Nurses may be isolated from one another in the hospital, too busy to 'talk shop' in a positive way with like-minded colleagues, or deal with doctors who are not sympathetic to the unique demands of nursing. Nurses may also find it difficult to have an appropriate work and life balance, as increasingly they are pressured to do more and more at work, to make up for declining numbers of caregivers at the facilities where they work. They may be called upon to perform many additional duties traditionally performed by doctors and physician's assistants that strain at the traditional definitions of nursing.
Nurses may feel as if their unique insights as nurses are ignored. If they complain about patient care, despite their hard work, the hospital administrators and staff may not give credence to their words and experiences. Dealing with hospital bureaucracy is difficult: "dysfunctional, unhealthy hospital cultures are one of the primary reasons nurses leave their jobs, not burnout. Lack of confidence and respect for hospital management, especially the front-line supervisor, is a key reason cited for leaving" (Gelinas 2003). Depression, a sense of powerlessness, and feeling unappreciated and misunderstood at home and at work are the emotional symptoms of burnout: some nurses may experience anxiety attacks and others may have difficulty making it through the day because of low energy levels and a feeling of grief and sadness. Of course, emotional and physical health is interrelated -- a lack of mechanisms for emotional self-care and a lack of personal efficacy negatively impact all nurses' state of health.
Behavioral
When the nurse is not cared for as a person, in an unsupportive environment, and the nurses' health suffers, her nursing care will suffer. These are the symptoms of behavioral nursing burnout. Feeling harried and unable to complete routine tasks are some of the observable, behavioral signs of burnout. These are the symptoms eventually noticed by others, usually after the nurse has experienced physical...
A short temper, a need to constantly be 'busy' to get everything done but with a lack of real efficacy, anger at relatively minor matters, and recklessness (not necessarily at work, but also in the nurse's personal life) all behavior symptoms of burnout (Burnout: Warning signs, 2009).
Conclusion
Just as the manifestations of nursing burnout in this conceptual model are physical, emotional, and behavioral, the solutions must address all of these negative components of the phenomena that impact the nurse as a person. They must strive to change a negative hospital or care environment and improve the nurse's state of health and ability to provide adequate nursing care. Having adequate staffing to make the nurse's duties manageable, reducing patient loads to improve quality and accuracy of care, and providing support services for stressed nurses are all ways in which the hospital can address some of the contributing factors in burnout.
Additionally, simple awareness on the part of the nursing profession as a whole can reduce the symptoms of burnout. Addressing the need appropriate self-care methods in nursing school as part of the curriculum is essential. Hospitals must allow nurses to take scheduled breaks and to become physically fit through initiatives such as on-site hospital yoga and relaxation classes. Even simply having a 'nap' room for nurses working long shifts and having healthy food at the hospital cafeteria are ways to show that a healthcare facility supports all of its nurses' pursuit of health, as well as its nurses' ability to provide healthcare for patients.
Works Cited
Burnout: Warning signs. NurseWeek. 97.2.
Retrieved July 9, 2009 at http://www.nurseweek.com/features/97-2/burn2.html
Gelinas, Lillee. (2003, October 1). Addressing nurse burnout - Changing culture is the cure
Staffing the Suite. Endonurse. Retrieved July 9, 2009 at http://www.endonurse.com/articles/3a1staffing.html
