Preventing Nurse Burnout: Strategies for Resilience and Work-Life Balance

Although caring for patients as a nurse can be incredibly rewarding, it also comes with an inherent risk of burnout. In fact, according to one 2021 study, 31.5 percent of nurses who left the field in 2018 reported leaving as a direct result of burnout. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly half of healthcare workers experienced mental health issues, highlighting the widespread and significant impact on the wellbeing of healthcare professionals.

Understanding and addressing the initial indicators of nurse burnout is crucial for enhancing work-life balance, both for aspiring and practicing nurses. Meanwhile, nursing leaders (including supervisors and managers) can benefit from exploring some best practices for cultivating a positive work environment and mitigating burnout among nurses.

Understanding Nurse Burnout

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveals that healthcare workers are more likely than workers in other sectors to suffer from burnout. In 2022 alone, 46 percent of healthcare workers reported burnout.

So, with that being said, what does burnout look like in the nursing profession specifically, and what’s contributing to it? Mental health problems are also prevalent among healthcare workers, further contributing to the risk of burnout.

Defining Burnout and Its Symptoms

Burnout symptoms, also known as nurse burnout symptoms, are key indicators of the condition and can significantly impact nurses' well-being and job performance. Specifically, burnout in nursing refers to persistent feelings of emotional, mental, or physical exhaustion experienced by nursing professionals in the workplace. In many cases, these feelings “follow” nurses back home after their shifts, affecting them both inside and outside of work hours.

The following symptoms are commonly associated with nurse burnout:

• Emotional exhaustion, feeling drained and unable to cope with work demands.
• Loss of enthusiasm about work.
• Lack of motivation on the job.
• Feeling hopeless or unable to make a difference.
• Physical symptoms, including exhaustion and trouble sleeping.
• Isolation from loved ones and/or co-workers.

Factors Contributing to Nurse Burnout

Why are nurses at such a statistically high risk of burnout compared to other professions? The causes of nurse burnout are multifaceted and include long hours, heavy workloads, and challenging work environments. Nurses often face mandatory overtime, which, combined with high nurse-to-patient ratios, leads to prolonged stress and increased stress over time. It is not uncommon for nurses to work 12-hour shifts several days per week, which can lead to fatigue and burnout. In fact, one study found that “shifts lasting longer than 12 [hours] elevate the risk of occupational fatigue.”

Many nurses also suffer from compassion fatigue, where constantly worrying about patients and witnessing patient trauma can lead to physical and emotional burnout. The emotional demands and emotional strain of nursing—such as exposure to patient suffering and patient deaths—further contribute to burnout and mental health challenges.

Staffing shortages, a lack of perceived support from employers, and poor organizational culture can exacerbate these factors. Excessive administrative tasks, poor work environments, and an unpleasant work environment create more stress and increased risk of burnout for nurses.

Recognizing Early Signs of Nurse Burnout

Nurses in the field are encouraged to stay on the lookout for signs of burnout so they can act quickly to prioritize and protect their own well-being. Recognizing early signs is an important aspect of self-care for individual nurses, helping to prevent further negative consequences and maintain high-quality patient care.

Physical and Emotional Indicators

Nurses suffering from burnout may begin to notice physical and emotional symptoms that include:

• Difficulty concentrating at work and/or on tasks outside of work.
• Unusual irritability.
• Sudden onset of headaches or other signs of physical stress.
• Difficulty sleeping, even after a long shift.
• Changes in appetite.
• Difficulty connecting with patients or empathizing with them.

Lack of adequate rest can exacerbate these symptoms and negatively impact job performance.

Workplace and Behavioral Warning Signs

Nursing leaders, including supervisors and managers, should also keep an eye out for behavioral warning signs of burnout in the workplace. Some examples of red flags to watch for include:

• An employee suddenly making more mistakes on the job.
• An employee taking more time off work than usual.
• A lack of perceived work ethic or engagement, especially with patients.

If burnout is not addressed, it can lead to a higher turnover rate among nursing staff, as employees may leave due to stress and lack of support. This not only disrupts team stability but also negatively impacts patient safety, patient care, and patient satisfaction. Burnout increases the risk of hospital acquired infections and patient discomfort, as mistakes or lapses in care become more likely. These consequences highlight the importance of recognizing and addressing burnout to maintain high standards of care and positive outcomes for both staff and patients.

Effective Strategies for Managing Stress

Because nurses are inherently more prone to burnout than those in many other professions, nurses need to be aware of the best techniques when it comes to stress management for nurses and protecting healthcare workers mental health.

Effective strategies are essential to reduce distress, manage nurse burnout, and support healthcare providers across the health care sector. These strategies are aimed at reducing burnout and improving overall well-being.

Prayer, Mindfulness, and Stress-Reduction Techniques

Many nurses find that focusing on their mental and even spiritual health can be especially helpful when navigating periods of burnout at work. Setting aside time each day for prayer, meditation, or mindful breathing techniques that involve cognitive reframing can help reduce stress while reminding you why you got into the nursing profession in the first place.

