Nurses are hardworking and loving caregivers in healthcare organizations. Most nurses cope effectively with the physical and emotional demands of nursing in some situations; nurses can become very overwhelmed and develop burnout (kozier et. al., 2014). I find that nurse burnout is one of our biggest challenges in organizations. Nurse burnout can affect you physically, mentally, and emotionally due to a lack of support from co-workers and team leaders. I have worked a few sixteen-hour shifts at the end of the day, I was feeling overwhelmed and very tired, and by the time I arrived home, I am unable to eat or sleep. I believe that nurse burnout is not having the motivation to work, not feeling happy and the feeling of constant fatigue these can have the appearance of a lack of commitment to work. Nurses should make it a priority to take care of themselves so that they are able to provide efficient service to patients and family members; this will also help to eliminate errors such as medication administration. Robinson mentioned in her article that, “nurses are pressured to work quickly, efficiently and are expected to not to make errors”. I believe that when a nurse is burnt out it affects everyone on the unit or team, for example, patients and family members and colleagues. Nurses are front-line workers and are very valuable to society, therefore, employers need to focus more on nurses’ well-being in order to prevent burnout.
Firstly, employers need to focus more on nurses’ needs in order to prevent burnout. Employers need to provide whatever is necessary to give the nurses support, burnout frequently happens when nurses are unable to cope and meet the demand of their workload. In the article “Burnt to a Crisp”, Robbins mentioned that a “nurse's top health concern is the effect of stress and overwork”. I can relate to her statement especially in this pandemic COVID 19, working on a Geriatric unit, without proper equipment, long hours and inadequate staffing definitely increases my stress level. Working on a unit without the proper equipment can increase stress levels; working with patients who are suspected of COVID-19 and not having the proper gear. Thinking there is a possibility that the patient might be tested positive; I guess the worst part about this is not knowing the results which put you, your family members, and other patients at risk. Employers need to be more sensitive to current situations and more considerate towards nurses. The nurse-patient ratio in my unit is another issue that contributes to nurse burnout. I find it very difficult sometimes to handle six patients especially when they are in total care, these patients are not able to turn or feed themselves. At the same time, you are checking the patient’s lab results, while they are leaving for procedures and tests, taking physician orders and answering family members’ queries at the same time definitely can lead to nurse burnout. Working on a busy unit that is always understaffed is one of the main reasons for burnout and frustration which leads to incompetent patient care, injuries, infections, and death. According to Robbins (2015), depression is painful; suicide feels like the only way out. Nurses are front-line workers and are very valuable, employers need to focus more on nurses’ needs in order to prevent nurse burnout.
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Secondly, Nurses are front-line workers and are very valuable, employers need to focus more on nurses’ needs in order to prevent nurse burnout. Nurse burnout can affect the patient’s care negatively as they are not given the one on one attention they deserved. Robbins mentioned, “There is not enough time to give proper nursing care or to complete nursing tasks”. I have noticed co-workers working sixteen-hour shifts and coming back the following morning. They show up feeling very tired, exhausted, disoriented very disorganized due to lack of sleep. According to Robbins (2015), Nurses may have sleepless nights during the time they worried about patients that they care for on their unit. In addition, nurses get burnt out from other work-related issues like having to deal with the death of a patient on a regular basis. As a nurse losing a patient can be very emotional and can be very difficult to cope especially when you have to assist the grieving family members. Robbins mentioned that “nurses face traumas, tragedies, and patients who have died while under their care are not expected to break their composure”. I totally agree with Robbins that people expect nurses to keep their composure. I have experienced a situation where one of my patients died, he was terminally ill and the physician gave him less than a week to live. The day he died his wife wanted to go home for a shower so I told her it ok, when she returned to the hospital he took his last breath. I was beside her when it happens, and she looked at me and said “Nurse he is gone”, I came out of the room right away, in tears. After 5 minutes, I went back into the room and hug the wife trying to comfort her, it was my first experience having one of my patients pass away. I felt really sad and overwhelmed, I thought my team lead could have handled the situation better by giving me a few minutes to reflect. I didn’t get a chance to debrief, I went home and I couldn’t explain to my husband what really happen. I believe this situation caused me to be stressed and I was definitely burnt out as I have known the patient and family for a while. According to Robbins (2015), Nurses can create a bond emotionally with patients who have died.
Thirdly, nurses are front-line workers and are very valuable, employers need to focus more on nurses’ needs in order to prevent nurses burnout. The employer needs to implement a plan or create a tragedy so that patients are cared for more safely and efficiently. This plan should assist in staffing issues and be flexible. Without proper planning techniques, I find that the assignment is not evenly distributed, for example, a team lead may give a nurse an admission who already has a heavy workload. Team leaders should take the time to know each patient on the unit so that they are able to better assist in helping the staff, this will help to eliminate unnecessary stress on staff and help to reduce nurse burnout. Nurses are front-line workers and are very valuable, employers need to focus more on nurses’ needs in order to prevent nurse burnout. Employers can ask each member how heavy their assignment is on a daily basis. Employers need to focus more on nurses’ needs in order to prevent nurses from burnout by setting realistic goals that employees are able to attain. This can be achieved by knowing all patient’s needs on the unit; this will help employees by not getting stuck with heavier patients, which will assist in making the assignment distributed equally. Employers need to ensure that nurses are not burnt out by ensuring that staff members have the proper equipment, resources, and skill to meet their expectations. I am now in a situation where I do not have the proper gear to do my job, my team lead is expecting all staff to wear surgical masks to go in a suspect COVID-19 room instead of an N95. Not being able to have the proper equipment or tool is very frustrating and stressful.
In conclusion, nurses are front-line workers and are very valuable, employers need to focus more on nurses’ needs in order to prevent burnout. Burnout in nurses is caused by stress, not being able to focus can cause serious harm to patients. Employers need to pay close attention when an employee is showing signs of burnout. They need to provide the proper resources and skills in order for staff to meet their demand; providing adequate staffing so that that staff is not overworked. Employers can ensure sure that employees are properly trained so that they are able to maintain competency. In addition, reassuring employees that they are valuable to the organization and that their hard work and effort are greatly appreciated.
References
- Nursing (2020). Burnout. Retrieved from https://www.nursing.org/resources/nurse-burnout/
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