Nurse Burnout has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Media has been on a streak covering its impact on nurses and its relationship with the nursing shortage. While attending the 2022 American Health Care Journalist (AHCJ) Conference in Austin, Texas, the number of discussions over burnout was nothing short of surprising. Burnout is a phenomenon that has reared its ugly head not only within the United States but globally, and despite it happening in all professional areas, no other profession has felt it more than nurses and health care workers. Over the years, the research has focused on the contributing factors. Still, not enough research suggests strategies that may help resolve the big issue at hand — burnout nurses leave the profession. What if nursing programs could tackle this issue head-on from the start? Perhaps tackling it through an initiative to educate nursing students in nursing school to prepare for the professional role. What is Burnout? Burnout is overwhelming exhaustion and an emotional drain because of prolonged mental, emotional, and physical stress. It's attributions have been well-researched over the years. The University of St. Augustine of Health Sciences (USAHS) published an article on July 2020 entitled, “Nurse Burnout: Risk, Causes and Precautions for nurses,” which describes the most common extrinsic factors as lack of sleep, long hours of work, high-stress environments, lack of support and emotional strain from patient care. That directly correlates with the working environment of a professional nurse. It’s astounding that burnout similarly impacts our bodies as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nurses are continuously hypervigilant while caring for high acuity patients. The level of alertness and heightened stimuli, in combination with extended hours in a stressful environment, is a recipe for burnout ... unless one has the resources and knowledge to combat this phenomenon.  What Does Research Say about Personality and Burnout?  Personality may put the professional nurse at a higher or lower risk of burnout. A 2020 article published on Very Well Mind, entitled “Traits and Attitudes that Increase Burnout Risk,” notes that personality characteristics may play a significant role in the susceptibility to burnout as a nurse. It claims that perfectionists, pessimists, excitable, and Type A personalities may be at a slightly higher risk. In 2020, The Journal of Nursing and Care published a cross-sectional quantitative study by Nathan Pacheco entitled “Nature or Nurture: The Relationship between Self-care, Personality traits, and Burnout in Critical Care Healthcare Professionals.” The study aims to answer the following question “Why, under the same working conditions, do some employees burn out and others do not?” It expands on the fact that all personality types may be at risk, but a single personality has a significantly higher risk. Like Very Well Mind, this research notes that agreeable or perfectionist personalities are more likely to be affected by burnout. This contributes to the high turnover rate among healthcare professionals and the nursing shortage conundrum. A 2021 study by Delana Galdino de Oliveira entitled “Exploring Global Research Trends in Burnout among Nursing Professionals: A Bibliometric Analysis” reviewed over 1406 articles to gather global statistics on burnout. The analysis showed that roughly 43% of nurses had high burnout scores. This research found that most studies covered prevalence, associated factors, predictors, etc. It also found that there was a lack of studies covering strategies for prevention. How Strategic Initiatives Can Help Restore Balance and the Nursing Profession How does this apply to nursing students? Nursing students should know the research and burnout phenomena. Although the nursing profession gives plenty of fulfillment, it also comes with responsibility and high-stress levels. Therefore, nursing students must understand themselves, their personalities, their character, and how they respond to stress before entering the professional role.  What Can Educators Do?  Through transparency and education in nursing school, educators can help regain balance in nurses and help slow down the rate at which the nursing shortage is happening. In his study, Pacheco referenced a 2009 study by Deborah McElligott, who wrote: “Health Promotion in nurses: is there a healthy nurse in the house?” She notes the importance of straightening stress management and self-care among nurses through health promotion strategies in nursing school before entering professional practice. The results showed that “… Guided, organization-led interventions aimed at bolstering health and self-care may improve intervention effectiveness.” There is an increase in recognition of the necessity for self-care training before entering practice; perhaps the innovation of courses that aim at self-care would serve nursing students and professionals alike. Pacheco hits the target with this statement:  Therefore, preventive initiatives can be effective. Consequently, I agree with Pacheco’s analysis that supports the idea that initiatives may combat nurse burnout. Strategies that may be useful as part of innovative programs such as these would include the following:  Awareness of personality type and level of stress management.  Awareness about burnout and steps on how to take action against it.  Learning to cope with stress management.  Learning self-advocacy.  Learning ways to evaluate nursing specialties. Evaluation of the environment, the team dynamics, and how it aligns or misaligns with one’s personality.  Awareness of the resources available to nurses and where to find support.  Awareness of the variety of nursing specialties. Learning to find the best environment that brings fulfillment as a professional nurse. Conclusion The impact burnout is having on nursing professionals is clear. We recognize the importance of building a strategic approach aimed at nursing students before starting their professional careers. There is a need for research to create and evaluate practical, strategic approaches. American Nurses Association has taken the initiative. It has launched the “National Well-being Initiative for Nurses.” They designed this program for nurses in the U.S. to offer resources that aid in building resilience and offer tools to learn to manage stress and overcome trauma. Initially, it supported the trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, its effectiveness is a step toward other strategies that may balance the nursing shortage by handling one of the core problems. Since trauma is nearly the description of burnout, any nurse experiencing burnout may benefit from these programs. I have to say; that it is a beautiful start to an overdue needed strategic approach that may help combat burnout rates and the nursing shortage.  References/Resources Nurse Burnout: Risks, Causes, and Precautions for Nurses

Traits and Attitudes That Increase Burnout Risk

Nature or Nurture: The Relationship between Self-Care, Personality Traits, and Burnout in Critical Care Healthcare Professionals

Health promotion in nurses: is there a healthy nurse in the house?

Exploring Global Research Trends in Burnout among Nursing Professionals: A Bibliometric Analysis American Nurses Foundation Launches National Well-being Initiative for Nurses