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Who Nurses the Nurse?

Monday, August 27, 2012

A recent study confirms when nurses are in pain, patient care suffers. According to an article from the New York Times, “Recent research published in two journals, The American Journal of Nursing and Clinical Nurse Specialist, reveals that when nurses suffer, so do their patients.”

It’s easy to understand, nurses can get worn out just like anybody would from a mentally and physically demanding job. Whether it’s remembering prescriptions and doses for 15 patients or transferring patients from stretcher to beds, the risks of injury and burnout are not hard to find. Considering that nurses are trusted more than nearly any other professional, the demand for nurses to push on through the pain for the sake of their patients has become an unofficial creed for healthcare professionals. However, while in physical/emotional pain, a present nurse doesn’t always mean service provided is peak. Given that 20% of nurses surveyed dealt with symptoms of depression and nearly half or nurses surveyed struggled with lower back pain, care quality is likely to suffer at some point. The researchers measured mistakes in prescriptions and patient falls and calculated a 20% increase in these quality issues when nurses were depressed or in pain.

Rue Education has been making nurse life easier for over 20 years by taking the stress out of becoming an educated and driven RN. Stress and mistakes can often arise from a lack of professional knowledge or experience. That’s why Rue Education’s learning systems were developed by experts in their subject matters to provide a thorough, directed, and concise system of learning what it takes to be a registered nurse. Additionally, earning your nursing degree shouldn’t be a solo pursuit. It’s easy to feel stressed, depressed, and overwhelmed when trying to make a career change on your own. Rue Education wants their future nurses to know they are backed up by Rue Education’s academic support from Rue’s academic advisors, other students and peers completing the same learning systems, online tutors, and Rue Education’s in-house nurse educators. They assist with time management, goal setting, study tips, motivation, and stress management. Rue Education feels one of the best ways to target nursing depression and work-related injuries is to prepare our nurses with professional skills and life skills from the very start.