Date of Award

5-2009

Document Type

Independent Study

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Abstract

To combat consequences of long-term effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by \\'Orking conditions during and after a school shooting event, administration must ensure that their employees are offered adequate treatment. It is important to identify and address areas of work-related stress. Therefore, employees should be aware of the health needs of their staff following a traumatic event in the workplace. The purpose of this project was three fold: I) to explore current literature to discover experiences of nurses receiving victims of a school shooting at a health care facility; 2) to determine what the literature reveals about how the nurses responded to the traumatic community event; and 3) to determine how research studies reviewed recommended resources which could be available to nurses in similar situations. A literature review was completed, based on scholarly articles which have been published within the last ten years. Factors related to PTSD after traumatic events were recognized as significant while completing the literature search. Information is needed to assess the necessity for adequate crisis intervention for Emergency Department (ED) nurses. This literature review will help provide a clearer picture of how administration can offer measures to ensure that their employees are cared for appropriately following a traumatic event in the workplace. The emergency Nurses Association's position statement on stress management strategies supports the development and utilization of Critical Incident Stress Management (C.ISM) to accelerate the recovery of emergency nurses from acute incidents. A broader perspective of how the events surrounding the school shooting affected those that were placed in the forefront of the traumatic event should be investigated fu1iher

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