends on the resilience of the individual; this means that two doctors with the same responsibilities in the same hospital do not react in the same way.

Burnout Syndrome: What happens when you don't know how to manage stress?

Being constantly stressed can lead to raw responses that drive us to psychophysical-emotional exhaustion (like fatigue, anxiety, frustration), a cold attitude in the relationship with others, need for isolation, apathy, and a feeling of ineptitude.

The burnout syndrome does not appear suddenly, but gradually. It is the result of continuous stressful situations maintained without fair work-related stress management. Healthcare professionals are the most likely to suffer from this so it can lead to:

Losing all work motivation
Medical negligence
Dependency on drugs or harmful behaviors to deal with pressure
Problems relating to others inside and outside of the hospital
Trouble adapting to the environment

8 tips for managing stress in the work environment

Hospitals are not the most welcoming workplaces, however, you can make the environment much friendlier if you know how to handle stress even in emergencies:

Work better instead of harder. Reduce your turns to the point where going to the hospital is not a sacrifice to your health. Plan your schedule so you have time to rest between shifts.
Be efficient. Organize yourself to attend to your patients by priorities. Keep track of your appointments with a proper system of noting symptoms and treatments.
Create a simple relaxation method. Breathe deeply, repeat a mantra, eat gum, drink cold water. Go to anything healthy that helps your nerves and low your stress in times of emergency.
Eat well. Take your time to eat and digest your food, that will reduce your anxiety and fill you with energy.
Keep a positive attitude. A smile says more than a thousand words. Patients will trust you and make your job easier.
Put yourself in your patients' shoes. Let your patient know what you are going to do step by step, what he/she will feel, and what may happen in the short or long term. Fear produces stress, and stress is contagious.
Seek support. When you feel the situation is overwhelming, ask for help from the medical staff on duty.
Don't leave your head at work. Once your time is over, disconnect yourself from the hospital. Watch a tv series at home, do some exercise, sleep enough. This will allow you to get rid of stress before wearing your uniform again.