Balance,Health,and Workplace Safety: Experiences of New Nurses in the Context of Total Worker Health

This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module for 1.0 contact hour of continuing nursing education credit will be awarded by AAOHN upon successful completion of the posttest and evaluation.

A certificate will be awarded when the following requirements are met by the participant: (1) Participant logs on to the AAOHN LMS website at www.aaohn.org/education/online-learning-center and enrolls in the course ($10 members; $15 non-members); (2) The completed posttest and course evaluation are entered online at http://www.aaohn.org by May 2021; (3) A score of 75% (6 correct answers) is achieved by the participant.

Upon completion of this lesson, the occupational health nurse will be able to:

• Describe the integration challenges faced by new nurses as they enter the workforce.

• Understand factors that are needed to assist a new nurse with adjusting to the workplace through the use of occupational health nursing practices.

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is an Approved Provider of continuing nursing education by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is additionally approved as a CNE provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (#CEP9283).

Contact hours received for successful completion of the posttest and evaluation may be used for relicensure, certification, and re-certification.

1. According to this study, the workplace into which new nurses entered exposes them to all but which occupational risk?

2. Limited control of the workload

3. Challenging work climates

4. Fast-paced work

5. Burnout

Of the new nurses entering today’s labor force, approximately ____% quit within the first year and ____% quit by the second year.

8%, 5%

9%, 4%

17%, 21%

20%, 33%

The impact of the work environment on new nurses included all but which factor?

Limited resources to do one’s job safely

Unsupportive work culture

Communication challenges and breakdowns

Heavy workloads

Gender inequities

The data analysis method used in this study included which of the following?

Gap analysis

Diagnostic analysis

Deductive thematic analysis

ANOVA

Logistic regression

New nurses struggled with learning to be a nurse for all the following reasons EXCEPT:

Being on a steep learning curve

Weighing out the academic learning against the practical applications

Proving their worth

Becoming independent and self-directing

Learning to advocate for their patients

New nurses reported that the protective factors against burnout and attrition were all but which factor?

Worker health and safety guidance

Coworker support

Collegiality among coworkers

Communication with coworkers

In accordance with the Total Worker Health model, how can the occupational health nurse prevent attrition and promote the health and safety of newly licensed nurses?

Educate the workforce on workplace health and safety

Link occupational health and safety risks with the transition from school to the workplace

Educate the new nurses on the importance of work–life balance

Support the transition process by exploring the challenges

Promote safe work practices