Intervención temprana en factores de estrés en estudiantes de salud al iniciar prácticas clínicas

Abstract

This quantitative study, with a single-sample pre-experimental design, aimed to evaluate the stress-generating factors in Higher Level Nursing Technician students during their first clinical practices. The research was carried out in the city of Chillán with a sample of 18 students in their second academic semester. To identify the stress factors, the KEZKAK questionnaire was used, a validated tool to identify the main stress factors in 9 dimensions to health students during their clinical practices. The instrument was applied at two times: before and after an educational intervention consisting of talks and workshops on stress management, covering concepts such as self-control, adaptation, resilience and emotional intelligence.

The results showed a significant decrease in the stress-generating factors after the intervention, indicating that the students developed essential skills to manage stressful situations in clinical contexts. The dimension with the greatest reduction was “emotional involvement,” followed by “lack of competence,” “suffering,” “helplessness,” “overload,” and “relationship with tutors and peers,” in agreement with previous research. Statistical analysis using the Student T test showed a significant difference between pre- and post-intervention measurements (p= 0.009), confirming the positive effect of the intervention.

It is concluded that educational interventions focused on stress management, resilience, and emotional intelligence are effective in preparing students for the emotional and practical challenges of clinical practice. These strategies not only contribute to improving academic performance, but also the psychological and emotional well-being of participants. It is recommended to increase the sample size in future studies and explore the implementation of these interventions on a regular basis in training programs for technical health careers.