ABSTRACT
Registered nurses (RN) who work in hospitals often find themselves on the front lines of changes in their work roles, job responsibilities, and professional relationships. Moreover, many RNs are taking on the tasks once done by allied health personnel and medical support staff. The workplace stressors can result in negative outcomes for example, physical illness, relationship conflict, and poor job performance. In some cases, role stress may actually cause nurses to burn out and leave their hospital positions for other jobs or even other professions. Across the United States, spiralling health care costs, advancements in medical technology, and aging patient populations have transformed hospital health care delivery. Managed care— a system that strives to efficiently manage health care services and reduce medical costs—has driven many hospital changes. To remain competitive, more and more hospitals have been forced to do things differently through strategies such as reducing or limiting medical services, implementing shorter patient stays, downsizing staff, and restructuring employee roles.
