Nursing and Burnout - There is a way out
Most nurses and health professions feel great passion for what they do - it fuels them to do their best work for their patients every day (and often after the day is over).
The trouble is, too many long, exhausting days can leave even the most passionate nurse running on empty. This is a common theme seen in many industries and professions.
Nurses are one of those professional groups with a very high risk of burnout. It has been mentioned in the research that nurses who experience burnout may feel negative emotions and attitudes towards patients and can fail to concentrate on work. In addition, physical and mental exhaustion due to burnout can lead to a decrease in job-related achievement and satisfaction, causing nurses to consider leaving the industry.
If nothing is done, the atmosphere that is created from these feelings and experiences can spread to colleagues and may even adversely affect organisational performance. What we need to focus on is preventing burnout.
Psychological capital has been researched and can play some role between burnout and creating a culture where nurses can perform and feel well. Nurses with high positive psychological capital naturally experience lower levels of burnout because psychological capital consists of positive personal resources such as hope, self-belief, optimism and resilience.
What is psychological capital, it’s our positive psychological state of development and it is characterised as having confidence to take on and put in the necessary effort to succeed at challenging tasks (self-belief); making a positive acknowledgement that you can succeed now and in the future (optimism); persevering towards goals and when necessary, redirecting and finding new approaches to achieve goals in order to succeed (hope) and when we encounter problems and adversity, we can bounce back to attain success (resiliency)
Whilst there are a number of interventions that an experienced and qualified coach can support you with, ultimately, it’s the conversation that is the key and holds the most power. Conversations help us form connections and deepen existing ones. Our wellbeing is determined by the quality of our social relationships, which rely heavily on the conversations we are having with others. Going into deeper conversations, as well as learning to navigate disagreements, can create the kind of connections that leave us feeling happier and overall improve our wellbeing. The research also states that one hour of deliberate support a week over a three month period will help us develop deeper connections, experience less stress, lower our levels of cortisol.
No matter how low your energy reserves are, it’s never too late or too early to learn new ways to develop your wellbeing and happiness. Wellbeing coaching with a qualified coach can boost your vitality and wellbeing. With my knowledge of positive psychology, coaching psychology and peak performance, coaching is designed to enhance your working life and build your mental resilience.