Nursing is a demanding career where we often work with patients who have experienced severe trauma and are in a state of crisis. We are taught to care for these individuals and we often forget to care for ourselves. Nurses are at risk for developing vicarious trauma or secondary trauma. Self-care is vital to personal health, to sustenance to continue to care for our patients, and professional development. Nurses are often reluctant to take the time required to care for themselves or they might have trouble finding appropriate self-care activities that are easily assimilated into their lives. Self-care benefits both nurses and patients, by practising self-care nurses can better embody their role as exemplars for health promotion (Fraser, Mills, & Wand, 2015). This paper defines secondary trauma stress and the importance of self-care. The purpose of the paper is to deepen the author’s understanding of effective self-care planning and identify strategies to promote wellbeing and self-care. Definitions Secondary trauma stress is defined as any health care setting or community environment where nurses encounter patients who have experienced trauma and experience different emotions and behaviours as a result of being exposed to the …show more content…
In regards to extrinsic factors, I currently work in a correctional facility where there is high incidents and exposure to trauma and the nurses hear many inmates tell their traumatic experiences. Another extrinsic factor is media exposure. We constantly see violence and trauma in the news as well as movies and T.V. shows. For me, I hear many of the inmate’s charges and stories and then often hear the same story on the news. Recently, I stopped watching the news as it was beginning to elicit strong feelings in me and I began feeling angry and noticed an increase in anxiety. It was too much to see all day at work and then hear and replay at
Trauma is an incident that leads to a great suffering of body or mind. It is a severe torture to the body and breaks the body’s natural equilibrium. It is defined as an emotional wound causing a psychological injury. American Psychological Association, defined trauma as an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks and strained relationships. J. Laplanche and J. B. Pontalis assert, “Trauma is an event in the subject life defined by its intensity by the subject’s incapacity to respond adequately to it, and by the upheaval and long lasting effects that it brings about in the psychical organization” (qtd. by Hwangbo 1).
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines trauma as a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time (Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2015). From a medical perspective trauma is describe as severe damage to a person’s body. Trauma can be cause by multiple factors in a person life. Trauma could stem from a distressing experience of a physical or psychological nature. In recent years’ major natural disasters and acts of terrorism have become more prominent and devastating creating long lasting traumatic effects in individuals lives. Trauma can have a lasting negative impact on a person’s life. The lasting effects of trauma can have a negative effect in development as well as
It was not until 1980 when the DSM- III was published that PTSD was officially recognized as an anxiety disorder for victims of traumatic incidents (TIs) and not until 1994 when DSM- IV was published it included the witnesses as well. For psychological traits to be classified as PTSD they must satisfy the following: exposure to TI directly causes peritraumatic distress not long after the event, currently re-experiencing TI, avoiding triggers to memories of the scenario with general unresponsiveness, and hyperactivity (Lavoie et al., 2016). With the TI, memories of the event are intruding upon the daily function of the individual through images, thoughts, tastes, sounds, and smells with the flashbacks correlating
“Vulnerability is at the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences” (Brown, 2014). Vulnerability can be regarded as a constant human experience that can be affected by physical, social and psychological dimensions (Scanlon & Lee, 2006; Malone, 2000) Deconstructing the concept of vulnerability and how it relates to client care is imperative for nurses due to their dynamic role in health care (Gjengedal et al.2013). In this paper I will provide a theoretical overview of the nursing concept vulnerability. I will explore how a thorough understanding of vulnerability informs the nursing concept of vulnerability and informs the nursing practice and the nursing profession. I will identify the gaps in the nursing
Rasheed, S. P. (2015). Self-awareness as a therapeutic tool for nurse/client relationship. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(1), 211-216
Self-care has a very different meaning for people. It varies from person to person and can be based on age, gender, religion, occupation, and their type of lifestyle that they live. For myself, my self-care has changed since starting nursing school and I now know have to look at it in terms of nursing. Although my self-care has not changed substantially I now have to realize that being a nurse, I will have more responsibility’s and will be taking care of others and I cannot take care of others until I take care of myself. Self-care is very important for many reasons; in my opinion a healthy person in mind, body and soul is a happy person. You cannot take care of others if you yourself are not healthy and happy.
