Running head: NURSES' BURNOUT 1

Nurses' Burnout: Causes, Consequences, and Ways of Prevention

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Outline

I. Introduction

II. The Predictors of Nurses' Burnout

III. Burnout in Different Healthcare Units

IV. The Outcomes of Burnout

V. The Ways of Preventing the Negative Effects of Nurses' Burnout

VI. Conclusion
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Nurses' Burnout: Causes, Consequences, and Ways of Prevention

Saving people's lives is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. However,

people who work in medical settings do not always have a possibility to get

satisfaction from what they are doing. Nurses, who perform some of the most difficult

duties in a variety of healthcare facilities, frequently suffer from fatigue and feel

dissatisfied with their job because of burnout. There are many reasons why nurses

feel this way: there may be an insufficient number of employees within a unit,

working conditions may be too stressful, or hours may be too long. Whatever the

causes of burnout may be, one thing is certain: they should be seriously considered

and eliminated. With such an aim, interventions to help nurses overcome their

exhaustion and depression are designed. Specialists in healthcare settings realize

that without acting appropriately, they may lose some of the most valuable

employees.

The Predictors of Nurses' Burnout

Along with investigating the specifications of burnout in various units, scholars

also pay attention to analyzing the predictors of this negative process that is

becoming more and more prevalent among medical workers. Queiros, Carlotto,

Kaiseler, Dias, and Pereira (2013) define several types of such predictors. According

to the authors, the factors like age, sex, number of years of experience, working in a

managerial position, being employed in several institutions, and the level of job

satisfaction are the major predictors of nurses' burnout. Moreover, there is another

crucial element – the interaction between work and home (Queiros et al., 2013).

Taking into consideration these data, it seems necessary to investigate the

mentioned factors in order to implement burnout prevention campaigns at various

hospital units.
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Another essential predictor of burnout is spirituality. According to research,

spirituality is a predictor of burnout following the analysis of well-being and

personality. Galea (2014) mentions that nurses' moral surroundings and physical

environment foster the development of burnout. The issue of work environment is

deeply investigated by many specialists since it is believed to be one of the most

crucial factors. One of the predictors of burnout identified by researchers is the low

level of manager's encouragement and support (Hunsaker, Chen, Maughan, &

Heaston, 2015). It is recommended to raise the quality of manager support in order

to eliminate the possibility of nurses' burnout. Li et al. (2013) remark that

environment dynamics are closely connected with burnout experiences at various

levels of health care. Achieving positive work climate is required to eliminate nurses'

exhaustion.

Burnout in Different Healthcare Units

The most frequent reason for burnout is associated with being new to nursing

profession. For yesterday's students, no matter how diligent they were in their

studies and at practical assignments, starting a job is a rather stressful period that is

full of new and not necessarily expected things. It is impossible to be prepared for

everything, and new graduate nurses face challenges every day (Laschinger & Fida,

2014). To eliminate this kind of burnout, it is necessary for the leaders to arrange the

most positive environment and provide assistance for the employees that do not

have much experience yet.

While all nurses may experience job burnout, there are some departments

employees of which have a higher disposition to feeling overworked. Emergency

care units' nurses belong to this category. Medical workers in these departments are

exposed to higher stress levels due to the specification of emergency care

(Hunsaker et al., 2015). However, with appropriate support from the units' leaders,

nurses are able to cope with stressful work conditions.

The reasons for burnout among nurses working in the area of end-of-life care

are also more complicated than among those employed in other units. According to

Gama, Barbosa, and Vieira (2014), there is a significant difference in burnout scores

when comparing the results of nurses from palliative care units and those from other

units. These nurses demonstrate higher levels of depersonalization and emotional

exhaustion and a lower level of personal accomplishment. Employees at end-of-care

departments feel a stronger fear of death and find themselves less secure than

nurses in other units (Gama et al., 2014). Therefore, special attention should be paid

to these nurses in terms of preventing the negative impressions of work that lead to

burnout.

