No job is stress-free. Clinical nurses work in an environment that is high-stress by nature—making decisions that can impact patients’ lives—and need to take extra care to avoid the mental and physical condition known as nursing burnout. We outline what nurse burnout is, its risks, how to prevent it and how to address it if it’s happening to you.
What Is Nurse Burnout?
Nurse burnout is a state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion caused by sustained work-related stressors.1 This might include long hours, the pressure of quick decision-making and the strain of caring for patients who may have poor outcomes.
As you face these compounding factors, you may start feeling disengaged and detached, the first warning signs of nurse burnout. If you don’t address this situation with good self-care, nursing burnout can lead to feelings of cynicism, hopelessness and even depression.1
What is the Number One Cause of Nurse Burnout?
According to the World Health Organization, burnout is an occupational phenomenon.2 It is not specific to nursing. Professionals in any industry, from teaching to engineering, can suffer from this type of exhaustion caused by unrealistic expectations, lack of sleep and other work-related stressors. However, due to their high-stress work environment, nurses face a greater risk of nursing burnout.
Increased Demand and Staffing Shortages
Another contributing factor to nursing burnout is the growing demand for nurses as the Baby Boomer generation ages and the prevalence of chronic disease increases. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment for registered nurses will grow by 6% between 2023 and 2033.3
Lack of Sleep
One of the largest nursing burnout risks is a chronic lack of sleep. This is particularly common for nurses who work long hours and consecutive shifts.
One particular study found two alarming nurse burnout statistics related to sleep. First, only 27.2% of nurses got at least six hours of sleep before shifts.4 Secondly, it noted that 29.1% of shifts were worked by nurses with less than six hours of sleep, which is associated with higher error risks—comparable to the impairment caused by alcohol intoxication.4
High-Stress Environment
Every nursing role specialty brings challenges, but some specialties are naturally more stressful than others. If you work in the emergency department with telemetry or intensive care, you may have to deal with combative patients, traumatic injuries, ethical dilemmas and a high mortality rate, all of which are linked to high-stress levels and an increased risk of nursing burnout.
In a study published in Psycho-Oncology, 30% of oncology nurses reported emotional exhaustion, while 35% reported feelings of low personal performance—both nurse burnout symptoms.5
Lack of Support
If your workplace lacks a culture of good teamwork and collaboration practices, nursing burnout may be more prevalent.6 Collaboration is important in most professions. In nursing, it can save lives.
Poor teamwork—characterized by conflict, sub-par communication, lack of cooperation and peer bullying—can create an unpleasant work environment. It can also lead to medical errors and higher levels of nursing burnout.
Emotional Strain from Patient Care
Patient care can be one of the most rewarding aspects of nursing, as you make connections with patients and feel the satisfaction of helping them get better. If you work in the ICU or another high-stress environment like ER or trauma, the emotional letdowns of dealing with lower recovery and higher mortality rates can lead to intense emotional burden and increased rates of nursing burnout.7
Dangers of Nurse Burnout
Nurse burnout is a substantial concern for nurses, employers and patients. Nurses are at risk for developing depressive disorders and other mental health conditions and for quitting their jobs.
For institutions, a decrease in the quality of patient care can affect their reputation and bottom line. For patients, nurse burnout can directly impact health.
Turnover
In an International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health study, researchers found a correlation between higher rates of nursing burnout syndrome and nurses’ intentions to leave.9 This increased turnover related to nurse burnout puts more stress on an already overworked environment.
Lower Quality of Care
The most dangerous risk associated with nursing burnout is a decrease in the quality of patient care. Mistakes due to exhaustion can lead to patient discomfort, infection and, in extreme cases, death. One study found that the patients of nurses experiencing nursing burnout had an increased incidence of urinary tract and surgical site infections.10
Stress
In a Nurse.com article, unmanageable nurse-to-patient ratios were not only correlated with higher percentages of nursing burnout—but also 54% said they experienced prolonged stress over the past two years.8
How to Prevent Nurse Burnout
Fortunately, preventing nurse burnout is possible before it occurs—and you can treat it immediately when it happens. For medical institutions, averting burnout in nursing protects their employees, patients and their bottom line.
Nurse managers and nurse leaders can help lower the risk of nurse burnout through better leadership. Nurses can take preventive and therapeutic measures for self-care.
