Graduation Year
2023
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Primary Major
Nursing
Thesis Advisor
Patricia Harris, PhD, RN, CNS
Abstract
Background: The occupational stressors experienced by nurses and assistive personnel working in critical care settings can be extremely detrimental to their overall mental health. Employees in specialized units such as the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), cardiac intensive care unit (CICU), surgical trauma intensive care unit (STICU), pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), medical intensive care unit (MICU), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Emergency Department (ED) or Emergency Room (ER), and Critical Care Transport (CCT) settings are responsible for patients requiring a higher level of care, and consequently, have more to worry about throughout their workday. Research Question: Climbing rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among this population may be a viable assessment of which critical care units are most susceptible to meeting diagnostic criteria due to work related events. How do PTSD rates compare among healthcare professionals working in emergency transport and critical care settings? Literature Review: Major findings within the quantitative studies indicated that between 4.35% (N=6) and 14% (N=7) of respondents met symptom criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD. The qualitative results emphasized why the occurrences within these critical care units are to blame for occupational stress. Furthermore, there was evidence to support that higher factors of resiliency reduce the incidence of PTSD. Proposal: Based on the findings, I propose that additional quantitative cross-sectional studies be carried out to identify specific employment settings as more or less detrimental to the mental health of nurses by using verified, diagnostic tools for PTSD. These studies will examine the PTSD rates of nurses from a variety of backgrounds including, but not limited to, the ED/ER, ICU, CICU, STICU, PICU, MICU, NICU, ground based CCT, rotor wing CCT, or fixed wing air ambulance CCT in both civilian and military settings in the United States.