While most people in the United States work 9 to 5, there’s a group that serves for 12 hours. Often, they do double shifts. These are the nurses.
The nursing profession is one of the most prominent groups of the workforce in the country. More than 3.5 million of them are working in hospitals, community centers, and clinics.
They are also some of the most-stressed professionals. How can healthcare facilities support their stress management needs? One option is through commercial landscaping in Greenwood.
The Origins of Stress
How stressed are the nurses? One survey in 2014 involving over 3,000 nurses might give you some ideas. According to it:
- Most of them feel underappreciated and underutilized.
- Around 64% mentioned they couldn’t get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.
- Over 25% can sleep fully for no more than three nights a week.
- An overwhelming 77% cannot eat properly.
- Many of them are on-call, which might mean working for 24 hours or 36 hours.
Despite being in the health industry, nurses don’t have the ideal working conditions that promote good health and well-being. But then, why is this happening? Answer: staff shortage.
Nursing is one of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States. A 2017 report revealed that the number of nurses would increase by over 25% in 2030. Many factors, though, can lead to high demand but low supply.
One reason is the aging workforce. According to Allied Staffing Network, the average age of a registered nurse in the country is 50 years old. The average age in which they join the profession is 30 years old. In other jobs, a person can already work as soon as they graduate from college or university. That can be around 21 to 22 years old.
In other words, many nurses will retire soon. The ones who will replace them, though, might take a while before they can join the workforce. This leaves those who are already on the job overworked.
The number of baby boomers also contributes to the workload of the nurses. In 2016, this group accounted for 74 million people. It also makes them the biggest living adult generation. Many of these baby boomers will live longer, which means they need healthcare support for at least a decade.
The Significance of Reducing Nurses’ Stress
Stress from overwork or burnout can affect cognitive functions and performance, and one study reveals the danger of it. In a 2018 research in BMJ Open, overwork can increase the risk of patient safety incidents by as high as 30%. Worse, it can boost the odds of patient mortality by 40%.
Undoubtedly, healthcare facilities should provide stress management programs to nurses to avoid these incidents. While they can explore many options, one of these is a garden.
Using gardens for therapy or stress reduction is not new. It’s been around for hundreds of years, even during the Middle Ages. Plants can heal or beat stress in several ways:
- Plants can improve a sense of calmness.
- They help induce pleasant feelings and even memories.
- Some theories explain that plants can restore focus in a natural environment.
- Many studies show an association between nature and reduced biomarkers such as heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
Imagine a world without nurses: definitely, no one can. It’s only essential it’s time for healthcare facilities to extend care to them.