Over the last few years, there has been a definite trend in young nurses’ ability to cope with the emotional stress of the job. Nurse burnout is on the rise, and nurses are retiring at a younger age. It has progressed to the point where the nursing program from which I graduated has established resilience training for nurses to teach resilience skills. Adding a new department to a school and revising the curriculum takes a significant amount of time and money, but the growing need for a stronger emotional foundation among graduates is clear over time (and this was before the pandemic).

Because of their distinct backgrounds, each kid has a unique set of coping strategies, emotional limits, and expectations. The nursing school covers fundamental biology, chemistry, medicines, and nursing interventions. Every nurse recognizes that nursing school consists primarily of the essentials. On the job, experience adds to that foundation by erecting a wood frame. Over time, wiring, plumbing, insulation, and drywall are all added to that frame. When you attain the expert level of skill in your job, you have a move-in-ready home. Even a completed house necessitates weekly upkeep to keep it in good working order.

Education

Nurses, like doctors, need solid educational foundations to deal with the inescapable stress of caring for the sick and dying. Some students may have more resilience features than others when they join the program; but the majority do not come with a fully formed foundation. It may have some cracks or be in excellent shape; but it is either insufficient or completely lacking to support the weight of a nursing profession.

Nurses are going through an emotional crisis because of ignore the importance of having a solid foundation in resilience. For decades of nurses, poor coping skills have been passed down from trainer to trainee; and it has been perpetuated by a healthcare system that does not prioritize employee mental health. The current nursing culture does more harm than good.

Looking at the fissures and missing parts of a new nurse’s foundation, the nursing profession’s unhealthy culture responds, “Start constructing,” “it’s the work,” and “you’ll be OK.” Nurses have no idea how to ask for or do anything differently because that is the norm. Even if they want to take the necessary steps to maintain their mental health as a nurse, many do not have the support or resources to commit the time and effort required to restore a shaky foundation.

Nurses will be limited to only two options:

• Accept the new challenge of fixing the foundation and beginning over.
• Ignore the damage and keep your emotions confined inside a condemned building. As a result, you are more vulnerable to the job’s stressful components.

It’s astonishing how many nurses chose to ignore the implications of their conduct. Rather than processing their emotional scars, nurses are increasingly attempting to conceal them. As a result, unhealthy coping mechanisms become increasingly common. They become preoccupied with drugs, alcohol, and poisonous relationships. More nurses are leaving the business entirely; only to bring their unstable emotional foundation with them while looking for new work.

More emphasis should be placed on the emotional underpinnings of nurses, both in education and on the job. Professors and Clinical Nurse Educators must examine the foundations of their nurses. Healthy coping techniques must be taught and promoted. The nursing profession values resilience, yet few nurses have a strong foundation.