Nursing BURN OUT!!

Do nurses "burn out" as quickly as most people say or is it just a rumor meant to scare everyone off!

How do YOU personally avoid getting burnt out??
It's true. For me...I just simply take a vacation or time off.

Weeeeellllll...I actually *did* burn out about 19 months ago. Went down in flames, right there on the job. Ended up on a psych unit on suicide watch. Eight weeks of intensive therapy. How's that for some burn out? What I came to understand in my recovery is that I had stopped taking care of myself about 20 years ago. I was taking care of everything at home and never had even 1 day to myself. I was all care-giving all the time. And then my body and my mind just shut down. It has taken me over a year to recover, but now I have some coping skills. I understand the importance of support systems, therapy, medications, exercise, diet, and sleep and how all those things work together to keep me mentally healthy. I have learned that I have to limit my hours in order to stay healthy. So I have a new job now, working part-time as a school nurse and it's a match made in heaven! I feel so much better, alive and enthusiastic, better than I have felt in the last 15 years. I no longer contemplate suicide on a daily basis--that's gotta count for somthing!

Nurses have a huge rate of burn out. Know when not to take extra shifts. Take care of yourself, eat well, exercise, and take regular vacations. Know when you are starting to get burned out, and take some time for yourself. I have quite a few vacations scheduled for myself this summer to help with nurse burnout.

I am burned out right now. I recover by taking vacation when I can, which is NOT often enough

Be realistic.Don't expect to save people from themselves.Do your best, but forgive yourself for being human. You can't be the savior of the world.Take care of yourself FIRST.and last, be realistic.

Would any of those who say they are burnt out not be a nurse if they could go back in time...or would u advise someone else to really reconsider?

Quote from premedwoahsWould any of those who say they are burnt out not be a nurse if they could go back in time...or would u advise someone else to really reconsider?

Small VACATION!!! That usually helps me. My family and I get away as much as we can, even if it is going camping for one night.

Quote from premedwoahsWould any of those who say they are burnt out not be a nurse if they could go back in time...or would u advise someone else to really reconsider?

Try and leave work stuff at work. And for me, PRN is the way to go. Picking and choosing my days to work holds a lot of currency for me.

Quote from MoogieBurnout happens in many professions, from teaching to the ministry to law enforcement to retail. I think things are particularly tough in nursing right now, in part because many nurses are socialized, either in their educational programs or on the job, to put up and shut up and not make waves. Nurses DO get treated better by administration when there's a shortage and, while things are pretty bad now in terms of employment, there will be another shortage. And then administrators will furrow their brows and wring their hands and treat nurses better for a while---until the cycle starts over again and there's another oversupply and they treat us like dirt again. The thing is---how does nursing become proactive rather than reactive and how do we claim our personal and professional power so we don't get dumped on when things get tough?

No burn out here. I know the anti-burn-out secret.FISHING!Well at least for me and the guys in my unit.