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English 101
10 December year
We Are All in This Together
Nurse burnout has been a hot topic for decades, but Covid-19 has pushed it to the
forefront in the past two years. The effects of nurse burnout are far reaching and
multidimensional. It affects every aspect of healthcare in one form or another. We must address
it in the same multidimensional way if we are to hope to overcome this phenomenon and in
doing so, save our healthcare system. Nurse Burnout has been defined as ‘the state of mental,
physical and emotional exhaustion caused by sustained work-related stressors such as long
hours, the pressure of quick decision making and the strain of caring for patients who may have
poor outcomes.’ July 2020. Nurse Burnout: Risks, Causes, and Precautions-University of St.
Augustine for Health Sciences (usa.edu) Web. 10 December 2021.
A study by Marshall University showed that when nurses were assigned more than four
patients at a time, their risk for burnout increased. Along with their burnout came a seven percent
per patient increased risk of mortality. July 2020. Nurse Burnout: Risks, Causes, and
Precautions-University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (usa.edu) Web. 10 December 2021.
Maslachs theory is that burnout induces detachment from the cause. Maslach theorizes that this
detachment is a coping mechanism. Studies have shown that the higher the units acuity level, the
more likely the patients will suffer a secondary infection, such as a urinary tract infection or
surgical site infection. The same study also found that adding just one additional patient to a
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nurses assignment, caused the same results. Leaving us to deduce the correlation between nurse
burnout and poorer patient outcomes. 1 August 2012. Nurse staffing, burnout, and health care–
associated infection - American Journal of Infection Control (ajicjournal.org). Web.
10 December 2021.
In this article from December 2020. An Executive Strategy to Support Long-Term
Clinician Engagement Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic | Article | NursingCenter. Web.
10 December 2021. The author discusses the need to form a strong alliance between the
executive nurses and the floor nurses, to be able to financially survive the pandemic. This
partnership required the nursing executives to support their floor nurses and nurse managers in
various ways. The nurses were granted more autonomy to be able to efficiently prioritize patient
care. The executives were open and honest about the economic impact the virus was causing and
the hardships they faced acquiring proper personal protective equipment. In essence, the nurse
executives realized that when the nurses felt that their needs were being met to the best of
managements ability, they felt they were valued more as a team member and were therefore
more likely to remain loyal to their team during these perilous times.
The following article discusses the evolution of the ‘Triple Aim’ learning initiative into
the ‘Quadruple Aim’ learning initiative. This learning initiative evolved due to the initial studies
indicating that the most influential component to patient care outcome and satisfaction is the
nurses work environment. The most influential part of a nurses work environment is their
assignment load of the day, followed by the number of consecutive hours they worked per shift.
Nurses who were scheduled a responsible patient load and could thereby take their lunch break
made fewer errors and suffered from less frequent job-related injuries. When nurses were
consulted in the patient care decisions, they felt heard and more like a valued team member. And
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being a part of a team leads to stronger company loyalty. As evidenced by, Loyal employees who
are supported by their managers are far less likely to experience burnout and leave their
positions. Which saves the company money in the long run. “Joy in Work and Reducing Nurse
Burnout: From Triple Aim to Quadruple Aim.” Nursing Center. Web.
15 June 2019 https://www.nursingcenter.com/journalarticle?Article_ID=5703878 Web.
10 December 2021.
One casualty of Nurse Burnout is the increasing shortage of nurses in the United
States. Yet, we are not the only country suffering from a nursing shortage. Jordan, among nearly
every other country worldwide, is struggling with the same fate. The nursing shortage is not a
new occurrence. In 2006 the World Health Organization expressed their concern through a
report, citing it as potential risk to the efforts to increase the health and well-being of the worlds
population. Fewer nurses equates to higher patient to nurse ratios which equals higher nurse
burnout and more nurses leaving the field. Nurses’ Burnout: The Influence of Leader
Empowering Behaviors, Work Conditions, and Demographic Traits (nih.gov). Web.
10 December 2021.
The Health Care Industry needs to get very creative in recruiting nurses and anyone who
might be slightly interested in the Health Care Field. Health Care Facilities then need to nurture
and encourage every fledgling, that come through their doors, to continue their educational
journey and join the ranks of the nurses on staff. At the same time, they need to remember to
care for their current nurses and make their work environment as pleasant as possible. Treating
their subordinates with respect would be a wonderful place to start. Nurse managers could check
on their floor nurses and fill in for them to get a lunch break as needed. Health Care Facilities
could invest in onsite childcare for employees, perhaps include a sick childcare department as
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well. Or provide paid time off for parents to care for their own sick children. As a whole, if we
could recruit, nurture, and inspire young people to come into the health care field, while
supporting our current staff, we might be able to retain enough nurses to finally eliminate or at
the very least, minimize the hemorrhaging of nurses, due to burnout.
Another factor in the nurse shortage is the large number of retiring nurses. I believe that a
lot of retiring nurses would continue to work part time if they were given their retirement and
then paid for the work they do too. Even if they only worked part time for an additional year or
two, that would allow time for more nursing students to graduate and fill the positions.
In conclusion, Nurse Burnout is a worldwide problem that must be dealt with by a
multidimensional approach, if we dare to hope to control the Health Care Industries
hemorrhaging of nursing staff, due to Nurse Burnout.
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Cited
July 2020. Nurse Burnout: Risks, Causes, and Precautions-University of St. Augustine for Health
Sciences (usa.edu) Web. 10 December 2021.
1 August 2012. Nurse staffing, burnout, and health care–associated infection - American Journal
of Infection Control (ajicjournal.org). Web. 10 December 2021.
December 2020. An Executive Strategy to Support Long-Term Clinician Engagement Amid the
COVID-19 Pandemic | Article | NursingCenter. Web. 10 December 2021.
15 June 2019 https://www.nursingcenter.com/journalarticle?Article_ID=5703878 Web.
10 December 2021.
Nurses’ Burnout: The Influence of Leader Empowering Behaviors, Work Conditions, and
Demographic Traits (nih.gov). Web. 10 December 2021.