How to Reduce Nurse Burnout

Burnout is a growing concern among nurses, physicians, first responders and other professionals in the healthcare sector. Nurse burnout is characterized by physical, mental and emotional exhaustion caused by the demands of the job. It often results from a combination of long shifts, high patient-to-nurse ratios, nurse shortages, lack of sleep and compassion fatigue.

Nurse burnout affects morale and productivity since it often involves fatigue, feeling unappreciated and dreading the idea of going to work. In addition to negatively impacting your mental health, burnout trickles down to the quality of care patients receive. It may increase the risk of medical errors, making it essential for you to find solutions for nurse burnout. Here are seven strategies to try.

As a Trustaff traveler, you have a wide range of tools and resources available to you through the Ingenovis Health ACT program that are specifically targeted to prevent and treat burnout on the job. Speak to your recruiter for details.

1. Prioritize Self-Care Practices

Practicing self-care involves taking time to engage in things that promote your physical, emotional and mental well-being. It reduces burnout by keeping you connected to yourself and the things that matter most. Often, it's seen as a way to care for and nurture the inner you. Some self-care practices you should prioritize include:

• Eating a nutritious and balanced diet to supply sufficient energy to carry you through the day, even with crazy shifts

• Exercising for at least 30 minutes daily to combat work stress, improve your mood and boost physical strength

• Drinking a lot of water to keep every cell, organ and tissue in your body working optimally

• Getting at least eight hours of sleep to boost your mood, energy levels and work performance

• Making time for stress-reducing practices, such as mindfulness, yoga and breathing exercises to unwind and clear your mind

2. Build Support Systems

When experiencing burnout, it helps to have people you can talk to. The first group of people you'll want to stick close to are your fellow nurses because they understand and can relate to what you're going through. Nursing peer support groups give you an opportunity to vent and can offer valuable advice and guidance to help you overcome burnout.

Being part of a peer support group provides a sense of belonging that gives you the morale to keep going when it gets tough. Having a solid support system of friends and family who listen to your woes helps get the weight off your chest before you go in for your next shift. You can also seek support from a therapist. They'll be instrumental in assisting you in processing your feelings and resolving emotional issues before you're burned out.

3. Balance Work and Personal Life

A good work-life balance can help you overcome burnout by inducing feelings of happiness and satisfaction with your life as it is. Between the crazy shifts and long working hours, many nurses often miss out on the joys of life, like spending time with family and engaging in fun leisure activities. This drives you deeper into the burnout sinkhole, especially if you feel you have no control over your schedule.

If you're looking to change your environment and find a nursing position that offers greater work-life balance opportunities, consider becoming a travel nurse. The travel nurse lifestyle gives you more control over your schedule, making it easier for you to achieve a work-life balance. As a travel nurse, you decide when, where and how much you work, which allows you more time to relax outside work.

4. Continue Professional Development

The most common reason people pursue professional development is to open opportunities for career progression and promotions. However, professional development will also improve your job satisfaction and reduce burnout by boosting your confidence and your skills. These opportunities also break up the repetitiveness and boredom of the job, which reenergizes your spirit and gives you more reasons to show up to work daily.

Learning new skills increases your motivation to take on new challenges and build a bigger support network. Some of the professional development opportunities you can pursue include:

• Professional and industry-related workshops and conferences

• In-job training courses

• Online courses and webinars

• One-on-one coaching and mentoring sessions

• Team-building activities

5. Advocate for Work Environment Improvements

Nurse burnout being caused by work pressures means improvements to the work environment can help provide relief. You should be confident and able to advocate for these changes with management. The leaders should acknowledge, empathize and address these concerns to make work more conducive for you and your co-workers.

For example, you should speak up if you're overwhelmed with your patient-nurse ratio, discuss it with your supervisor and share viable solutions. If you've been taking on long shifts and barely getting time to sleep, bring it up with your department head or whoever's in charge of scheduling. You can also elevate the voices of other nurses who have similar concerns. Another strategy is to advocate for more opportunities to voice your concerns, such as through internal online forums and one-on-one team meetings.

6. Explore Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

Many employers, including travel nursing agencies, offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), which can help with nurse burnout. These programs are meant to support employees through work-related and personal stressors. Many EAP counselors work alongside management to help address organizational challenges. Through your organization's EAP, you can receive short-term counseling or referrals to help address burnout and your mental health.

7. Change Your Environment

A change of scenery can help decrease nurse burnout because it induces feelings of freedom and adventure. Getting out of your normal routine allows you to experience new work environments with new people and challenges. As a travel nurse, you sign up for an adventurous career that will enable you to change your environment often as you temporarily work in hospitals and health facilities around the United States and internationally.

You can travel for a single assignment or make it your career, in which case you get to travel to various destinations for short-term and long-term jobs. While at it, you increase your earning potential, enjoy flexible scheduling, advance your career and build your professional network. These and other perks can significantly improve your job satisfaction and reduce nurse burnout. To take care of your mental health as you travel, you can use many of these same tips. Try to move your body, find a support network and gain support through an EAP.

Learn How to Reduce Nurse Burnout With Trustaff

Having someone provide support as you navigate your job goes a long to helping you succeed. At Trustaff, we can help you transition into a satisfying career as a travel nurse. You'll receive competitive pay, a better work-life balance and professional development, all key ingredients to eliminating burnout.

We're a travel agency that cares and puts you first, so you'll never have to be alone during your travel nursing journey. Explore the diverse opportunities and experiences we offer — if you're ready, you can apply now.