Stress & Coping and How it Affects Nursing Students Stress is one of the few symptoms that is commonly shared throughout the world. What causes it is what separates cultures, societies, and social networks. College students in general have a unique array of stressful experiences. Advanced education such as the field of nursing can only intensify stress because of high expectations, workload, and the environment. Reasonable amounts of stress is needed for mental and physical wellbeing, it can increase motivation and improve performance (Del Prato, Bankert, Grust, & Joseph, 2011). Stress that persists without proper coping skills may lead to physiological and psychological impairment. I intend to explain the detrimental effects stress
…show more content…
The complexities of clinical practice settings and challenges in the classroom are likely to lead to stress, but it is up to the student on how they manage stress before it becomes detrimental. Stress evolves internally and can be triggered by physical demands on the body or by the environment, including social situations (Shieferaw, Anand, & Nemera, 2015). The objective of a nursing program is to graduate proficient, skilled, and capable registered nurses. The human body’s response to stress is not intended to cause harm. Potter, Perry, Stockert, and Hall (2013) expressed that the goal of stress is to heighten the mind and body so that it will help the person grow and meet demands that they are faced with. The outcome is a state of increased energy, alertness and narrowed focus, which all are desirable qualities for a nursing student. Stress functions as a catalyst for physical or emotional change. It can either progress towards health or disease, depending on how it is channeled and the response made by the person (Del Prato, Bankert, Grust, & Joseph, 2011). Adapting to stress is a coping mechanism in which a person attempts to manage a situation before it becomes uncontrollable. Prasad et al. (2016) defines coping as “…specific efforts, both behavioral and psychological, that people employ to master; reduce, tolerate or minimize stressful events” (p. 20). As with stress, coping can be used in a positive manner to effectively alleviate the situation or negatively by denying there is a dilemma. The ability to cope requires constructive thought and appropriate
The complexities of clinical practice settings and challenges in the classroom are likely to lead to stress, but it is up to the student on how they manage stress before it becomes detrimental. Stress evolves internally and can be triggered by physical demands on the body or by the environment, including social situations (Shieferaw, Anand, & Nemera, 2015). The objective of a nursing program is to graduate proficient, skilled, and capable registered nurses. The human body’s response to stress is not intended to cause harm. Potter, Perry, Stockert, and Hall (2013) expressed that the goal of stress is to heighten the mind and body so that it will help the person grow and meet demands that they are faced with. The outcome is a state of increased energy, alertness and narrowed focus, which all are desirable qualities for a nursing student. Stress functions as a catalyst for physical or emotional change. It can either progress towards health or disease, depending on how it is channeled and the response made by the person (Del Prato, Bankert, Grust, & Joseph, 2011). Adapting to stress is a coping mechanism in which a person attempts to manage a situation before it becomes uncontrollable. Prasad et al. (2016) defines coping as “…specific efforts, both behavioral and psychological, that people employ to master; reduce, tolerate or minimize stressful events” (p. 20). As with stress, coping can be used in a positive manner to effectively alleviate the situation or negatively by denying there is a dilemma. The ability to cope requires constructive thought and appropriate