Stress in Radiology Nursing

• Nurses have complex and stressful jobs.
• Common symptoms, stressors of stress, and the physiology of stress.
• Stressors of radiology nurses.
• Critical incident debriefing.
• Strategies to manage stress.

Nursing continues to be complex and stressful. Radiology nurses are not immune from the pressures and stresses encountered in the radiology department. To understand the concept of stress more fully, a brief history of stress is examined from the work of early theorists: Walter Cannon, Hans Selye, and Richard Lazarus. The physiology of stress with the resulting signs and symptoms is discussed with the specific impact on the modern radiology nurse. Causes and consequences of burnout from constant stress left unchecked are deliberated. Finally, attention is given to strategies used by other disciplines with interventions. Radiology nurses can be employed to manage stress levels and enhance coping skills in a changing health care climate.