Social work is stressful; in looking after the needs of others, it is very easy to overlook the need to look after oneself. What makes this even more likely is the fact that it is the true altruists at heart and the selfless people who enter these professions.
Nursing is one of the most underappreciated jobs in the healthcare sector. The frontline healthcare providers are often overworked, understaffed, overburdened, and working in stressful work settings. Burnout is likely; a survey conducted in 2021 revealed that 35% of RNs and 34% of LPNs reported feeling burned out.
Burnout is a state of exhaustion – mental, emotional, and physical – resulting from work-related stress. This is very dangerous in a profession as sensitive as nursing, where even minor mistakes can be very costly. In addition, nurse burnout can also contribute to poor patient satisfaction, high turnover, increased absences, and poor quality of care.
Causes Of Nursing Burnout
There can be several reasons for experiencing burnout, and the following are some common contributing factors:
1. Long work hours
Being overworked poses a serious threat of burnout; there is no denying the fact that nurses have to work long shifts. As the Baby Boomer generation is aging and ever since the pandemic struck, the demand for the healthcare sector has increased tenfold.
Many healthcare institutions have been unable to keep up with this increased demand by increasing their workforce, and as a result, they are understaffed. This means that healthcare workers have to work very long shifts.
Coupled with the degree courses that many registered nurses are simultaneously completing, there is often too much to handle. Fortunately, many nurses opt for online alternatives, like affordable RN to BSN online programs that are more flexible and easier to fit into the schedule than on-campus courses.
2. Sleep deprivation
Chronic sleep deprivation is a major contributing factor to nursing burnout. Amidst the long work hours and break-less shifts, nurses often find no time for a good night’s sleep, and napping during the day is insufficient.
NIH reports that approximately 30-70% of nurses get to sleep less than 6 hours.
3. Staff shortage
Staff shortage inevitably burdens the present employees, and healthcare is one of the sectors suffering from serious staff shortages, especially following the pandemic. To meet the community’s demands, nurses must work longer than usual shifts and compensate for understaffing. As a result, nurses might develop resentment and frustration, contributing to emotional burnout.
4. High-stress situations
Emotional and mental exhaustion is a major component of burnout, and stressful work environments play a significant role. Some nursing jobs are more stressful than others; for instance, nurses working in the emergency department or intensive care units will inevitably be dealing with traumatic injuries that have greater chances of mortality.
In a survey, 76% of the nurse respondents claimed that emotional exhaustion was a major factor in their burnout.
How Can Nursing Burnout Be Prevented?
Let us now look at some ways to prevent burnout in the first place and deal with the problem when it does occur. The first step to doing something about burnout is recognizing the problem and deciding to do something about it.
Typically, feelings of being trapped, exhausted, detached from the surroundings, uncharacteristic procrastination, and overwhelmed are indicative of nursing burnout. If you have any of the above problems concerning your work, know that you are overworked and mentally exhausted, and it is time to do something about it. The following tips should help:
1. Develop a strong support system
A strong social support system is a good buffer against sorrow, anxiety, and negative emotions and increases resilience. Lack of connection with others can put you at a greater risk of burnout; therefore, make sure you have good connections at home and work. It helps to have someone to share your troubles with in times of stress.
It is easy for nurses to lose track of time and feel so engrossed that they don’t get the chance to contact friends and family, but remember that these relationships are equally, if not more, important than the support system you have at work.
2. Work on your sleep schedule
Good sleep hygiene should be your priority. Sleep deprivation is both a cause and a symptom of burnout; i.e., poor sleep contributes to burnout, and burnout can lead to further sleep disturbances. Therefore, working on your sleep hygiene should help tremendously.
Make sure you have a specific sleep schedule that you always follow. To improve sleep quality, aim for consistency, practice some relaxing routines like yoga or meditation, avoid exposure to blue light, and avoid heavy meals before bedtime.
3. Make regular exercise a routine
Physical activity is known to release endorphins, hormones that reduce stress and induce feelings of excitement and euphoria. Endorphins are chemicals the body releases during pleasurable activities like exercise, eating, massage, etc. These have the function of reducing stress, relieving pain, and increasing a sense of well-being.
You should have at least some ‘me-time’ in your schedule, and if exercise is something you enjoy, it is a win-win situation. A routine workout or physical activity could also become a hobby you enjoy.
Being physically active doesn’t necessarily mean an intense workout in the gym; it can be some other fun activity like kickboxing, running, or outdoor sports like badminton. You should spend at least 30 minutes a day on such an activity.
4. Maintain a work-life balance
When your shift ends, your concerns about work should also cease. Keep your personal and professional lives separate. Covid-19 played a major role in disturbing this work-life balance by bringing work into the home through digital communication.
Make sure you are investing an approximately equal amount of time in your professional and personal lives. Many professionals report being unable to invest sufficient time in their families or themselves.
Squeeze in time to connect with your loved ones, engage in activities you enjoy with them, practice a hobby you like, and don’t let work take up all your time.
Final words
In professions as demanding as nursing, burnout is a common problem that reduces performance and threatens personal well-being. Long work hours, disturbed sleep, staff shortage, and high-stress situations put you at risk of burnout. Make sure you have a strong support system, practice good sleep hygiene, and maintain a good work-life balance. If you notice any of the signs of burnout, it is important to do something about it.