Each nurse has a different story of how they entered the profession, but a common thread that binds all nurses is the intrinsic desire to care for people when they are at their most vulnerable. It is not surprising that nurses routinely make personal sacrifices in order to care for their patients. Many will argue that a servant’s heart is an occupational requirement of those in the nursing profession. However, the noble sacrifices that nurses make in providing care for their patients may result in poor patient care long-term. When nurses put self-care low on their priority list, they are mentally and physically compromised. If a nurse habitually neglects his/her own health, always putting patient needs above his/her own needs, an eventual …show more content…
The purpose of this study was to identify what personal and environmental factors may lead to an increase or decrease in the level of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout that emergency department nurses experience (Hunsaker, S., et al, 2015). Results from this study revealed that there is an increase in compassion satisfaction in nurses who have graduate and doctorate levels of nursing education, compared to those who have bachelor or associate nursing degrees (Hunsaker, S., et al, 2015). Another factor that increased compassion satisfaction and decreased burnout was the length of time a nurse had been working (CITE). It was also noted that an increase in compassion satisfaction and a decrease in burnout and compassion fatigue were reported when nurses felt supported by their managers (CITE). Hunsaker, S., et al (2015) suggest the development of a mentorship program where new nurses are paired with experienced nurses, so that experienced nurses can share their wisdom and strategies in preventing compassion fatigue and burnout. Hunsaker, S., et al (2015) recommend continued research on compassion fatigue and burnout, with the hope that new research will shine a light on this growing problem. The increased awareness and development of new prevention strategies, …show more content…
(2015) used a cross-sectional design, survey method to determine if the self-reported health behaviors of nurses were worse, better, or equal to the health behaviors of the general population. Perry, L., Gallagher, R., & Duffield, C. (2015) revealed risky alcohol intake, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, and current smoking are three areas that nurses ranked significantly higher than the general population in terms of risk behavior. In addition, only a few nurses did not report any symptoms of chronic illness with “more than 40% reporting at least one chronic disease” (CITE). However, when asked to rate their health status, the majority of nurses considered themselves to be in good to very good health (CITE). Perry, L., Gallagher, R., & Duffield, C. (2015) conclude that patient health is largely dependent on the quality of the nurse’s own health, making health promotion for nurses even more
Often time, nurses has been viewed by patients, their family members and the medical team as basic emotional care givers, pill crushers or cart pullers and not as healthcare professionals who are more interesting in health promotion, disease prevention and better patient outcomes. They also often forget the emotional, physical, mental, and caring part that is involved with the profession. And to make matters worse, nurses are continued to be viewed as a threat by doctors more than ever before especially with the opening of Nurse Practitioners programs.
Leo Buscaglia once said, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” In the field of nursing, this concept could not be illustrated more profoundly. The trait of caring within nursing is arguably the most important trait that a nurse could possess. It can be defined in various ways, but to me, caring is the act of being moved or compelled to action by feelings of compassion, empathy, sympathy, anger, intention, sadness, fear, happiness, protection, enlightenment, or love in light of another human being. There are many aspects to the term “caring”. It is an ever-present shape shifter, swiftly
This particular concept of Compassion Fatigue can be a very vague abstract phenomenon because defining what the signs and symptoms of Compassion Fatigue are, is very obscure and fuzzy. Nurses do not always or often report that they are suffering from Compassion Fatigue and may associate the symptoms with employment burn out or unrelated health concerns. It is important for nurses to become knowledgeable about Compassion Fatigue symptoms and intervention strategies and to develop a personal plan of care so as to achieve a healthy work life balance. Equally as important is that healthcare systems invest in creating healthy work environments that prevent Compassion Fatigue and address the needs of the nurses who are suffering from Compassion Fatigue ("Compassion Fatigue: A Nurse’s Primer," 2001.) While the concept of Compassion Fatigue, Burn Out and Compassion Satisfaction has been analyzed by authors Mooney et al, this is only a small portion of understanding Compassion Fatigue in the Oncology Unit and what steps to take to combat or prevent Compassion Fatigue in new nurses on the unit. Author Melonie McEwen reflects that expert practice and enhanced education lead advanced practice nurses to recognize commonalities in phenomena that suggest the need for inquiry (MCEWEN, 2018, p. 50). Compassion Fatigue is not a new concept or idea but developing the whys and hows of the prevalence of Compassion Fatigue should be investigated as well as more effective interventions so that the nurse does not jeopardize patient safety or job
Lombardo, B., & Eyre, C. (2011). Compassion fatigue: A nurse's primer. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 16(1), 1. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=2011048800&site=ehost-live&scope=site
One of the most serious issues in nursing, that can affect a nurses career is nursing burn- out. According to the article “Where have all the nurses gone”, current nurses that are practicing, report high rates of job dissatisfaction (which is part of burn out) and 1 of 5 nurses may quit nursing in the next 5 years (Dworkin, 2002). Burnout is associated with nurses not coming in to work, not feeling satisfied when doing their job, high turnover rates and a lack of commitment to the work (Katisfaraki, 2013). If a nurse becomes burned- out, they may not take care of their patients as well and could make mistakes with medication administration. A study performed in the United States by Dr. Jeannie Cimiottti, shows that hospitals with high burn-out rates among nurses have higher levels UTI’s, and surgical infections (World, 2012). Nursing burnout not only affects the nurse, but it also affects the patient, the nurses’ colleagues, and the nurses’ family; nursing burn out often leads to emotional exhaustion and depression, that can effect relations and communication between the nurse effected and the person they are communicating with. This paper will cover what burn-out is, who is susceptible to burn out, and treatment and prevent nursing burn out.
