Overcoming Secondary Stress in Medical and Nursing Practice: A Guide to Professional Resilience and Personal Well-Being

The mental and physical health of caregivers impacts more than just that individual worker.It affects the health of their patients, it impacts their families, it shapes communities, it influences politics, and it plays into international relations.Medical and nursing professionals working in today's health care settings must be prepared to offer support in dangerous times despite staffing shortages, financial pressures, and complex legal requirements.The nature of this work puts these professionals in harm's way not only physically, but at greater risk for secondary stress, trauma, burnout and other emotional impacts exacerbating the need for self-care. There is no better time to revisit the problem of secondary stress among caregivers than on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic.Times of challenge and change test health care professionals' self-care insights, strategy, and reserves.New learnings and ways of maneuvering through difficult professional practice situations and life in gener