Stress and Nursing Practice

Running head: STRESS AND NURSING PRACTICE
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Stress and Nursing Practice
Name
Institutional Affiliation

STRESS AND NURSING PRACTICE 2
Introduction
Debriefing is vital for enhancing learning from previous errors and improving
performance. Debriefing is a dialogue between people to discuss the activities, thoughts, and
processes involved in patient care, strengthen reflection, and suggest improvement to
promote performance in future (Patient Safety Network, 2019). This paper aims to understand
the importance o debriefing in nursing care. The paper involves a presentation of an actual
case based on my personal experience, and an analysis of the case to explore the benefits and
application of debriefing in a healthcare setting.
The Case That Defined Me as a Nurse
My defining moment as a nurse occurred when I was still a nursing student. During
one of my nursing practicums, when I was only two years at the university, I worked in a
respiratory unit where I attended to patients with various respiratory conditions. The tasks in
the ward included continued monitoring of patients and completing their medications. I was
starting my afternoon shifts, which would continue for the next four days. One of my patients
was a 20-year-old man, who has been in and out of the hospital for pulmonary exacerbations
resulting from cystic fibroids, which he was diagnosed with in childhood. The patient had
undergone several treatments in the cystic fibroids centre and had managed to control the
disease for the better part of his life. However, when he was 18 years old, he started
experiencing severe pulmonary exacerbations. These complications resulted in multiple
hospital readmissions.
I had interacted with the patient for over a week in my previous shift. The patient had
been placed in a private unit since there was no space in the general ward. He was the
manipulative kind of patient who kept calling for attention as he had sudden chest pain. When
using the breathing mask he often complained that it was irritating and uncomfortable to use.
As a nurse at the hospital, the protocol required that I conduct an assessment on the patient

STRESS AND NURSING PRACTICE 3
and provide the necessary interventions once called upon. However, the patient was so
irritating and it left me thinking that he was a nuisance.
During the last day of my shift, I was asked to move the patient to the general
respiratory unit as he had demonstrated significant improvements. The task did not please me
since I regarded the patient as stubborn and unpleasant. Just as I was preparing the patient to
transfer to the general unit, he started complaining of shortness of breath. the complains from
the patient irritated me and at some point, I thought he was not genuine. This time I chose to
follow the protocol and laid him on the bed and before I fixed the oxygen mask and consulted
with the physician, the man had collapsed and fainted right on the bed. I called on emergency
support from the healthcare team. Immediately after, some tests were carried out and it was
discovered that he had kidney damage and was beginning to lose his hearing due to repeated
treatment with antibiotics. He was immediately referred for a lung transplant. At this point, I
discovered that I had made the best decision to pay attention to the patient’s complains since I
saved his situation from worsening perceiving him as a manipulative patient.
Handling the patient was my defining moment as a nurse. I realised the importance of
adhering to the patient treatment protocol regardless of the nature of the patient. I also got an
opportunity to practice my interpersonal skills that are vital for nursing practice. I learnt to e
effective, patient, keen to details, and confident during my daily communications with
patients and colleagues to ensure the development of health and therapeutic relationships.
Steps I Have Taken To Overcome the Stress of This Event
Since the event occurred, I decided to seek mentorship from my seniors on how to
handles stressful situations. I also share my stressful experiences with friends and colleagues
who often support and encourage me. Eslami, Elahi, Mohammadi, and Fallahi (2017)
explained that experiencing pleasant motivation for working, enhancing personality traits,
boosting professional capacity, and support from nursing manager and families are important