b'| CAREERS GUIDE CAREERS GUIDESocial Anxiety In The Hospital Setting: How To Get Over That Hump As A NurseIts perfectly natural, but it doesnt have to dictate the course of your career By Ersilia Pompillio RN, MSN, PNPW hen you think of the nursing profession, what usuallyanxiety disorder, symptoms are reported for 10 or more years before comes to mind are the words caring and empathic.seeking help. Nurses are always around people. Oftentimes, nursesIts not just about being shy. Shyness is usually short term and are thrust into situations that may not be so comfortable. But what ifdoes not disrupt someones life. Social anxiety is a common mental you have social anxiety? Are you able to be a good nurse? health disorder. People with social anxiety are in constant fear of Nurses face numerous social situations which can cause an increasebeing judged, humiliated and or ridiculed. The common definition in social anxiety. Being mentally assaulted by patients and relatives,of social anxiety is a marked persistent fear of one or more social or witnessing pain, death and threats to life can all create a heightenedperformance situations involving exposure to un-familiar people or level of anxiety and stress. Several studies reporting on occupationalpossible scrutiny by others. stress among hospital nurses conclude that the main causes of anxiety are related to pressure from work, such as workloads or ethical issuesHAS COVID-19 INCREASED SOCIAL ANXIETY IN NURSES? that nurses need to make. Studies have also found that nursing anxi- A recent study found that nurses working on the front lines during ety is a factor that affects the quality of nursing care. COVID-19 suffered more burnout, mental exhaustion and social My patient kept wanting to talk to me about their son and want- anxiety. Mental health outcomes were due to skin lesions, negative ing to set me up with him? My social anxiety was creeping in. I wasself-efficacy, resilience, social support and front-line work resilience. feeling very uncomfortable. I didnt know what to say as idle chit chatBurnout and fear of contracting COVID-19 and potentially dying also is not my thing. I didnt want to be rude and pull away. I was afraidshowed an increase in social anxiety experienced by nurses.my patient would report me to my manager. Plus, IVs were beeping in other rooms, I had meds to give patients, and other things on theWHAT CAUSES SOCIAL ANXIETY? unit to tend to, stated a new nurse suffering from social anxiety.The exact cause of social anxiety is unknown. Low serotonin levels have been noted to be a possible cause of social anxiety. An overactive HOW COMMON IS SOCIAL ANXIETY IN NURSING? amygdala (the structure of the brain that controls fear response and The Anxiety and Depression Association of America states that aboutfeelings and or thoughts of anxiety) may also be a culprit. 15 million American adults have social anxiety disorder. The typi- There are some studies that suggest that genetics plays a role in social ISTOCKcal age of onset is 13 years of age. In 36 percent of people with socialanxiety. Anxiety disorders can run in families. A child might learn an www.elitecme.com |2021| CAREERS GUIDE 19'