The Outcomes of Burnout

There are several serious possible results of nurses' burnout. Negative

outcomes may be felt not only by nurses but also by patients and even hospital

managers. The major impact on nurses is that they may lose interest in what they

are doing and faith in their noble profession. Constant feeling of fatigue may have an

adverse impact on nurses' personal lives and their relationships with families and

other close ones. They may lose interest in life and spend all the time after work

trying to relax and have some rest.

Moreover, nurses' exhaustion may affect their productivity and the way in

which they communicate with patients. Being overtired, medical workers may neglect

some vital signs and forget to take measurements or give patients the medicine

timely. Such actions may lead to rather serious consequences, causing health

deterioration in patients. This issue particularly concerns emergency care units

where every minute counts and every action is supposed to be done properly and in

time in order to save people's lives.

Finally, serious financial problems may be caused to the healthcare

institutions where nurses experience burnout. Dissatisfied with their job, medical

workers may prefer to quit and seek for better options, which leads to substantial

losses on the part of hospitals. High turnover has a disruptive impact on hospitals,

intimidates the quality of care, and undermines the healthcare establishment's

image. Job satisfaction is a key component of successful work, and nurses'

satisfaction is much higher when they are not overwhelmed with duties or an

excessive number of patients (Rosales, Labrague, & Rosales, 2013). Therefore,

burnout has many detrimental outcomes that should be avoided if a hospital wants to

maintain high retention and a positive image.

The Ways of Preventing the Negative Effects of Nurses' Burnout

One of the most popular interventions aimed at reducing burnout is the

organizational one. Such an intervention presupposes a high employee engagement

and cooperation (Maslach, Leiter, & Jackson, 2012). Team building and mutual

support are great methods of enhancing nurses' performance and developing a

positive attitude by lower demands.

In her review article, Henry (2014) outlines several successful interventions

for reducing burnout. The one suggested by Aycock and Boyle (as cited in Henry,

2014, p. 212) presupposes organizing employee assistance programs along with on-

site (conference room, facility campus) and off-site (river resorts, education centers)

retreats. An intervention designed by Cohen-Katz (as cited in Henry, 2014, p. 212)

proposes a stress-decreasing program that is intended to improve nurses' family and

work relationships, develop better approaches to self-care and relaxation, and

enhance the methods of managing difficult emotions. Hayes et al. (as cited in Henry,

2014, p. 212) suggest a mentoring program to help those nurses who enter oncology

units. The intervention includes senior colleagues' sharing of experience, ambulatory

retreats, and personal meetings with psychologists for newly graduated nurses.

Some interventions are designed for lengthy periods. For instance, LeBlanc et

al.'s project (as cited in Henry, 2014, p. 212) presupposes a three-hour program

once a month for half a year. During this intervention, nurses share their experience

in various work situations and organize social support. In addition, they delineate

potential challenges and come up with the way of managing them. The interventions

may involve different approaches, but all of them have a common goal: they are to

help nurses cope with excessive fatigue and organize the positive environment at

work.

Conclusion

Nurses' burnout presents one of the greatest challenges to quality health care.

When a medical worker feels too tired or stressed, he or she cannot properly cope

with the duties, which inevitably leads to poor performance and low levels of

customer satisfaction. In order to reduce the risks presented by burnout, various

interventions are suggested. With the help of such projects, it is possible to raise the

nurses' spirit and belief in their profession. Arranging a positive atmosphere at work

and managers' willingness to help and support their subordinates are the things that

reduce turnover and help nurses deal with stressful situations.

References

Galea, M. (2014). Assessing the incremental validity of spirituality in predicting

nurses' burnout. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 36(1), 118-136.

Gama, G., Barbosa, F., & Vieira, M. (2014). Personal determinants of nurses'

burnout in end of life care. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 18(5), 527-

533.

Henry, B. J. (2014). Nursing burnout interventions: What is being done? Clinical

Journal of Oncology Nursing, 18(2), 211-214.

Hunsaker, S., Chen, H.-C., Maughan, D., & Heaston, S. (2015). Factors that

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Laschinger, H. K. S., & Fida, R. (2014). New nurses burnout and workplace

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Rosales, R. A., Labrague, L. J., & Rosales, G. L. (2013). Nurses' job satisfaction and

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