Stressors in the Clinical Setting Identified by Third Year Nursing Students

Stress is a universal phenomenon which affects all people whether they are from different races or from different walks of life. The concept of stress is important because it provides a way of understanding the person as a being who responds in totality (mind, body, and spirit) to a variety of changes that take place in daily life. Certain groups of people are more prone to stress in comparison to the rest of the population because of the demands imposed on them which includes college students. This study was conducted in relation to the stress that affects third year nursing students zeroing on the stressors that they perceived in the clinical setting. The study was conducted using the qualitative research method. Data were gathered through accidental sampling from 15 respondents using a prepared interview guide at the Liceo de Cagayan University riverside canteen on the following dates: October 5, 6 and 8, 2010. The respondents were asked to freely enumerate the stressors they encountered in the clinical setting. Furthermore, they were asked to rank such stressors and it was found that the clinical instructor ranked 1st as the most significant source of stress followed in 2nd rank by the patients and 3rd by the requirements among the 13 identified stressors. Coping of the respondents were also determined and results show that 73% of the respondents viewed their stressors as challenging rather than threatening while the remaining 27% were ambivalent. It was also found that majority of them utilized emotion-based coping activities. The results of the study show that nursing students in the third year level encountered a number of stressors during their clinical exposure but majority of them were able to view their stressors positively and have used several coping mechanisms to deal with their stressors.

 

Keywords - Stress, Stressors, Coping, Nursing, Clinical setting