Graduation Date
5-2019
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Nursing
Director of the Honors Program
Lynn Sondag, MFA
First Reader
Kathleen Beebe, PhD, RN
Second Reader
Olivia Catolico, PhD, MS, RN, CNL, BC
Abstract
This paper will examine the underlying stressors and consequences of occupational stress on recent graduate registered nurses and how they cope with it. By exploring the various factors, early interventions and strategies can be implemented to help reduce cases of compassion fatigue, occupational mental illness, and early retirement that is associated with cumulative stress. Stress is not just an occupational hazard, but a significant health problem as well. A nurse’s role is associated with physical labor, long work hours, sleep deprivation, and exposure to work-related violence or threats. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between new graduate nurses’ working stress, their responses to stress, and their health-related quality of life.