How to Prevent Nursing Burnout

As with any new job, your first few months as a nurse can be exciting. You’ve worked hard, earned your degree, and now you’re ready to get paid to do what you love. However, the love you have for your job can actually be the very thing that eventually drives you away from it. You might find yourself working a few hours after a shift to care for a patient, or often thinking about work after hours. The truth is, when it comes to taking care of other people, it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself. We encourage you to learn how to prevent nursing burnout in order to keep your body, mind, and heart in a good place so that you can continue to live out your passion.

Learn to Say No

While it is important to be a team player, you need to establish boundaries early on in your career. For example, if your manager asks you to take on an extra shift, keep in mind that it is okay to say no every once in a while. Earning extra money and helping your team is nice, but you need to make sure you are putting your best foot forward. A mistake caused by lack of sleep in the nursing field isn’t like other mistakes. A typo for a journalist or a miscalculation for an accountant is usually not a life-or-death situation, but putting in an IV the wrong way can lead to a serious health issue. You need to make sure you come to work fresh and well rested, which may mean saying no to some extra work.

Take Vacations and Lunch Breaks

It’s time to talk about work-life balance. Lounging on the couch and watching Netflix is always nice, but it gets old for most people eventually; the same goes for working without taking time for rest. In Louisa May Alcott’s book Little Women, she writes, “Have regular hours for work and play, make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well.” Work and play balance each other out. To fully enjoy one, you need to have the other. This is why you should make time for yourself and use your vacation hours, catch up with a coworker during your lunch break, and treat yourself to coffee and a good book during your 15-minute break.

Work with an Understanding Company

Of all our tips regarding how to prevent nursing burnout, this one is the most crucial. If you work for a supervisor who is unkind, dismissive, or disrespectful, it can be hard to stay positive, no matter how much you love your job. Your employer should understand that you have a life outside of work and encourage you to take care of yourself. Don’t let a bad employer permanently turn you away from the career field you’re meant to be in.

At Phoenix Home Care & Hospice, we are committed to perpetuating positive attitudes and improving the quality of life of the people we serve. We understand that succeeding in our mission of providing excellent home health and hospice care services means filling our ranks with skilled caregivers and clinicians. That’s why we offer meaningful opportunities to nurses and other professionals. With locations in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri, Phoenix Home Care & Hospice is an ideal place to work. If you’re looking for a company who will look out for you, check out our career opportunities. You’ll be able to learn about upcoming hiring events, search for job openings, peruse job descriptions, and scroll through listings for open positions at our many locations.

Contact us today if you want to learn more about our mission.

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