
As a nurse, there will be countless time when you have to deal with potentially traumatising situations. This article covers the impact these can have, and how to reflect, heal, and develop from traumas you could encounter in your workplace.
Despite international recognition of nursing amongst professions most intrinsically associated with subjection to traumatic imagery and profound human suffering, the ways in which nurses can overcome this is a frequently neglected discussion.
Coping mechanisms nurses may implement to manage its impact on wellbeing are explored below, with particular reference to services available to those who may benefit from psychological and therapeutic intervention.
Physical And Emotional Health Impacts
Whilst the scenarios outlined above may lend themselves more inherently to emergency department, first response and intensive care environments, their prevalence and subsequent implications may also be applied to the wider network of nursing practice.
Unrelenting exposure to major trauma, acutely unwell adults and children, violence and death are amongst the assumed but overly dismissed by-products of the profession. Contemporary research clearly indicates the plethora of mental and physical suffering that all too often arises as a result of these experiences, ranging from emotional burnout to depression, anxiety, and PTSD diagnoses. Perhaps most worryingly, prolonged exposure to this trauma has been increasingly linked to self-harm amongst nurses, and in severe instances, suicide cases.
In light of the ever-advancing pressure and responsibilities placed upon nurses within the National Health Service, it is imperative that clear action is taken to challenge these outcomes, to protect the health of the current and future nursing workforce, ultimately maintaining the safety of patients under their care.
Reflection
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2023) consistently promote the validity of reflective practice as an evidence-based approach to compartmentalisation of trauma in nursing, and the way in which this exercise contributes to resilience and improved wellbeing for staff.
Echoing this sentiment, The Royal College of Nursing (2023) regards reflection as a lifelong ritual, providing a comprehensive template for nurses to explore how a particular incident affected them both emotionally and physically, the learning this generated, and how this may be translated into improved future practice.
By allowing nurses to diffuse the intensity of challenging experiences and consider what may have been addressed differently, this technique is highlighted to uphold safety and quality of patient care as well as improved holistic wellbeing for staff.
Whilst an array of reflective paradigms exists for nurses, including journaling, mental exercises and debriefing amongst colleagues following a traumatic incident, resources on these respective approaches are readily accessible to nurses, posing significant health and career benefits.
With pressures on healthcare services growing at an unprecedented rate, nurses continue to experience significant trauma as part of their daily duties.
About this contributor
Registered Nurse
Since qualifying in 2021 as a Registered Nurse, I have worked exclusively in the emergency department, both at a district general hospital and now a major trauma centre. I believe there is no better setting for nurses to rapidly develop their skills in clinical decision making and managing the acutely unwell patient.
More by this contributorWant to get involved in the discussion?
Log In Subscribe to commentMatt Farrah
Matt Farrah
one year agoExcellent piece, thanks Rachel.
Excellent piece, thanks Rachel.
read less