Argument Against Nurse Burnout

Due to the rapidly changing health care system and the reduction of resources, nursing demands are greater which has led to work related stress and ultimately nursing burnout. (Hayes, Douglas, & Bonner, 2014; Kushner & Ruffin, 2015; Laschinger et al., 2003; Slatten, Carson & Carson, 2011). Nursing burnout impacts both the performance and profitability of a healthcare organization in addition to adversely affecting patient outcomes (Jennings, 2008; Kushner & Ruffin, 2015; Laschinger et al., 2003). Ordinarily for nurses, making a difference by caring for and helping others is gratifying (Hayes et al., 2014; Slatten et al., 2011); however nurses have had to endeavor several unfavorable circumstances such as long work hours, compassion fatigue, physical labor, human adversities, staffing shortages, lack of breaks, advanced technology, and poor interpersonal work relationships (Hayes et al., 2014; Jennings, 2008; Slatten et al., 2011); thus the effects of sustained exposure to increasingly demanding professional work conditions brought on by doubt and concern results in decreased nursing satisfaction, lack of perceived support, psychological difficulties such as demoralization,

According to Garson (2000), the primary issues of healthcare, which were improving access, lowering costs, and improving the quality of care, would accelerate through 2010. Later in 2008, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation researched the need of radically changing the nursing profession to confront the issues of healthcare (National Academy of Sciences, n.d.). Through these issues the IOM has devised a report suggesting the transformation of nursing practice, education, and leadership. By transforming the nursing profession, the IOM will give way for positive changes in the healthcare system. With this said, the IOM has researched and devised a plan to confront the issues of healthcare, however, how will this impact the nursing profession?

This chapter provides a background of nurse burnout and their effect on quality of care

Burnout is classified viewed in three phases. The first phase of burnout is the arousal phase. The nurse shows anxiety, insomnia, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, feelings of beings overwhelmed, frustration, sadness, and new physical symptoms, such as headaches and stomach problems. If the nurse does not recognize that these symptoms require intervention, the second phase is energy conservation. In this phase, the nurse starts to call in sick to work; o she may be chronically late getting to duty. Deadlines are not met, a cynical or resentful attitude develops, a persistent sense of fatigue pervades both are the nurse’s personal and professional’s life.

Nursing is a nurturing profession and caring is an essential component of its practice (Peery, 2010:53). Due to increased complexity of job description, the unpredictable changes in one’s daily work routine, unrealistic expectations from patients and their families, and common encounters with ethical and end of life issues, hospitals are seen as stressful places of employment (Mealer, Burnham, Goode, Rothbaum & Moss, 2009:1118). Nurses have a duty to compassionately care for the sick, wounded, traumatized, and the weak in their charge, which personally exposes them to patients’ pain, trauma and suffering on a daily basis (Knobloch-Coetzee & Klopper, 2010:235). Within the daily interaction with patients, nurses are confronted with deep emotions like fear, frustration, stress, anxiety and disappointment (Trewich, 2008:16). Nurses differ in their ability to work through these emotions. The majority of nurses can successfully work through them and carry on, but

Due to hospital care reaching an all-time high in America, we need nurses now more than ever before. Currently in America, we have an issue with nurses having too many paperwork to fill out. In the article “We Need More Nurses” by Alexandra Robbins argues we need more nurses in the hospital. Nursing shortage has been a common issue throughout the world. Because of this issue others are being affected in many different ways. This issue is not only affecting the hospital, but also the patients. In the article “When Hospital Paperwork Crowds Out Hospital Care” by Theresa Brown argues that nurses have too much paperwork to fill out about their patients. Having too many paperwork takes away from the nurses getting involved with their patients. In my opinion, neither of the arguments are valid because they lacks supporting details .Even though Robbins and Brown are passion about their topic, they both did a great job using pathos

Nowadays a great of organizations are finding that the engagement and commitment of nurses coincide with good quality patient care. When nurses are better engaged and committed you’ll find that you’ll notice that they work harder and perform better in their job. You may also find less absenteeism and less turnover. This will greatly benefit the hospital or employer.

