Stress, Anxiety, and Well-being in Nurse Anesthesia Doctoral Students

An emerging degree program of student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) enrolled in a doctoral program of study exemplifies a highly challenging educational path with intense clinical and academic requirements. The focus of this study was to address the lack of research about SRNAs' stress, anxiety, and well-being by exploring responses from the newest doctoral cohorts. Students who were enrolled in a doctoral nurse anesthesia program of study from a small urban university completed valid and reliable questionnaires measuring self-perceived stress, anxiety, and distress. Other questions revealed students' perceptions of performance, experiences, and suggestions for improvement. Results were analyzed using statistical software (SPSS version 24.0, IBM Corp) and open-coded thematic analysis. Significant results revealed that as numbers of SRNAs with low well-being increased, so did levels of anxiety (P=.02), perceived stress (P=.001), and perceived impacts on academic performance (P=.003). Open-ended questions described students' perceptions of stress, newonset anxiety, poor well-being, and a lack of support and provided suitable suggestions for improving wellbeing in students. The prevalence of stress, anxiety, and low well-being among SRNAs enrolled in a doctoral program suggests the need for developing interventions and educational changes to improve the well-being of students in the anesthesia community.