Abstract:
The aim of this is to identify the factors that cause the stress, the impact it has on the nurses performance and the coping strategies these nurses use in overcoming their job stress. Using a cross sectional research design, data was collected and collated on a total of eighty (80) nurses from the surgery directorate. A structured questionnaire covering the demographic data of the respondents, the sources of stress, the impact stress had on the performance of the nurse and the coping strategies they employ when under stress. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16.0 was used to analyze the data and the results were presented in the form of frequency, percentage tables, pie chart and bar chart. The findings of the study revealed that Registered nurses are stressed and this have significant impact on their job performance. The greatest perceived sources of stress were performing procedures that patients experience as painful, inadequate staff, having to deal with abusive patients, performing difficult nursing tasks, inadequate items to work with, workload, emotional issues related to death and dying and long distance from home. The impact of stress had on job performance identified included long hours at work affecting their outside relationships, under performance when under stress and pressure at work affecting health.
To cope with the enormous stress, the nurses resorted to taking a break, sick leave and annual leave
