1. Coping Skills For The Medical Assistant
Chapter 5

2. What Is Stress? Body’s response to mental and physical change
What constitutes stress is highly individual and depends on personality type

3. Adaptation to Stress Three categories of stressors
Frustrations
Conflicts
Pressure
Short duration and long duration stress
Stress has both negative and positive affects on the body

4. Adaptation to Stress
Sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for “fight or flight”
Parasympathetic nervous system returns the body back to normal after the stressor has been removed

5. Adaptation to Stress
^^ Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) theory proposes that four stages are involved in adapting to stress.

6. Managing Stress Understand the cause Powerless
Round peg in square hole
Traumatic events
Environmental impacts
Management style
Failure to satisfy needs

7. Managing Stress Requesting a written job description
Planning, prioritizing, and organizing
Manage your personal lifestyle
Mental attitude
Physical condition (Table 5-1)

8. Managing Stress Manage your personal lifestyle
Maintain positive interpersonal relationships
Be respectful of others
Be a diligent worker
Be willing to learn
Be honest
Be willing to assume responsibility for your actions

9. Managing Stress Manage your personal lifestyle
Maintain positive interpersonal relationships
Express appropriate humor
Exemplify an attitude of humility
Be goal directed
Understand Maslow’s levels of need

10. What Is Burnout? Stages of burnout Honeymoon stage Reality stage
Dissatisfaction stage
Sad state stage

11. What Is Burnout? Role of personality on work environment
Characteristics associated with burnout
in the workplace
Role conflict
Role ambiguity
Role overload
Role value

12. Burnout Prevention
Develop time management and prioritization techniques
Develop outside interests
Take steps to live a healthful lifestyle

13. Burnout Prevention Conduct a self-evaluation Set realistic goals
Obtain a written job description

14. Managing Burnout
Changes to implement once you recognize you are in the burnout cycle
Make concerted effort to say “No” when asked to assume additional work responsibilities
Prioritize work or delegate to others with the approval of your supervisor
Change your work-related environment by creating variations
Evaluate the negative feelings about your job and attempt to replace them with more positive thoughts

15. Managing Burnout
Changes to implement once you recognize you are in the burnout cycle
Adopt an attitude of pleasure and fun associated with your job
Establish short- and long-term realistic goals and write them down with a plan to make them happen
Attempt to develop friendships with coworkers and occasionally go to lunch together
Embark on a program of relaxation and meditation to reduce stress

16. Goal Setting as a Stress Reliever
Outer-directed people vs. inner-directed people
Goal-oriented employees
More effective and assertive than others who are not

17. Goal Setting as a Stress Reliever
What is a goal?
Specific, challenging, realistic, attainable, and measurable
Long-range versus short-range goals
Short-range goals help achieve long-range goals
Long-range goals may take three to five years to accomplish

18. Goal Setting as a Stress Reliever
Long- and short-range goals help make changes in our lives
Goals make life interesting
We can all reach goals
successfully