Improve Schedules
When possible, nurse managers should create humane schedules for their staff, with shift lengths of nine hours maximum. If you’re a nurse, try to work in a facility that treats its workers well to avoid nursing burnout.
Avoid working overtime and advocate for a schedule that lets you live a balanced and healthy life. Leave time and energy for loved ones and your favorite activities to stop nurse burnout from happening to you.
Take Breaks
Take your vacation days to relax and enjoy a change of scenery. To help prevent nurse burnout, institutions can introduce a mandatory vacation day policy with a quarterly check to ensure staff are taking time off as needed. This helps to increase job satisfaction and decrease the turnover rate.
Seek Support
Support groups and work buddy systems can give you an outlet to vent frustrations. They can serve as places to discuss conflicts and challenges with nurse burnout so you can relax when you go home or are on vacation.
When you and your peers feel heard, this can also improve teamwork and collaboration. If you are feeling hopeless or depressed, seek the help of a therapist or counselor.
Learn Coping Methods
A great way to manage and prevent nurse burnout symptoms is to learn coping skills. Breathing techniques, restorative exercise, journaling and a post-work relaxation routine can make a difference in your physical and mental health and well-being.
Change Specialties or Focus
Finally, if your current specialty is too stressful and you feel you’re nearing a stage of nursing burnout, consider making a change. Earning a graduate nursing degree, such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), can enable you to switch to another specialty.
Becoming a family nurse practitioner (FNP) could give you more autonomy in your practice, or you might consider mentoring the next generation of clinicians as a nurse educator.**
If you’re a nurse who is noticing signs of nurse burnout, be sure to up your self-care game. Through inspiration and wisdom, remind yourself of your reasons for entering the profession whenever you sense that times are getting tough. It’s important for you, your employer and your patients.
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) offers Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Post-Graduate Nursing Certificate programs designed for working nurses. Our degrees are offered online, with optional on-campus immersions.* Role specialties include Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse Educator,** Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP)** and Nurse Executive. The MSN has several options to accelerate your time to degree completion. Complete coursework when and where you want—and earn your advanced nursing degree with a work-life balance.
*The FNP track includes one required hands-on clinical intensive and the PMHNP includes one required virtual clinical intensive as part of the curriculum.
**Call for availability.
Sources
- Melinda Smith and Sheldon Reid, “Burnout: Symptoms Treatment, and Tips on How to Deal,” HelpGuide.org, August 13, 2024, https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm.
- World Health Organization, “Burn-out an ‘occupational phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases,” WHO, May 28, 2019, https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Registered Nurses: Summary,” BLS, August 29, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm.
- Ann E. Rogers, “The Effects of Fatigue and Sleepiness on Nurse Performance and Patient Safety,” Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses, April 2008, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2645/.
- Guillermo A. Cañadas-De la Fuente, Jose L. Gomez-Urquiza, et al., “Prevalence of burnout syndrome in oncology nursing: A meta-analytic study.” Psychooncology, May 2018, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29314432/.
- Well-Being Index. “The Biggest Causes of Nurse Burnout and What You Can Do.” Well-Being Index, February 24, 2021. https://www.mywellbeingindex.org/blog/the-biggest-causes-of-nurse-burnout-and-what-you-can-do.
- Danielle LeVeck, “Nurse Burnout Is Real: 7 Risk Factors and the Top 3 Symptoms.” Nurse.org, October 2, 2018, https://nurse.org/articles/risks-for-nurse-burnout-symptoms.
- Zelda Meeker, “How Nurse-to-Patient Ratios Impact Burnout and Job Satisfaction” Nurse.com, July 30 2024 https://www.nurse.com/blog/nurse-to-patient-ratios-burnout-job-satisfaction-nsp/.
- Van der Heijden, Beatrice, Christine Brown Mahoney, et al., “Impact of Job Demands and Resources on Nurses’ Burnout and Occupational Turnover Intention Towards an Age-Moderated Mediation Model for the Nursing Profession,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, June 5, 2019, https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/11/2011.
- Jeanne P. Cimiotti, Linda H. Aiken, et al., “Nurse staffing, burnout, and health care-associated infection,” American Journal of Infection Control, August, 2012: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2012.02.029.