Physical Health and Self-Care Practices

From a physical health standpoint, nurses also need to prioritize their own self-care. This may include making time for regular physical activity, whether hitting the gym for intense exercise a few days per week or even performing the occasional yoga exercise at home.

During periods of high work demands or stress, quality sleep and a healthy diet are crucial for nurses. Beyond routine exercise, these elements significantly contribute to overall well-being.

Emotional and Social Support Systems

Nurses are also encouraged to seek out and lean on their support systems when experiencing signs of burnout. Whether it’s commiseration from fellow colleagues or support from friends/family outside the workplace, having a strong system in place can make all the difference. Building a strong nursing community within the workplace can help reduce feelings of isolation and support emotional well-being. Additionally, implementing an open door policy encourages transparent communication and ensures that nurses feel supported by accessible management. Nurses should also learn to recognize when they may need professional help in the form of counseling, therapy, or other mental health support.

Creating a Supportive Work Environment

Of course, nurses on the floor can only do so much to prevent burnout. Employers are also responsible for ensuring that nurses have the support and resources to do their jobs well without sacrificing their health and wellness. Healthcare organizations and nurse managers play a critical role in supporting nurse well-being and preventing burnout by implementing systemic changes, fostering supportive work environments, and promoting open communication.

Promoting a Positive Workplace Culture

Establishing and maintaining a positive workplace culture is one of the best nurse retention strategies employers can leverage, especially when preventing nurse burnout.

There are many ways to support a positive workplace culture in healthcare, including ensuring that shifts are properly staffed and that nurses have access to the resources they need to do their jobs well. Likewise, offering registered nurses employee assistance programs and plenty of opportunities for nursing career development—such as continuing education programs and pursuing an advanced nursing degree—can make all the difference in nursing staff retention, professional growth, resilience, and job satisfaction.

Organizational Interventions for Burnout Prevention

Healthcare employers can take additional measures to prevent burnout among nurses by ensuring that nurses have supportive work environments where they feel seen and heard. Organizational interventions are essential to prevent nurse burnout and ultimately help save lives by ensuring high-quality patient care. Ideally, nurses should have clear lines of communication with supervisors, management, and other leaders to feel safe confiding in them when they’re experiencing signs of burnout on the job.

Leadership’s Role in Preventing Burnout

Nursing leaders play a critical role in mitigating burnout among staff, especially when it comes to fostering open communication and promoting teamwork among staff. Effective leadership is crucial in addressing nurses burnout and implementing strategies to improve quality of care and workplace well-being. When leaders show nurses that they’re valued not just as healthcare workers but as people, nurses can feel empowered to participate in decision-making, making their work more enjoyable.

Building Resilience in Nursing Practice

Some healthcare employers are also finding success in mitigating burnout by designing and implementing resilience training programs in the workplace. These programs enhance mindfulness while teaching effective coping mechanisms and supporting nurses in their career development.

Enhancing Professional Development

Ensuring that nurses have access to professional development opportunities can also help manage burnout while keeping nurses striving for career growth. In addition to professional development helping nurses better care for their patients, studies have found that "training and education [are] directly linked to nurses' career satisfaction."

Developing Effective Coping Mechanisms

Resilience programs in nursing may provide nurses with dedicated training in mindfulness, deep breathing techniques, and other strategies to mitigate stress and improve overall emotional intelligence. These programs may also focus on teaching time management, which can help nurses achieve a better sense of work-life balance.

Measuring Burnout and Evaluating Interventions

Nursing professionals and leaders alike also have unique tools to help them assess feelings of burnout and evaluate the success of initiatives and interventions to mitigate it.

Tools and Surveys for Assessing Burnout

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is a tool that can be especially useful in gauging burnout in the workplace. Specifically, the MBI-Medical Personnel tool offers an objective assessment of burnout for medical professionals. This tool is offered as a questionnaire that nurses can take to indicate how often they experience signs of burnout in the workplace, with responses ranging from "never" to "every day."

Monitoring and Improving Workplace Interventions

Using tools like the MBI assessment and other workplace surveys, healthcare employers can take proactive measures to mitigate burnout and create healthier workplaces for nurses. With the implementation of each new intervention, healthcare leaders and decision-makers should frequently reassess burnout levels using MBI and other tools to determine what's working versus what changes may still need to be made. By committing to constant improvement in working conditions and workplace culture, healthcare employers can create better places for nurses to work.

Find Your Nursing Program Today

Nurses get into the profession with great intentions, striving to help as many patients as possible. Unfortunately, in these efforts, it's possible to fall victim to compassion fatigue and, in many cases, burnout. Nursing professionals can protect their health and wellness by exercising some tried-and-true tips for stress management in nursing while taking advantage of workplace wellness programs and other resources.

Ultimately, the right nursing program should prepare students for the challenges, opportunities, and realities of working in this field while setting nursing graduates up for long-term success. At Indiana Wesleyan University, we're proud to offer nursing programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels designed to combine relevant coursework with hands-on clinical practice. Through this approach, our programs aim to prepare nurses with the foundational skills and knowledge they need to make a difference in patients' lives while preserving their own nurse well-being.

Reach out to request more information about any of our nursing degree programs today, or get started with your online application for admission!