Facing Nurse Burn-Out: The Elephant in the Room
With the increase in workplace violence among healthcare workers, nursing shortages and staffing crises, now is the time we need to be addressing what happens when enough is enough. Now, more than ever, nurses are getting assaulted, threatened, over-worked, and pushed to their limits.
Nurses are expected to meet sometimes unrealistic demands and usually without thanks. Nurses are expected to fluff the pillows, bring the pain medication, and never be a moment late. Nurses are expected to lift both bodies and spirits.
Nurse burn-out can be the elephant in the room. Everyone knows it exists, but no one likes to talk about it. No one likes to admit it might be happening to them. The sad reality is, nursing is hard – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Some days are worse than others. Some shifts leave you questioning everything, such as life, death, family, and love. Some days you go home and question how you could ever step foot in your workplace again.
Feeling burned out doesn’t make you a bad nurse. It doesn’t mean you are weak. It doesn’t mean you “can’t take it” or are “too sensitive.” Burn-out is real, and it can happen to the best of us. The important thing to remember is you are not alone. Recognizing changes in your behavior or signs that you might be struggling can give you necessary insight about what you might be going through. Figuring out there’s a problem before it escalates can make all the difference in both your life and the life of your patients.
Changes to be aware of:
Being short or “snapping” at co-workers, patients, or their families
Calling in sick to work more frequently
Increased irritability
Anxiety about going back to work
Avoiding certain situations, patients, or doctors
Feeling a decreased sense of compassion or sympathy, sometimes referred to as compassion fatigue
Becoming distant with friends and co-workers
Sleep problems
Physical symptoms such as frequent headaches, fatigue, body aches, nausea
The beauty of nursing is that there are hundreds of jobs and positions within the field, allowing for constant opportunities for change. Not every nurse has to work at the bedside. Nurses today have options, and it’s important to explore them. If you think you might be suffering from burn-out, or maybe know someone who appears to be struggling, start the conversation. Sometimes simply talking about your frustrations, thoughts, or emotions can be an excellent tool. Find out what your resources are at your workplace, such as employee assistance programs. Finally, do some soul-searching, and figure out what brought you to nursing in the first place. Each of us has a reason for doing what we do, and sometimes we need to be reminded of that.
Nursing isn’t just a science but an art, and one of the few jobs that true passion and commitment are necessary to be successful. Nurses are so well respected because we love what we do, and if for any reason that changes, we owe it to ourselves and our patients to fix it.
Nursing is a challenging profession mentally, emotionally and physically. That is why burnout is so common among Nurses. As an HR in a healthcare organization, I can say that it affects the administration a lot. Burnout is one of the major causes of Nurse Turnover, which is very detrimental economically. I hope your article would help to educate people about nurse burnout. Thanks for your effort.