Nursing Burnout

rn2bn07, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2009

What I've seen through my almost 2 years of nursing experience:D, is nurses leaving because of this:

Nonsupporting management causing understaffed floors and units.
Long heavy 12 hour shifts, from working your butt off because of understaffed floors and units.
Bad orientation for new nurses, no support from other co-workers, being misguided and judged by more experienced nurses, nurses stabbing you in the back for whatever reason.
Nurses with advanced nursing degrees leaving the bedside to pursue their career in Education, CRNA, Nurse Practitioner, CNS, or Midwifes, although some still practice at the bedside as RN's but not many.
Tired of abusive patients with mental issues, who needs a sitter but management does not feel they do. This is what I mean by nonsupport from management. The pt is causing you and maybe the tech, if you have one available on the floor, to have to spend more time with this pt, causing you to neglect your other pt's and charting is up the WAZOOO, because you are behind.
Coming to work to find out you have that pt the next day and you had already him two days ago. Dang can I get a break? You know what I mean.
Receiving assignment-7 pt's, one discharge, one admission, one needing blood transfusion, one blood sugar 50, one blood pressure 80/30 or 184/110, etc... You will have nights like this but not all time.:angryfire
No respect from families, pt's, coworkers, management, you name it... If in this situation, please leave that floor and get better support someone else because its not like this everywhere. But that is what I have or another coworker has experienced and it makes you wonder sometimes is it really all worth it. Well my conclusion to that is, yes, if you have the passion for it, because at the end of the day you feel like you are the one who made a difference in your pt's life and nothing else can top that.

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 1, 2009

A lot of nurses have not learned to take care of themselves while they take care of others. That is a HUGE part of the problem.

People who choose nursing often (but not always) feel a drive to care for other people. That's part of the reason they chose nursing as a career. When they find themselves in a health care environment full of people who have needs, they try to meet all those needs -- often at the expense of their own well-being. Saying "No" is not something they are used to doing. So many end up stretching themselves too thin.

Also, some people (particularly young people) may not have much experience in the adult work world. Navigating the complex relationships in that world is not the same as those in school with your student peers and teachers. The expectations and behaviors are different -- which adds stress that some young people and new nurses really struggle with. Many people expect the nursing world to be "nice" and "caring" and "nurturing" as a profession and are not prepared for it to be just as "cut-throat" and stressful as other professions -- even more so, at times.

Yes ... there are lots of stressors in the health care industry. But the stressors themselves are only part of the problem. The other BIG part of the problem that is very prevalent within nursing is that many new nurses are not prepared to deal with those stressors -- and are not prepared to deal with those stressors and take good care of themselves in the process.

Develop those interpersonal skills necessary to be a good team member in the adult workworld -- and combine that with good stress management skills -- and you will greatly decrease your chances of becoming burned out.