NurseWorks apps aim to reduce on-the-job stress

NurseWorks apps aim to reduce on-the-job stress, help stem the tide of nurses leaving the profession

One consequence of the nurse shortage is nurses leaving the profession early due to stress. One nurse has developed an organizational tool to alleviate some of that stress.

Orlando, FL – One out of five new registered nurses (RNs) quit before the end of their first year of nursing, according to a 2009 Rnworkproject.org study. Reasons they gave were due to being overworked, overstressed, underpaid and unappreciated.

Nurse Kathy Johnson, found a way to alleviate some of the stress of her job. She cares for up to 40 patients per night at an Orlando nursing home. Johnson created NurseWorks, a series of Android-based apps that provides all the needed checklists, calculators, demos, how-to’s, formulas and timers for routine and not-so-routine tasks. Now nurses can easily have every thing they need right in their pocket including all the patient information they have input which they can refer to when charting.



“Unfortunately, in the nursing profession, there are only so many questions you can ask before someone begins to wonder if you’re right for their facility,” said Johnson, who has almost 20 years of experience. “New nurses get a break, of course, but not for long. It’s important for the patients that they get up to speed.”

Johnson’s main app NurseWorks Assessment provides information on 15 different assessments such as vitals, cardiac, diabetic, pain, wounds, etc. She also created 10 other nursing apps for checking fluids, calculating IV drips, handling emergencies and/or disasters, paperwork for various situations and how-to procedures including what to do when things don’t go as planned.

According to Johnson, an LPN, the nursing shortage is only going to worsen as more of the Baby Boomer generation need extended healthcare and as more seasoned nurses are retiring.

“Anything that can lessen the stress of working short-handed and keep more nurses in the field longer is a God-send,” said Johnson, who has seen too many good nurses leaving the profession. “Organization is the key to surviving as a nurse and NurseWorks apps provides the organizational tools nurses need.”