Problem: Brenda Dowell is a master's-prepared occupational health nurse. Brenda works in the employee health clinic of a fortune 500 business. This morning, Cindy True a 20 year employee visits Brenda with continued complaints of restlessness, lack of sleep, loss of appetite and a feeling that "life is not worth living"
Because of the economy and the possibility of continued layoffs Brenda has noticed signs of depression in many employees.
Task: As a nursing student completing a clinical rotation in Public Health Nursing, you make few observations to your Instructor that you want to share with Brenda. You base your observations on:
- What you know about mental health issues in the community
- What you understand about the application of the epidemiological model in the workplace
- What Brenda might consider in her role to assist her fellow employees