Hospital Staff Meeting Essay

Dear Mrs. Anderson, I really enjoyed the last week’s hospital staff meeting. I particularly enjoyed your presentation on infection control and found it very informative. I think that this training helped the nursing staff understand the importance of infection control and emphasized the hospital policy on the subject. After the meeting last week, the topic of stress in the nursing community came up, and many of the nursing staff came to me to talk about the stress they experience in their day to day routine. As a group we discussed workload and the amount of staff available to get work done. Many of my colleagues have voiced concerns that there is not enough to staff to ensure that all aspects of patient care are completed in their shift.

This can negatively affect the level of care provided to their patients. In some cases, nurses who experience high levels of stress at work can become physically ill or experience emotional “burnout”. In order to reduce some of these problems, nurses should consider taking a variety of steps to cope with stress, including, Exercise: Stay in good physical condition by using a fitness center if available or by simply taking a walk or using the stairs during a break. Talk: Choose a friend, family member or co-worker with whom to share concerns. Talking about a problem can help reduce feelings of stress. Take a break: Although leaving patients and job responsibilities for a few minutes during the work shift may seem difficult, it is a good strategy for dealing with stress. Nurses who take a break can return more relaxed and better prepared to provide high quality patient care. Sleep: Stress and worry can make it difficult to sleep, leading to fatigue and more stress. Nurses should establish a solid sleep schedule and stick to it. Nurses may face many situations each day that are out of their control, such as hospital policy changes and staffing difficulties. By maintaining a positive attitude, staying healthy and talking about concerns with trusted colleagues, nurses can better deal with potential stressors. In the long run this will lead to better patient care, and increased work