The Wellness Committee believes that a well anesthesia provider is one who uses healthy, adaptive, coping strategies to combat stress and fatigue in the workplace and home. 

The Wellness Program goals include providing education and skills to handle and combat stressful situations in the healthcare environment.  Some helpful resources can be found at AANALearn, where several online educational modules are included in wellness catalog to assist with this goal and earn CEs such as Combating Situational Fatigue in Anesthesia and four courses on Stress Management - stress on the job, resisting stress, assertiveness, and coping with anger.

Practice Positive Thinking:

One coping strategy is to think positively.  Some of your colleagues have written about  "Why I Became a CRNA"  to express why they dedicated their careers to the profession of nurse anesthesia.  You many find that many of these reflect how you felt too.  Look back at your thinking when you became a CRNA and seek ways to bring that positive attitude into your daily worklife.  Evaluate your strengths and reawaken your passion.  Remind yourself too of the unique and vitally important nursing skills that you offer each and every one of your patients. 

"To have a firm persuasion in our work - to feel that what we do is right for ourselves and good for the world at exactly the same time - is one of the great triumphs of human existence."  David Whyte, 2001

You can exercise positive thinking by quantifying your character strengths, gauging your current happiness,  and measuring routes to happiness at www.authentichappiness.com

Several previously published  Wellness Milestones  columns cover the subject of thinking positively, "Positive Little Things" published in the June 2009 NewsBulletin, "Savoring and Well-being" in September 2008, and "The Attitude Factor" in April 2006.  Follow this link to the full index of published  Wellness Milestones columns. 

Getting involved with your profession provides empowerment:

"Nurse anesthesia is a well-respected profession, largely due to the strong, resilient foundations of education and practice established by the AANA.  Integral to the Association are professionalism, collegiality, and belonging; a culture of shared values that balances individuality, respect, and a profound sense of identity and well-being; and a cultural understanding of the values the professional organization resources bring to each individual and their ability to practice." August 2008 Wellness Milestones - "Our Profession and Our Association"

Getting involved in advocating for a safe workplace for yourself and others:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) addresses issues specific to healthcare workers.

The Council on Surgical & Perioperative Safety (CSPS) endorses safe surgery principles with participation from all members of the multidisciplinary perioperative care team to achieve optimal patient outcomes.

Work Challenges To Your Well-being

Are you facing disruptive behavior or workplace incivility? Wellness Milestones columns address Anger, Harrassment, and Horizontal Violence and Managing the Dilemma   The Center for American Nurses provides information on conflict resolution and bullying in the workplace and a free webinar: 10 Tips for Addressing Disruptive Behavior

Have you been involved in an adverse medical event? This can be devastating for the nurse anesthetist or student nurse anesthetist.  Medically Induced Trauma Support Services (MITSS) advocates for the development of support services for care providers in healthcare institutions using a model of peer support. MITSS also provides direct services for care providers seeking confidential emotional support in one-on-one and group settings. The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation provides leadership, education, training, consultation, and support services in comprehensive crisis intervention and disaster behavioral health services to the emergency response professions, other organizations, and communities worldwide. Tips for healing from grief and loss: October 2009 Wellness Milestones "Change, Grief, and Healing"

Are you dealing with the emotional repercussions of litigation?   The American Association of Nurse Attorneys license defense attorneys now have the TAANA Searchable Directory available to locate nurse attorneys in many different specialties.

Do you feel the occupational hazard of compassion fatigue?

Can you avoid burnout? "The Art of Being Selfish"

Are you not working effectively as a team? According to Thomas M. Muha, MA, PhD, studies have identified six positive psychology principles that, when applied, can help achieve optimal functions within an organization.  These six principles have been termed PROPEL, which is an acronym for: Passion, Relationships, Optimism, Proactivity, Energy, and Legacy

  Note: The links above to resources outside the AANA website are included as a convenience and do not imply endorsement.  The AANA is not responsible for any content on these websites.

Share your workplace wellness strategies: wellness@aana.com