Prof. Amy Witkoski Stimpfel receives funding to study sleep, stress, and substance use among new nurses

Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, PhD, RN, assistant professor at NYU Meyers, has received funding from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to conduct a qualitative study of sleep, stress, and substance use among nurses in the first five years of practice. The one-year, $127,977 grant begins in August and will fund research using innovative virtual focus groups to collect data from new nurses across the country.

Research shows that nurses have the same rate of substance use disorders as the general public, but several factors put them uniquely at risk, including job-related stress and access to medications. Substance use by nurses has the potential to puts patients and nurses themselves at risk for injury or death.

Through these virtual focus groups, the project will provide new data on new nurses’ sleep, stress, and substance use and describe the culture of substance use in this at-risk and growing population of nurses.  The project will help to meet the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s research priority area on substance use disorder in nurses.  

“Our findings will advance the science of nursing regulation and will have direct policy implications. The results will enable us to develop interventions to improve nurses’ well-being and reduce their risk for substance use disorder, which in turn ensures the safety of patients,” Witkoski Stimpfel said.

Lloyd Goldsamt, PhD, senior research scientist at NYU Meyers, is the study’s co-investigator. Christine Kovner, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Mathy Mezey Professor of Geriatric Nursing at NYU Meyers, will serve as a senior advisor.