A nurse is seeking consultation on strategies to cope with the ...

[naturalchemist]

A nurse is seeking consultation on strategies to cope with the potential for burnout while working on a psychiatric unit. Which of the following strategies demonstrates the nurse's ability to reduce the occurrence of burnout?
 
  1. Focus on paperwork when the stress of listening to the clients becomes too much.
  2. Pursue personal needs for social interactions during days off.
  3. Take breaks often to relieve internal stress signals.
  4. Maintain an accurate awareness of each client's needs throughout inpatient stays.

Question 2

A mother told the nurse she was appalled that the nurse would dare to ask if she took any drugs during her pregnancy.
 
  The nurse explains that the information is important in understanding the child's health because embryonic exposure to toxins during pregnancy is the major risk factor for: 1. Depression in preschoolers.
  2. Lactose intolerance.
  3. Mental retardation.
  4. Mental illness.

[b614102004]

Answer to Question 1

2
Rationale: Nurses who recognize that personal needs are an integral part of professional practice will be able to maintain concern and feeling for their clients. Maintaining an accurate awareness of client needs is not realistic and implies that the nurse can provide perfect care. Nurses who focus on paperwork tend to cope with stress by distancing themselves from the clients. Taking frequent breaks is an attempt to escape from one's stress rather than attend to it.

Answer to Question 2

3
Rationale: The major risk factor for retardation is the early alteration of embryonic development because of exposure to toxins in utero (maternal drug use, for example) or chromosomal changes (such as Down syndrome). Depression in preschoolers, mental illness, and lactose intolerance are not associated with maternal drug use.