Working As a Nurse During a Pandemic

Kathryn Lynn Trammel

May 27, 2022

One in five health-care workers have left their job since the influenza pandemic began. What is the effect on a nurse’s career? Whether you work in a hospital or at home, you can expect the worst. You may also face issues with imposter syndrome and burnout. These problems may cause you to question your decision to pursue a career in nursing. Working as a nurse during a Pandemic. This article addresses some of the most common challenges that nurses face in their jobs.

Stress

The study aims to determine the factors contributing to nurses’ feelings of stress during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Findings may help healthcare providers to determine the appropriate response strategies. In addition, nurses may provide valuable insight into what they need to do to minimize their stress levels. Working as a nurse during a Pandemic. The researcher with qualitative analysis training reviewed the responses and noted common themes. These themes were verified and defined. The researchers then sent these themes to a second researcher, who added or removed them as needed. The definitions were recorded in coding form.

The study found that nearly half of health care professionals have considered leaving their jobs or changing careers. Working as a nurse during a Pandemic. They said their mental health has declined. In addition, 49% of healthcare professionals have cried in their jobs. Sixty-seven percent of nurse practitioners have admitted to crying at work. This high level of stress puts them at risk for COVID-19. They also report feeling isolated and alone. They may be unable to provide adequate support for their families and spend quality time with children.

Burnout

In 2020, the world is experiencing a pandemic that is so dreadful it is making nurses quit their jobs. The stress of this pandemic is so severe that one-third of nurses are planning to leave their jobs before the end of the year. Many are retiring early or quit nursing entirely because they find the work environment unbearable. Moreover, women who become nurses are twice as likely to commit suicide as other women. Working as a nurse during a Pandemic. And they are 70 percent more likely to commit suicide than female physicians. To address this issue, the President signed the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.

The SR conducted by Galanin et al. excluded studies pertaining to all HCWs, including nurses, but found a moderate to high correlation between the two measures of burnout. In addition, the authors found a significant negative association between nurse burnout and age, education level, and contact with COVID-19 patients. Working as a nurse during a Pandemic. However, their findings do not address the causes of burnout in nursing during a pandemic. Further research is needed to identify the causes of nurse burnout in a pandemic.

Imposter syndrome

If you are a nurse and you are working during a pandemic, you are not alone. Approximately 11% of all nurses experience some form of imposter syndrome. This condition affects people from all walks of life, including doctors, nurses, and hospital workers. Working as a nurse during a Pandemic. The condition can cause mental and emotional distress and can change your perspective of yourself. However, it can also lead to professional problems such as burnout and poor work habits.

Imposter syndrome is a psychological disorder that makes a person feel like they don’t belong. While it may have been beneficial to human evolution, it can have negative consequences. Imposter syndrome can lead to weakened immune systems, hypertension, depression, and heart disease. Additionally, long-term stress can cause burnout and depression. Nursing students and health care providers are especially susceptible to this mental disorder.

Discrimination

As the world continues to grapple with the devastating consequences of Covid-19, working as a nurse during a Pandemic. there is growing concern that the working environment for nurses will become increasingly dangerous. Nurses represent the largest occupational group in the health sector and account for six out of ten health occupations. Moreover, the nursing workforce is overwhelmingly female – nearly seventy percent of nurses are female in Africa, eighty percent in south-east Asia, and ninety percent in the Western Pacific.

Violence

A study conducted on nurses in COVID-19 hospitals has shown that there was a significant increase in the frequency of violence directed against nursing staff during the pandemic. Working as a nurse during a Pandemic. Despite the fact that nurses reported fewer violent incidents during the pandemic, it is not surprising that a higher number of RNs believe that the rate of violence has increased during the pandemic. In fact, 57.4% of nurses reported that the frequency of physical violence increased, and 62.7 percent reported verbal-emotional-psychological violence.

Despite the increased number of cases of workplace violence, this problem is not limited to the United States. In Naples, Italy, one patient who had COVID symptoms spit and slapped a nursing staff member and threatened to shoot them. In the United Kingdom, patients have also verbally abused health care workers, including nurses wearing masks. Working as a nurse during a Pandemic. Other incidents of violence have involved healthcare workers being attacked or drenched in bleach in the street. Unfortunately, this trend has continued in other parts of the world as well. Nurses are particularly vulnerable to physical violence.