Identification of stress factors perceived to be significant to the role of the neonatal nurse practitioner

A study to identify stress factors perceived to be of significance in the role of the neonatal nurse practitioner was conducted. The purposes of this study were to determine if role stress existed among neonatal nurse practitioners in a hospital setting, and to identify significant role senders who contributed to this role stress. The study was conducted in Salt Lake City, Utah over a 2 month period. The sample population which consisted of 16 individual was divided into two referent groups; role occupants and role senders. The data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation study and the Paired t-test were employed. No significant data were obtained because of small sample size. However, trends and impression were observed. Both study groups agreed that the neonatal nurse practitioners did experience role stress in the performance of their work. Role senders who contributed to this stress were the unit medical director, staff neonatologists, staff nurses, and members of the patient's family. Role stress had positive as well as negative effects on practitioner's performance and implied that a certain degree of role stress was beneficial.