Critical Care Nurses: A Case Study

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Critical care nurses must accept the fact that little can be done to control what is around them. This includes the patient’s acuity, prognosis and response to the different medical and nursing modalities. However, it is to note that they can modify as to how they would react to a certain stimuli (Keidel 2002). This would tighten their grip and maintain their inner harmony. Self-reflection can be done in order to tap into one’s inner self to recalibrate their mind and body (Hill, 1991).
The Royal College of Nurses (2005) suggested different ways to combat work-related stress by choosing healthy life style choices. These modifications include eating the proper diet, engaging in exercises, avoiding vices like smoking and excessive alcohol intake and getting an ample amount of rest. This was agreed upon by Melvin (2012) who also added relaxation techniques. These steps were made in order to rejuvenate the body of a critical care nurse. The general idea was to take care of oneself before you can take care of others (Schwam, 1998). You can not give to others what you do not have. It is interesting to note that in the work of Wendy et al., (2009), some nurses found it helpful if they distance themselves either physicall or emotionally from the patient and relatives. This can be a form of time-out or a break from the source of their stress.
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Some nurses find it beneficial when they ask for forgiveness from their Supreme Being. Bush (2009) stated that nurses must learn how to forgive themselves as they are for their patients. The feelings of guilt must be erased in order to fully execute a nursing intervention. This was regarded by Yoder (2010) as self-consoling which involved introspection or looking to one’s inner self. Psychological stress may result when the adaptive abilities of the nurses fail to comply with the external demands of their work (Moss et al.,