STRESS,COPING METHODS,AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT NURSES

Nursing is a profession which emphasizes health teaching and counseling. Although nurses have a special responsibility to promote health behavior in clients, they have been somewhat slew in involving themselves in personal fitness practices (Macnamara, 1980).

Commitment to the concept of personal health is crucial since those professionals with better personal health habits tend to discuss with clients more health related topics and counsel them more aggressively in regard to personal health habits (Wells, 1984). This paper describes new graduate nurses’ perceived stress level, personal health status, and their methods of coping with stress. The value of physical activity in coping with students’ stress is of particular interest as part of the development of their future client counseling role.