chapter 13 | Work-Related Stress and Burnout 203Instead of focusing on the bad stress, new nurses
can meet the transition to professional nursing by
adapting to good stress:
■Develop a professional identity.Opportunities
to challenge one’s competence and develop an
identity as a professional can begin in school.
Success in meeting these challenges can immu-
nize the new graduate against the loss of confi-
dence that accompanies reality shock.
■Learn about the organization.The new gradu-
ate who understands how organizations operate
will not be as shocked as the naïve individual.
When you begin a new job, it is important to
learn as much as you can about the organization
and how it really operates. This not only saves
you some surprises but also gives you some ideas
about how to work within the system and how
to make the system work for you.
■Use your energy wisely.Keep in mind that
much energy goes into learning a new job. You
may see many things that you think need to be
changed, but you need to recognize that to
implement change requires your time and energy.
It is a good idea to make a list of these things so
that you do not forget them later when you have
become socialized into the system and have
some time and energy to invest in change.
■Communicate effectively.Deal with the prob-
lems that can arise with coworkers. The same
interpersonal skills you use in communicating
with patients can be effective in dealing with
your coworkers.
■Seek feedback often and persistently.Seeking
feedback not only provides you with needed
information but also pushes the people you work
with to be more specific about their expectations
of you.
■Develop a support network.Identify colleagues
who have held onto their professional ideals
with whom you can share your problems and the
work of improving the organization. Their
recognition of your work can keep you going
when rewards from the organization are meager.
A support network is a source of strength when
resisting pressure to give up professional ideals
and a source of power when attempting to bring
about change. Developing your skills can help to
prevent the problems of reality shock.
■Find a mentor.A mentor is someone more
experienced within or outside the organization
who provides career development support, such
as coaching, sponsoring advancement, providing
challenging assignments, protecting protégés
from adversity, and promoting positive visibility.
Mentors provide guidance to new graduates
as they change from student to professional
nurse. Mentors can also assume psychosocial
functions, such as personal support, friendship,
acceptance, role modeling, and counseling. Many
organizations have preceptors for the new
employee. In many instances, the preceptor will
become your mentor. However, the mentor role
is much more encompassing than the preceptor
role. The mentor relationship is a voluntary
one and is built on mutual respect and
development of the mentee. Table 13-4 identi-
fies responsibilities of the mentor and mentee
in this relationship (Scheetz, 2000; Simonetti &
Ariss, 1999).
You have made it through the first 6 months of
employment, and you are finally starting to feel like
a “real” nurse. You are beginning to realize that a
stress-free work environment is probably impossi-
ble to achieve. Shift work, overtime, distraught
families, staff shortages, and pressure to do more
with less continue to contribute to the stresses
placed on nurses. An inability to deal with this con-
tinued stress will eventually lead to burnout.table 13-4
Mentor and Mentee Responsibilities
Mentor Responsibilities Mentee Responsibilities
Has excellent Demonstrates eagerness to
communication and learn
listening skills
Shows sensitivity to needs Participates actively in the
of nurses, patients, relationship by keeping
and workplace all appointments and
commitments
Able to encourage Seeks feedback and uses it
excellence in others to modify behaviors
Able to share and provide Demonstrates flexibility and
counsel an ability to change
Exhibits good Is open in the relationship
decision-making skills with mentor
Shows an understanding Demonstrates an ability to
of power and politics move toward
independence
Demonstrates Able to evaluate choices
trustworthiness and outcomes