Nursing burnout suggestions

[Surg-OncRN]

Hi everyone, trying to get a little feedback on how you have improved nurse burnout in your work area. I work at a Veterans Hospital. This is primarily focusing on outpatient in a hospital setting. I am not sure EAP(Employee Assistance Program) is the best resource for some of the actions below. Any suggestions are welcome. Has anyone come at this using the WIN program? If you work in the VA this may make a little more sense. Thanks

List specific actions you and/or your team members will take to make progress (must

be behavioral)

1. Recognition and reward: Simple recognition
   and reward activities.
   
2. Counseling: Employee assistance Program.
   Request EAP start offering group classes and attend biannual staff meetings to
   review what EAP has to offer....ie. Stress control classes, healthy eating and
   exercise.
   
3. Mentor and buddy programs (Build a support network)
   - Have nurses pair up to be able to listen/vent to one another
   

How will you ensure that each of these actions are completed?

1. Have each NM identify an employee quarterly to
   formally recognize. Continue recognition thank you letters for individual
   good work/deeds. Attend staff meetings quarterly to recognize employees.
   
2. Have nurse manager keep a log of who has attended
   EAP programs.
   
3. Have the nurse manager create a list of who is
   teamed/paired with another nurse.
   

[amoLucia]

Just to comment - having a NM keep a list of who attended EAP SMACKS of a 'big brother is watching you' endeavor that would make me resistant to try utilizing EAP for any services.

Keeping more & more lists just makes me more suspicious!

Might just be me, but this sounds like a school project??

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

The specific actions would be adequate staffing and assuring time for breaks and lunch.

Gold stars do not do squat for nurses.

"Have the nurse manager create a list of who is teamed/paired with another nurse."

Far from a new concept. As charge nurse , when I made out the assignment.. I paired everyone for break.

[Surg-OncRN]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. To clarify, this is what my director suggested, and I (staff nurse) am working with him to improve upon what he has already done. Neither of us are experts in nurse burnout, but we are trying to get suggestions from every resource possible (including allnurses) to make the best plan possible.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

The starting point is listening to the staff nurses in your workplace, find out from them how they define burnout and if their perception is that there is a high level of burnout in the workplace, if so what do they believe is the root cause for the burnout? Maybe the real issue is unsafe workloads and working conditions, maybe management should work towards a culture of safety in the workplace. They can start checking with staff each day to see if there are safety concerns, if so, they will need to take steps to eliminate or minimize the concerns and report back to the staff how the issue was resolved.

Dictating mandatory EAP sessions and keeping lists of who staff attend EAP sessions just shows management doesn't understand their staffs' right to privacy, it will not improve the workplace and it may lead to more distrust and dissension.

Giving kudos should be a natural part of the workplace not a bandage to placate staff when the management are not willing to address problems. Management needs to show they are willing to work on fixing the workplace problems first and foremost, then give recognition for staff's hard work.

[JKL33]

I'm not an expert in nurse burnout either, but my belief based on observation of this circus is that the term itself is often misapplied so that it no longer refers to a situation of personal crisis, but is now a quick label for those with various qualms about the current state of the acute care environment.

The key to most "nursing burnout" these days is treating people with human decency. It's really very simple. No one gives a hoot about quarterly recognition or any other façade, but would rather be supported in day-to-day endeavors with patients.

[Guest716906]

The specific actions would be adequate staffing and assuring time for breaks and lunch.

Gold stars do not do squat for nurses.

"Have the nurse manager create a list of who is teamed/paired with another nurse."

Far from a new concept. As charge nurse , when I made out the assignment.. I paired everyone for break.

Agreed.. ADEQUATE STAFFING AND BREAKS. those 2 things right there prevent burnout. In my 4 years of nursing, those floors have the nurses that stay the longest. It's rare to find units like that though. And nurses should not need counseling to just go to work. They should feel happy and comfortable at work!

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

Ditto on what everyone else said and absolutely NO to keeping a list of who gets EAP. You should do the opposite. EAP should be strictly confidential, otherwise it is worthless.