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Tuesday, November 3, 2009: 3:05 PM
Learning Objective 1: Describe the difference between moral distress and professional stress in the workplace.
Learning Objective 2: Identify possible stressors and possible solutions.
The Effect of Moral Distress and Professional Stress on Nursing Retention in the Acute Care Setting
Cynthia L.Cummings Ed D (c) RN
Abstract
Moral distress and professional stress affect the lives of acute care nurses everyday. The
impact of these stressors can influence a nurse’s retention in the acute care setting. The current loss of nurses in the hospital setting is a critical problem, which dramatically affects the health care community. This presentation will review the concepts of moral distress and professional stress as described by a number of authors. It will also discuss how these stressors affect nurses’ intent to stay in the workplace and provide some possible solutions. The presentation will cover the results of an online survey which involved 234 participants from an acute care hospital. The 51 item survey was the combination of two established tools: Moral Distress Survey (Corley, 1995) and Health Professions Stress Inventory (Wolfgang, 1988). The participants were asked to rate each item by frequency and intensity of occurrence. The nurses were also given the opportunity to describe any stressful events that had happened to them. The results demonstrated that nurses’ experience a number of stressors and these stressors impact their intent to stay at an institution. Some of the most highly correlated factors related to the intensity of morally distressing events and the lack of professional recognition. In addition, there was a strong correlation between the intensity of patient care issues and the nurse’s perception of confidence. In all, the study provided valuable information into the stressors that nurses’ experience in the workplace and their qualitative responses underscore the degree and types of events that they have encountered. These responses provide insight into the emotions and intensity of the events that they have experienced and undoubtedly play a role in the nurses’ intent to remain in an acute care setting.
Cynthia L.Cummings Ed D (c) RN
Abstract
Moral distress and professional stress affect the lives of acute care nurses everyday. The
impact of these stressors can influence a nurse’s retention in the acute care setting. The current loss of nurses in the hospital setting is a critical problem, which dramatically affects the health care community. This presentation will review the concepts of moral distress and professional stress as described by a number of authors. It will also discuss how these stressors affect nurses’ intent to stay in the workplace and provide some possible solutions. The presentation will cover the results of an online survey which involved 234 participants from an acute care hospital. The 51 item survey was the combination of two established tools: Moral Distress Survey (Corley, 1995) and Health Professions Stress Inventory (Wolfgang, 1988). The participants were asked to rate each item by frequency and intensity of occurrence. The nurses were also given the opportunity to describe any stressful events that had happened to them. The results demonstrated that nurses’ experience a number of stressors and these stressors impact their intent to stay at an institution. Some of the most highly correlated factors related to the intensity of morally distressing events and the lack of professional recognition. In addition, there was a strong correlation between the intensity of patient care issues and the nurse’s perception of confidence. In all, the study provided valuable information into the stressors that nurses’ experience in the workplace and their qualitative responses underscore the degree and types of events that they have encountered. These responses provide insight into the emotions and intensity of the events that they have experienced and undoubtedly play a role in the nurses’ intent to remain in an acute care setting.