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Saturday, January 26, 2008

Nurses and Nurse Assistants (CNA’s): Stress in Nursing Homes


Who knows stress better than the people who carry it around everyday? These research results came directly from nurses and nurse assistants (CNA’s) in twenty-five nursing homes in North Carolina. This is what they had to say:

Nurses:

The situations most stressful for nurses were not having enough staff, having too much work to do, interruptions, having non-health professionals determine how they do their jobs, poor pay, and being responsible for patients' outcomes. Nurses were more likely than nurse assistants to report stress because non-health professionals (e.g. surveyors) determine how they must perform their services.

Nurse Assistants (CNA’s):

The most stressful situations for nurse assistants included poor pay, not enough staff, and too much work to do. Nurse assistants were more likely than nurses to report stress because they do not have adequate information regarding patients' conditions.

Conclusions:

The findings of this study support the need to increase recognition for nursing, improve staffing, and provide competitive compensation in nursing homes. Were you surprised by these results? I wasn’t either. But it’s still another validation of the staff stress problems and the need for positive changes in nursing home reform.

You can read more about this research in the "Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.”

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 16, 2008

    Great Article,

    CNA's have a lot of pressure and very little recognition

    Philip Smith
    CEO
    Globla Staffing Associates

    ReplyDelete
  2. Philip, I have a lot of respect for the hardworking CNA's out there. I talk to them a lot in nursing homes where I volunteer. I celebrate them at this blog post:

    http://hospiceandnursinghomes.blogspot.com/2007/02/celebrating-nurse-aides-cnas-and_14.html

    You can view a CNA video story here:

    http://hospiceandnursinghomes.blogspot.com/2007/08/hospice-cnanursing-assistant-story.html


    For great CNA resources and support, visit this website, if you haven't already:

    http://nursingassistants.net

    Best wishes and stay strong.

    ReplyDelete