Workplace stressors and their impact on the nurse managers role

Abstract

Background: Nursing is one of the professions that is known to expose its members to stress. Additionally, nurse managers work in complex health care environments that expose them to a substantial amount of stress. Workplace stressors have a negative impact on the nurse managers’ performance. Objective: To explore workplace stressors and their impact on the nurse managers’ role. Methodology: The study followed a qualitative exploratory inquiry. Participants were nurse managers working in 11 public hospitals in Botswana. A total of 49 nurse managers participated in this study. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data through written narratives. Emerging themes were identified through the use of thematic analysis. Results: The study identified 6 themes that outlined workplace stressors as experienced by nurse managers as follows: shortage of resources; lack of managerial and leadership skills; lack of progression; lack of support from supervisors; staff indiscipline, and nature of work. Participants perceived that exposure to workplace stressors resulted in low morale, customer complaints, and compromised quality of care. Conclusions: The study revealed that nurse managers were exposed to various workplace stressors in the healthcare environment.  It was identified that the stress impacted negatively on the quality of care delivered to patients.