Project Scope and Plan (PSP)-Final

General Information: I'm doing a project on acute stress reduction on my unit. I have decided to
use the night shift nurses as my primary audience.
Project name: Stress reduction-15 minute timeout
Project Manager name: Danielle Bular, RN, ADN, OCN
Site: Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Location: Hematology/Oncology unit
A. Project Overview:
1. What opportunity or problem do you see in your workplace or community that you might
address as a project?
A hematology/oncology floor has a high level of stress for the staff members. The focus of my
project is to help reduce the level of stress felt on a night shift and implement positive ways to
reduce stress, by putting together stress reduction ideas for nurses which will include, but will
not be limited to; stress reduction respites, activities during lunch, a buddy system, car pooling,
relaxing resources, and massages. At least one 15-minute break will be made available during
your shift.
2. Why is this important to address? How will this project improve health care outcomes?
Nurses work in a high stress environment so there is a need for stress reduction. A high stress
environment can cause headaches, sleeping problems, weight gain and many other
negative health problems (APA, 2014). If nurses can be provided with positive coping skills they
might be able to reduce chronic stress. A 15-minute stress reducing session helps reduce acute
stress. As nurses, we care for everyone around us but sometimes forget that we need to look after
our health too.
3. Who will you do this project for? Have you talked your idea over with that person?
This project will be done for my unit. We work with hospice patient and those with rare blood
diseases and cancers. We work with a patient population from over 55 counties with many
barriers. Our unit is a very high stress environment that would benefit from this project. Working
with children, the burnout rate can be very high, by adding stress reduction into the shifts the
hope would be that the nurses would be able to cope with their situation better. By helping to
bring some ideas of stress reduction to the floor I hope that we could become a closer-knit unit
and have the opportunity to decompress during the shift and afterwards. The unit has good ways
to help the staff deal with stress, I only hope that I can add to the success by bringing some new
ideas to the unit that will be implemented. Hopefully by having some stress reduction activities
available during our shift we will have an opportunity to encourage other staff members and help
them to deal with their stress during our shifts.
B. Project Goal(s):
1. To establish and implement at least 10 options of available stress reduction during a 12
hour shift. The goal would be to see the nurses be able to have a break during their shift
and come back to their patients refreshed.

C. Project Objectives/Deliverables:
1. My objectives would be to provide opportunities for stress reduction during a 15-minute
session for staff members during their 12-hour shift.
2. Find a quiet spot free from distractions.
3. Transform the lunchroom with the availability of many stress reduction options.
4. Provide acute stress coping skills/stretching exercises handout. This would be a list of 10
different ways to a positively reduce stress during a 12 hour shift.
D. Comprehensive List of Project Requirements/Activities/Tasks:
1. Ideas for stress-reduction
a. Brainstorming about stress-reduction
b. Talked with preceptor about stress-reduction ideas
2. Bringing ideas to team manager-floor supervisor
a. Talk with preceptors and floor managers about bringing the ideas to the floorb. Using some of the places in the hospital on the floor to implement stress reducing
ideas
c. Organize programs for relaxation
3. Organize and Set up special places/papers in the hospital
a. Set up a room with a CD players and comfy chairs with dim lights
b. Relaxation ideas/ stretching exercises/coping skills handouts (organize)
i. Lead stretching exercises on my shift
c. Set up some special comfort foods/ flowers/ essential oils in break room
d. Put up and create poster boards in break room with snack ideas-lunch potluck to
reduce the need to bring in a meal every night.
e. Teach quick games to take our minds off of the stress
4. Implementation of relaxation resources every week until the end of Nov.
a. Make up schedules for snacks
b. Meet for breakfast after work as a group
c. See if we can have a message therapist come in during lunch.
d. Provide Coffee.
5. Organize Car Pooling
a. Can save nurses time and money (system for checking who is working)
6. Lunches- hour to distress per night items in lunch room to get mind off of stress
a. Watch TV
b. Message
c. Go to cafeteria
d. Yoga classes
e. Meditation
f. Classes
g. Sudoku/word search
h. Sit
7. Buddy SystemBeing able to talk with one person that you have a comfort level with.

8. Meet with supervisor once a week to discuss the progress

E. Timeline:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

September 25 - Six hours

September 25 - Nine hours
October 3 - Twenty-four hours November 21 Eleven hours
November 28 Fifteen hours
November 28 At least Ten hours
November 28 Sixteen hours
November 28 - Three hours
November 28 Five hours

F. Assumptions & Constraints:

1. Assuming that staff would want a 15-minute stress reduction but some will not take it
seriously so there might be a reduction in the number of people who attend a 15-minutes
sessions.
2. We assume that all nurses would need a break during work hours but some underestimate
their stress level and the need for a respite.
3. Assuming that space will be available to offer such services, there may not be extra
rooms available so using the break room or lunchroom may be necessary.
4. Assuming that nurses will participate, but some may have their own way of reducing
stress already in play.
5. We would assume that we will have at least one opportunity per shift to have a 15 minute
uninterrupted time for stress reduction, this may not happen due to impending needs of
our patients.

G. Success Criteria:

1. Nurses play a critical role in the healing process for the people that we encounter
everyday. Even though the majority of nurses do this job because they care about the
sanctity of life, it still comes with stress, heartache and compassion fatigue. Nurses barely
ever focus on themselves or have an in-depth understanding of what they need reduce
stress. This project is based on the idea of stepping back, realize what stress looks like
and how to handle it on the job. The hope is that this project will show a reduction in
stress and compassion fatigue on my unit. I will know if this project is successful by
nurses verbalizing a feeling of stress relief after a 15-minute session.
2. "We investigated whether compassion fatigue mediated associations between nurse
stress exposure and job satisfaction, compassion satisfaction, and burnout, controlling for
pre-existing stress" (Meyer, 2014).
3. My hope would be that the stress level could be reduced on our unit and we would come
together as a united unit.

American psychological Association (APA) (2014) Coping with stress at work. Retrieved
from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/work-stress.aspx
Meyer,R (2014) Pediatric Novice Nurses: Examining Compassion Fatigue as a Mediator
Between stress Exposure and Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, and Job Satisfaction. Retrieved
from http://www.pediatricnursing.org/article/S0882-5963(13)00373-4/abstract
H. Signatures: (no electronic signatures)
Project Manager_Danielle Bular RN, ADN, OCN____________
Nurse Manager/Supervisor/_Lori Stephany RN, BSN, CPN_____________
Phone: 513-636-4072 email: Lori.Stephany@cchmc.org