Talking about the Experiences at Work: Fostering Senior Nurses' Emotional Intelligence in Groups

Abstract

Due to their work with patients, nurses are susceptible to compassion fatigue, making it critical for them to develop the emotional intelligence (EI) needed to gauge the state of their emotional health in the workplace and to deal with emotional exhaustion; so-called compassion fatigue. The aim of this study was to show how senior nurses, who carry the burden of responsibility in wards, can make themselves aware of and express their feelings by talking in groups about their experiences at work. Ten sessions were conducted by three researchers. Seven nurses from different general hospitals who had four years' or more work experience participated. The results revealed that they experience a wide variety of negative feelings, such as fear, helplessness, guilt and anger, which until then they had been unaware of. They also became aware of their own expectations toward and disappointments with their supervisors, and realized they harbored unresolved conflicts, which stemmed from their childhood experiences. The group sessions allowed them to regain confidence in others and in themselves.