Are you feeling constantly tired, detached, and calling in sick more often? If left unaddressed, nurse burnout symptoms like these can result in chronic health issues and poor job performance. For some nurses, it even leads to a decision to leave the nursing profession altogether.
By recognizing nurse burnout symptoms, nurses can prevent long-term physical, emotional, and professional consequences. But how do you know if you’re at risk for burnout — or experiencing it currently? Let’s explore what nurses need to watch for.
What is burnout in nursing?
Simply put, nurse burnout is a state of continual stress that leads to physical, mental, and emotional fatigue. Nurses experiencing burnout often feel detached, with a diminished sense of accomplishment in their roles.
The causes of burnout in nursing are multifaceted. Contributing factors include long hours, emotional labor, and constant pressure to provide high-quality care under difficult conditions.
According to Nurse.com’s 2024 Nurse Salary and Work-Life Report, 59% of nurses said they experienced burnout in the past two years. Understanding common nurse burnout symptoms can help nurses, managers, and healthcare organizations take steps to address it.
Common nurse burnout symptoms
Burnout manifests in various ways and takes a toll on nurses both physically and emotionally. Nurses should be familiar with these nurse burnout symptoms:
1. Physical symptoms
Do you get eight hours of sleep yet still wake up feeling exhausted? Nurses experiencing burnout often feel physically drained, even after a full night’s sleep.
You may notice you lack the energy to complete basic tasks during your shift, like charting patient information. Even on your days off, you may feel too tired to engage in activities you once enjoyed.
Other physical symptoms associated with burnout include frequent headaches, muscle aches, changes in sleep patterns (either sleeplessness or oversleeping), and heightened susceptibility to illnesses like colds or infections.
2. Emotional exhaustion
Feeling emotionally drained, overwhelmed, and unable to cope? Those are common nurse burnout symptoms.
Irritability, mood swings, and a sense of hopelessness or helplessness are also common nurse burnout symptoms. Left unaddressed, emotional exhaustion can lead to further complications (such as depression or anxiety disorders).
3. Reduced job performance
Some nurses struggling with burnout find it difficult to concentrate or make decisions. Nurses may have a sense of dread or apathy about going to work and find themselves procrastinating, avoiding tasks that were once routine.
These nurse burnout symptoms are often coupled with a lack of motivation, making it hard to stay engaged with work. This can lead to errors in patient care or documentation, with serious consequences for both nurses and their patients.
4. Emotional detachment
Nurses may protect themselves from the emotional toll of their work by disconnecting from patients and colleagues. Nurses experiencing burnout struggle to muster the emotional energy required to provide compassionate care.
After years of supporting patients and families through difficult diagnoses, you may find yourself struggling to muster an emotional response. Instead of offering comfort and encouragement, nurses may withdraw.
This emotional depletion can spill into nurses’ personal lives, leaving them too drained to connect with loved ones. This can lead to feelings of isolation that further exacerbate the burnout.
5. Increased absenteeism and turnover
Do you notice a colleague is taking frequent sick days, arriving late or leaving early all of a sudden? Nurses may cite illness, fatigue or mental health reasons for missing shifts. In fact, chronic lateness and absenteeism are common nurse burnout symptoms.
Over time, this pattern can escalate. Severe burnout can lead to nurses leaving their jobs, or even the profession. This affects not just the individual nurse, but also places additional strain on the healthcare team, negatively impacting patient care.
Causes of burnout vary
Nurse burnout symptoms are often similar across individuals. However, the underlying causes can vary widely, and some common causes include
- High workload and long hours: Nurses often work long shifts, often 12 hours or longer. There’s constant pressure to meet patient needs, complete documentation, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Emotional labor: Nurses must remain calm and compassionate while caring for critically ill patients, supporting anxious families, and managing end-of-life care. Without adequate coping mechanisms, emotionally charged interactions can be draining over time.
- Lack of autonomy: Nurses may feel powerless in the face of systemic issues such as understaffing, bureaucratic obstacles, or inadequate resources. This lack of control can lead to frustration and a sense of helplessness, which fuel burnout.
- Poor work-life balance: Finding time for personal activities, family and self-care can be difficult for nurses. Added to this, nurses may struggle to disconnect from work and recharge.
- Inadequate support: Nurses who lack support from colleagues, supervisors, or their institutions are more likely to experience burnout. Limited access to mental health resources and unsupportive management also contribute to burnout.
Addressing nurse burnout symptoms
Being able to recognize nurse burnout symptoms — in yourself or colleagues — is the first step. Once the problem is identified, it’s essential to take action to address it.
Nurses should prioritize activities that promote their overall well-being (physical, emotional, and mental). It should include good nutrition, restful sleep, and engaging in activities you enjoy like exercise classes, social outings with friends, or relaxation techniques like meditation.
During time off, nurses should avoid thinking about work-related issues. Taking regular breaks during shifts and using vacation time can also prevent burnout.
Nurses should feel comfortable discussing their feelings and challenges with colleagues, supervisors, or mental health professionals. Nurses can obtain counseling or referrals via an Employee Assistance Program.
Nurse burnout symptoms can be easy to dismiss
Nurse burnout symptoms are easily mistaken for ordinary stress or fatigue. After all, who isn’t tired after a 12-hour shift or frustrated after working short-staffed?
Nurses may initially dismiss signs like irritability or lack of motivation as temporary issues. Over time, emotional exhaustion and physical ailments can build up, but it happens gradually.
Since nurse burnout symptoms develop slowly, they’re often overlooked until they significantly impact a nurse’s well-being or job performance. By knowing what to look for, nurses can prevent burnout from causing severe health problems or compromised patient care.
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