[meownsmile]

It would be nice if more nurses would recognize the signs of their own burnout before they go "crispy".
3 years into my RN, after 10 as a LPN,, i saw myself starting to burn. Staying late to finish up, stressing over to many patients and not enough time. I stayed in the position but came to the realization that i am ONLY 1 person, i cant do the work of 3 and wont be pushed into it. I take one thing at a time and dont let myself get rushed and let stress take over. I leave basically ON time and dont sweat the small stuff if i have to leave a few things for the next shift. I dont let myself get guilted into taking extra shifts if it means my family will come second. I just say NO, no excuses, no regrets. Plus,, if we continue to pull up the slack they(facilities) keep letting themselves get into by not finding some more staff, we victimize ourselves.
Remember you arent really taking care of anyone if you dont take care of yourself first.

[mattsmom81]

Originally Posted by UnewmeB4

The thing that made me leave for 6 months, was, not administration policies, OT, patient care, ratios, etc.

What made me leave, was the constant complaining from our very own Nurses! Yeah, no lie. It was getting me down, until I didn't want to "come here anymore" either.

Good point. Our work is sooo difficult and demanding that complaining on the job just drains away our precious energy. Better to make a productive helpful decision like limiting OT and duties than to complain without any action.

I have learned over the years though, that we all need a safe place to vent but we also need to be aware if we are draining colleagues of energy...not good.

[VickyRN]

Great article!

Rx for Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue describes the emotional, physical, social and spiritual exhaustion that overtakes a person and causes a pervasive decline in his or her desire, ability and energy to feel and care for others. Such fatigue causes the sufferer to lose the ability to experience satisfaction or joy professionally or personally. Compassion fatigue is not pathological in the sense of mental illness, but is considered a natural behavioral and emotional response that results from helping or desiring to help another person suffering trauma or pain....

Burnout has been associated with the routine hassles of nursing work such as dealing with time pressures, managing complex patient loads or coordinating care with other departments and team members. This condition reminds us of a candle that goes out because the wax has been used up. We say the candle is “burned out.” Similarly, we refer to the grass in our lawn as being burned out in late summer due to the stress of high heat and decreased rainfall. Situations in which nurses experience powerlessness, frustration and difficulty in meeting personal and professional expectations can lead to burnout. Burnout can be experienced by anyone, but in nursing it is seen as a predictable phenomenon that results from the intensity and conditions of our work. Nurses who are burned out usually become less empathetic to their patients and display negative behaviors toward coworkers. As a less complicated response to the demands of nursing, making changes in the work environment, taking a vacation or changing jobs can help the nurse with burnout to recover.