UNDERSTANDING NURSING-STUDENTS STRESS - A PROPOSED FRAMEWORK

A paucity of comprehensive research, as well as inconsistent applicati on of theories/conceptual frameworks, have resulted in a limited knowl edge of stress in nursing students. The purpose of this paper is to es tablish a framework for understanding the stress/coping/adaptation pro cess in the nursing student population. To this end, Pollock's Adaptat ion Nursing Model (Pollock 1984) is discussed and subsequently recomme nded as a possible alternative. Utilization of this framework as an or ganizing construct for the paper facilitates a comprehensive review of recent literature related to stress in undergraduate nursing students . In addition, it is proposed that Pollock's model can provide nurse e ducators, practitioners, administrators and researchers with a framewo rk for understanding nursing students' stress.