Burnout tips?

Sounds like you need a vacation! Seriously, some time away from the ER to relax and decompress would do you good.

I find there are days when I feel this way. Some days it is every patient that drives me nuts, other days it is sefinitely the team I a workng with.... bunch of ding dogs. Then the next day is great. Hang in there.

I found that no amount of vacation helped me. I got out. Now I work in a small community ED, and it's different. It's more personal and people don't get away with acting like asses. Of course, I haven't been at it for very long, but so far it's a far cry from the big regional trauma center.

It took me 26 days to realize the ER was not my cup of tea. Maybe you should explore other options?

Sometimes when boundaries are over stepped or you feel a loss of control this can come across as frustration and irritation. I know one of the most empowering sentences I began to tell patients who were belligerent was "I understand you feel ____(insert angry, scared, frustrated) You have a right to feel that way and I will do my best to help you. But I like to be treated with respect- as I know you do too, so I would appreciate it if you would please change your tone when speaking with me" or the inappropriate patient "I would appreciate it if you would refrain from inappropriate comments like that. I am here to help you. Please talk to me as you would your daughter, mother, grandmother."

The same concept can be said about co-workers like the floor nurse who yells at you for report. Say something like "wow it sound like you are stressed/busy, perhaps I can give report to another nurse on your floor or you can call me back in 5 minutes?"

As far as patient family member if they get to crazy you can always ask them to leave with security's assistance.

Time away from work is always helpful. Use that time wisely to do the things that nurture you, whatever they are: painting, exercise, yoga, church, family time, going to the movies, a cooking class. You get the idea. Taking care of other people and never yourself is bad news. Nurture those non-nurse parts of you. Interestingly, I find I have more to talk about with my patients when I can make good small talk about stuff outside work. Nothing like distraction about the latest football game during an IV start to help distract my patient.

The very nature of ER work is stressful and our patients can very well suck the lifeblood out of us if we let them. It definitely took some time for me to take a step back and say to myself, "I am dealing with a manipulative patient. They need to be told 'no.'" Consider what behaviors are bothering you and then learn how to set boundaries for those behaviors. In the ER there are definitely times to "let it roll off you back" and there are times to address bad behavior. Consider that. No one deserves to be treated like crap. I'm always working on this.

For me personally working a million hours a week leaves me tired and cranky and unable to deal with things as well as I would if I were fresh and rested. I limit the amount of OT I work because it will negatively affect my patient care and my ability to handle ****** situations. I find that I'm at my most burnt out after working too many shifts in a row.

If you can't change your environment, change your shift. Switch to days. Switch to nights. Work fast track. Work triage. Different crew, different atmosphere. I work in a relatively large setting and can request to work in a different part of the ER. I can also request to have a different work-buddy - the RN who works in the rooms beside or adjacent to me.

Talk to someone you work with about the burnout. If they've been there for awhile they've been there too and might have some practical suggestions.

1.5 years you say?

You need a change of venue. Good luck.

PA,

I think burnout is happening to me now at 2.5 years in the ED. When I started losing my empathy and sympathy for almost everyone except the very sickest patients, I realized what was happening. I want to care. I love the ED. My solution? I will begin to work 1 of my 3 days per week in the ICU, where I won't have to deal with the heavy traffic and my patients will be truly sick. I'm hoping it works out.

I suspect this is an evolutionary process as well, working through stages of growth as a nurse. If I can emerge from this stage with my compassion and love of nursing intact, it will be a positive stage to move through. I hope you are able to move through this phase and maintain your love of nursing. I wish you the best.

Quick update! I changed a few things- no more OT and I took a lovely eight days of PTO and did whatever I wanted to do, which, to be honest, was a whole lot of nothing. I feel much better and was clearly just in a rough spot.

Thank you for the venting opportunity and the excellent advice!