Nurses are uniquely positioned to be present at virtually every level of our health care system, nurses work at the community centers, clinics, hospitals and nurses are also present not only as bedside clinicians but also at the level of management, in the form of nurse managers, supervisors all the way up to the Director of nurses. We have a unique vantage point of the real state of affairs of our health care system, with the push for higher education and training, nurses will start to occupy more influential

According to the data from Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professions (2013), there were 2.8 million Registered Nurses (RNs) and 690,000 Licensed Practice Nurses (LPNs) were working in the period from 2008-2010, in the United States. The nursing workforce grew substantially in 2000s, by RNs growing by more than 24.1 percent and LPNs by more than 15.5 percent. The population of nurses are facing multiple challenges at the workplace, such as shortage in staffing, nurse turnover, increased workload, long working hours, poor relationship with co-workers, lack of support from the management, and eventually these challenges create high level of nurse burnout. It is estimated that job- related burnout measure using the Maslach Burnout inventory – Human Services Survey, 36.5 % of nurses having high level of burnout. The researchers at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Nursing, estimates if nurse burnout reduces by 10 %, could prevent thousands of hospital acquired infections and reduce the health care expense (Potera, 2012).

I thought about nursing burnout through watching the video by speaker Madelyn Blaire. Burnout is categorized as physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Burnout can lead to dulled emotions and detachment. I wonder why nurses are burning out.

Nursing burn out is at an all-time high. Hospitals are adding more and more to what nurses do on a daily basis and nurse to patient ratio is forever changing. In Jill’s situation, she was a very happy nurse placed in a horrible situation. ICU nursing is not the easiest, and Jill definitely got the bad deal of the deck with she started working on the ICU floor. Nurses and physicians were overwhelmed and burn out, setting a very stressful atmosphere for everyone including Jill, making it hard for Jill to be happy in the decision she made to become and ICU nurse.

Generally, science such as medicine is highly supported by quantitative research and methodology.  According to Tinkle & Beaton, “it has been argued that there is an over-valuation of the empirical/quantitative view because it is seen as “true science” (as cited in McEwen & Wills, 2014, p. 17).  We see this with evidence based practice guidelines in several areas of nursing.  For example, at one time, we would treat fever in pediatric patients with aspirin.  We since have learned that this puts the child as risk for Reye’s syndrome.  When completing research on abstract subjects such as compassion fatigue, utilizing repeatable tools or instruments allows for qualitative information to be gathered and collated  in a quantitative manner to support

ANA spotted the serious consequences of nurse fatigue and posed a position statement that required nurses and healthcare facilities to work together to reduce nurse fatigue.

The nursing shortage is nothing new or going away any time soon in the United States of America. The United States has seen a shortage before, but by 2025 we will see it crumble, if something doesn’t change. “Health Affairs reported that the nursing shortage will grow to 260,000 RNs by 2025 – twice as large as shortages that have occurred since the mid-1960s.”(http://www.villanovau.com) Most notably, patient safety is in jeopardy causing medical errors that otherwise would not occur. Nurses are also feeling frustrated and unappreciated within their careers causing these errors. It is important that the nursing shortage be talked about and addressed, before the impact of the shortage is too impaired to come back

Working in the healthcare field can be overwhelming because of the continuous exposure to stressful events such as illnesses and death. Additionally, healthcare workers may suffer from high work demands such as long working hours, healthcare team relationship issues, and shortage of staff. To contribute with tension, these workers may also be exposed to daily unrelated work problems such as lack of personal time, family and financial issues. Many nurses are often exposed to these stressors and consequently are troubled with job dissatisfaction and burnout because of an imbalance between their work environment and personal life. The nursing profession alone can be very demanding and due