Nurse Burnout: Signs, Symptoms, and Prevention Tips

In our modern healthcare system the term patient “care” has ballooned into a much larger meaning, something far more than it once did. Nurses today play a variety of roles at the bedside, beyond just a caregiver. They’re also educators, emotional support systems, managers of medications, interpreters of medical terminology, referees for family and friends, liaisons among different specialties, and more.

In addition to these roles, nurses are also held accountable for data metrics, fall rates, patient satisfaction scores, etc. Forced to juggle competing demands with limited resources, it’s too easy to begin to feel overwhelmed, which can quickly turn to exhaustion, and oftentimes, nurse burnout.What is Nurse Burnout?

Burnout is a term that was first coined in the 1970s to describe the result of the “severe stress and high ideals” experienced in “helping professions.” It’s defined as the ‘physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.’  And while burnout and stress are interrelated, they’re certainly not the same.

According to one study that surveyed over 95,000 clinicians, nurses providing direct patient care and working in hospitals and nursing homes were the most likely cohort to feel overworked and burnt out,  and openly express dissatisfaction with their jobs.

How Does Burnout Impact Patient Care?

Burnout not only negatively affects nurses, it also impacts patient satisfaction and outcomes. In recent years, several studies have examined the effects of burnout on nurses and its relationship to quality of patient care.  According to one study, for every 10% of nurses reporting job dissatisfaction, the percentage of patients who would recommend the facility to others decreased by about 2%. Another global study found that across countries, higher levels of burnout were directly correlated with lower quality of care ratings.

What Does Nurse Burnout Feel Like?

Burnout can take many shapes and forms, depending on the person. As one nurse put it, “You’re on your feet for 8-12 hours a day and there’s never enough time (our resources for that matter) to take care of your patients the way you would like to. Over time, you forget why you became a nurse. And most importantly, you forget about the power you have to help and heal patients. As burnout sets in, most of the time you don’t realize it. You’re just tired and can only seem to think of the negatives of your job.”

Based on our own research and conversations with connectRN clinicians, there appear to be five common warning signs of a nurse experiencing burnout:

1. Feeling Like You’ve Hit Your Limit: 

Everyone has a limit and you should know and accept what yours is. If you try to solve problems that aren’t in your control, it can quickly lead to feeling overwhelmed. Focus on what’s in your control, and let everything else go.

2. Feeling Irritable: 

If your relationships outside of work are suffering, or you’re becoming increasingly short tempered with loved ones, or anyone else you might interact with for that matter, it might be time to unplug. Try to carve out some quality time with friends and family to reconnect for your own individual happiness.

3. Feeling Under Appreciated: 

Bottling up your feelings and letting them manifest inside often does more harm than good. Try talking to someone you trust - a friend, colleague, or mentor - about how you’re feeling and what they might be able to do to help. If they work in nursing, there’s a good chance they’ve likely experienced what you may be feeling, and could end up being a valuable resource or provide some potential solutions.

4. Feelings of Dread: 

There will always be good days and bad days, ups and downs. But if you start feeling uneasy about work before your shift begins, or even the night before work, you’re likely experiencing burnout. If you’re worrying about all the bad things that could potentially happen, the challenging patients you may need to care for,  getting pressured to stay late due to understaffing, or inheriting a mountain of undone tasks from the previous nurse, it might be time to take some time off to recharge.

5. Feeling Stuck in A Rut: 

If your routine is starting to feel monotonous, try to remember your why. Think back to the excitement you felt when you finished nursing school, and the possibilities of meeting new patients, trying new skills, and making new nurses friends on your team. Try to reflect on what will make you feel that sense of excitement again. 

How Can I Avoid Nurse Burnout?

With an ongoing nurse shortage, an aging population, and the severity of patient illnesses on the rise, the risk of nurse burnout will likely persist over the next few decades. Sure, patient needs have become more intense over these last couple of years, but nursing has long been considered a high-stress occupation, well before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Nurses and nursing aides have weathered unprecedented challenges, and have relied on self care strategies to help manage any physical and emotional fatigue. But they are humans, with real emotions, needs, and limits. They also deserve to be able to take the same care of themselves, their families, and their personal lives as the care they give their patients.

There’s no easy or one-size-fits-all approach to preventing burnout in nursing. 

Some techniques used by our community of clinicians include things like:

• Taking a mental health day

• Recognizing and addressing mental health patterns 

• Beginning the day with a healthy breakfast

• Ending the day with a gratitude meditation

• Exercising or even just taking a short walk

• Reconnecting with someone or something meaningful 

• Getting adequate rest and rejuvenation 

… and there are many other strategies to help overcome any feelings of burnout and attempt to return to a healthier relationship with work.

As a clinician-first organization, we’re dedicated to helping nurses and nursing aides gain back a sense of independence and control, giving them access to opportunities to work when and where they choose. We’re also working tirelessly to  support our nursing community with the best perks and benefits, scholarships, career development programs, health insurance, and more.

We, at connectRN, understand that our nurses have risen above a simple call to duty to deliver essential and compassionate care throughout the pandemic. And it’s time we all encourage self-care as being essential for our essential nurses.

Our hope is that one day, by helping to prevent and eliminate nurse burnout, we’ll play a critical part in maintaining America’s nursing workforce and improving the quality of patient care delivered along the way.