What You Need to Know about Nurse Burnout

Feeling overwhelmed or drained at work? You’re not alone. According to a recent poll of more than 7,500 full-time employees, 23%frequently experience burnout. Another 44%noted that they feel burnt out occasionally.

Employee burnout is likely to impact those in stressful, demanding professions. Thus,it’s not surprising that nurses deal with burnout. 

Experts define burnout as a condition that results from work-related stress, causing a decrease in emotional, physical and psychological energy.This, in turn, can lead to negative feelings toward medical staff and patients — as well as an inability to function effectively at work. 

Researchers have identified three primary aspects of burnout: 

• Emotional exhaustion : involves being overwhelmed by the stress and pressure of work, which may include feeling depressed, helpless, hopeless, and physically and emotionally “spent.”
• Depersonalization is a type of detachment, where individuals are less empathetic toward others, or don’t care about the people with whom they work — including medical staff and patients. 
• Low personal accomplishment means feeling inadequate or incompetent at work, which also affects the employee’s level of contribution to his or her position. 

While burnout among nurses is relatively common, there are strategies to help combat it:

• Implementing wellness programs: These can encourage nurses to incorporate stress reduction and wellness strategies into their day to help them take better care of themselves. 
• Creating collaborative, respectful work environments: Whennurses’ opinions are sought and considered, they feel engaged and valued. 
• Using scheduling software: This tool eases the demand on nursing managers — leaving them free to devote more time to patients and staff. 
• Encourage healthy behaviors: Factors such as eating a nutritious diet, getting plenty of sleep, exercising and embracing stress management strategies can help make nurses less susceptible to burnout. 
• Stay alert to nurses’ emotional and physical health: Make sure that nurses feel comfortable bringing workplace issues to their superiors, and encourage an open door policy. 

For further information, be sure to review the accompanying infographic courtesy of ScheduleAnywhere.