The nursing theories that are currently in place in the emergency room to promote professional growth and development are vital; however, there are other nursing theories that could be implemented to help improve professional growth and development. A theory that should be implemented to more effectively promote professional growth and development is Orem’s theory of self-care deficit. Orem’s theory is considered a “realistic reflection on nursing practice” (McEwen & Wills, 2014, p. 146). If the nurse is not taking care of him or herself, “stress [can] accumulate [and the] nurse can … become angry, exhausted, depressed, and sleepless” (Ruff & Hoffman, 2016, p. 8). By the nurse having these feelings he or she is not able to take care of him
Vicarious trauma (VT) and secondary trauma are both interchangeable concepts. This refers to the therapist having trauma from listening to their client’s trauma. Priscilla Dass-Brailsford defines vicarious trauma as, “ negative transformation of a therapist’s inner experiences as a result of empathetic engagement with traumatized clients” (pg. 293). Vicarious trauma can cause disruptions for the therapist in their view of their self-image, identity, memory, and belief system (Dass-Brailsford, 2007).
Throughout this philosophy paper, I have explored what nursing is based on my personal values and beliefs as it relates to the body of work in nursing. I value the importance of holistic nursing and the care of patients being individualized for them and their family. Also, effectively collaborating among health care professionals to ensure quality care for patients. Additionally, the importance of health promotion as one of the main roles of nurses is being a teacher, since promoting health prevents illness and increases the level of health in clients. These principles will serve as a guide for my personal standards of nursing practice.
Jean E. Johnson (1997), a registered nurse and graduate professor at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, is considered responsible for developing the Self-Regulation Theory (SRT) in the late nineteen nineties. It was through years of contributions and interactions with her professional colleagues, students, and attendees of her “Stress and Coping” group that contributed to the development of this theory. It was identified, and holds true today, that patients are expected to play an ...
Rose Zimering, P. and Suzy Bird Gulliver, P. (2017). Secondary Traumatization in Mental Health Care Providers | Psychiatric Times. [online] Psychiatrictimes.com. Available at: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/ptsd/secondary-traumatization-mental-health-care-providers [Accessed 8 Jun. 2017].
Every person’s needs must be recognized, respected, and filled if he or she must attain wholeness. The environment must attuned to that wholeness for healing to occur. Healing must be total or holistic if health must be restored or maintained. And a nurse-patient relationship is the very foundation of nursing (Conway et al 2011; Johnson, 2011). The Theory recognizes a person’s needs above all. It sets up the conducive environment to healing. It addresses and works on the restoration and maintenance of total health rather than only specific parts or aspect of the patient’s body or personality. And these are possible only through a positive healing relationship between the patient and the nurse (Conway et al, Johnson).
I chose to do a concept analysis on ‘Self-Care.’ The nursing theory that uses this concept is Orem’s theory of nursing. This theory is a grand theory and consists of three minor interrelated theories; self-care, self-care deficit, and nursing systems. (Parker & Smith 2010). Orem defines self-care as when an individual initiates activities and performs to maintain life, health and well-being on their own and self-care deficit as not meeting adequate self-care requisites which include “limitations for knowing, deciding and producing care to self or dependent. (Parker & Smith, 2010)
Seed, M., & Torkelson, D. (2012). Beginning the recovery journey in acute psychiatric care: Using concepts from Orem's self-care deficit nursing theory. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 33, 394-398
One of the theories of nursing is Dorothea Orem’s self-care theory, also called the self-care deficit theory. Nursing theories are important for several reasons. The profession is strengthened when knowledge is built on sound theory (Black, 2014). Theory is important for reasoning, thinking, decision-making, and supporting excellence in practice (Black, 2014). Dorothea Orem’s theory is a conceptual model that provides a structure for critical thinking in the nursing process (Black, 2014). A conceptual model provides a comprehensive and holistic perspective of nursing (Black, 2014). Orem published her theory in 1959 and continued to develop her model, eventually formalizing three interrelated theories: theory of self-care, theory of self-care deficit, and theory of nursing system (Black, 2014). The focus of Orem’s model is the patient’s self-care capacity. The process helps to design a nursing process specific to each patient that will provide for the self-care deficit of the patient (Black, 2014). Self-care deficits exist when the patient has limitations and the self-care requirement is greater than he patient’s capacity (Manzini & Simonetti, 2009).