I originally pasted this as a reply, but I think it needs its own thread.
A therapist once told me that nurses have a real problem with codependency. The definition of codependence is: Always putting ones needs above your own needs. Feeling/thinking that someones elses needs are more important than your own. She said nurses have a bad habit of accepting assignments/workloads even when though they can't handle or don't want the workload. Their reasoning is "my manager wouldn't have asked me to do it unless it was really important", or "if I quit the agency because they treat me bad, it will be the patients that suffer". I'm sure you have all heard the rationalizations before. For our sanity, nurses need to learn to set boundaries. For example, with a new agency that I started at, I pleasantly made it clear that if I work the weekend, I need 2 days off during the week and only on very rare occasions will I work more than 8 hours per day.
Are you codependent or are you able to set boundaries?