Compassion fatigue is a complex form of secondary traumatic stress often experienced by nurses and other health care professionals due to their stressful work environment. Compassion fatigue is extreme exhaustion that penetrates all aspects of one’s wellbeing, including the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects of life (Murphy-Ende, 2012). Dealing with children who are both chronically ill or in palliative care is known to be extremely stressful. Not only are nurses faced with dealing with the physical symptoms of their patients, they also must attend to their fragile emotional state and be of assistance to their anxious family members. Oncologic diagnoses can put a child and their family into turmoil. Since the nurse is the first, and most constant point of contact, they are often the ones who become responsible for ensuring well-being of the entire family throughout the ...
middle of paper ... ... According to Bush (2009), nurses must learn forgiveness and love to prevent and overcome compassion fatigue. “Nurses should treat themselves with the empathy and compassion that they give others” (Bush, 2009, p. 27). Nurses should take time to nurture themselves by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet. They should also continue to participate in activities that they enjoy, get plenty of rest, and have a sense of self-awareness throughout their career.
Burnout is a highly unusual type of stress disorder that is essentially characterized by emotional exhaustion, lack of empathy with patients, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishments. The nature of the work that healthcare practitioners perform predisposes them to emotional exhaustion. On the other hand, the lack of empathy towards patients is caused by the nurses feeling that they are underpaid and unappreciated. Numerous researches have associated burnout with the increasing rate of nurse turnover. This paper explores the causes of burnouts in nurses as well as what can be done to prevent the them.
When individuals, such as foster parents and professionals in caring role, gain satisfaction from participating in roles where they can express and utilize compassion it is called compassion satisfaction. Findings have “demonstrated that compassion satisfaction is possibly a protective factor against compassion fatigue and burnout, in that caregivers with high compassion satisfaction scores were less
Healthcare is viewed in an unrealistic way by most individuals. Many people view a physician as the only means to find a solution to their problem. Nurses are still seen by some as simply “the person who does what the doctor says.” This is frustrating in today’s time when nurses are required to spend years on their education to help care for their patients. In many situations nurses are the only advocate that some patients’ have.
The pediatric oncology unit has become a heavily studied area for those interested in prevention of compassion fatigue, burnout, and identification of those character traits that offer increased resilience. Nurses are expected to maintain professionalism and appropriate work-life balance but this may become a difficult task on a unit where children have a chronic, intensive, and potentially life-ending condition. Nurses become close to the patient and their family and when death occurs they too may feel a great sense of intense grief and loss. The acknowledgment of this grief and the promotion of adequate self-care habits, work-life divisions, and the ability to recognize when help may be needed are amongst the most important means in prevention of burnout and compassion fatigue. In addition to utilization of positive coping skills by the nurse a responsibility by the organization is also necessary to prevent staff burnout and turnover. The organization is responsible for acknowledgement of a loss on the unit. Presentation of prompt and anonymous counseling services to everyone on the unit following a death and regularly on high-risk units is just one of the many ways an organization can continue to decrease the loss of good nurses to compassion fatigue and
Nurses not only provide care but they play many other roles. For example, nurses are considered a communicator, teacher/educator, counselor, leader, advocate and collaborator (Taylor, Lillis, Lynn and LeMone. 2015). As a caregiver, nurses provide physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs. In addition, as a caregiver, nurse integrates the roles of communicator, teacher, counselor, leader, researcher, advocate, and collaborator to promote wellness through activities that prevent illness (Taylor et al. 2015). The primary role of a nurse is providing care to patients. One positive behavior a nurse should have is keeping boundaries between work and personal life. If a nurse is having a really bad morning at home, she shouldn’t express her emotions while she is working with patient. The patient and the coworkers don’t need to suffer because a nurse is having a bad day. Another positive quality every nurse should have is good working habits. They should come to work at least half an hour early so they can get organized and prioritize their work before starting the shift. In a health care setting, everyone works as a team. It’s very important to help each other out and also ask for help when
Nursing is a collaborative job that encompasses promoting health and well-being, preventing illness and treating the ill and dying. The nursing profession is not for everyone; it takes strong-willed individuals that understand the significance of putting other people’s lives in their hands. Most nurses come to work not knowing how their shift will turn out; as they must take on treating, saving, and caring for patients they possibly just met. As a nurse, I believe that passion for this job should never be lost, patience must be attained and exercised, and that there should always be a strong positive mental attitude on and off the job. These three beliefs have shaped my decision to become a nurse, what health and illness mean to
How long can we expect to lead with the example of "Do as I say, not as I do?" Nurses and health educators are expected to provide good examples of healthy lifestyles (Borchardt, 2000, p.29). Nurses are role models and their actions should reflect what they promote. Patient cannot be expected to respect the nurses if the nurses do not provide self-care to themselves physically and emotionally? National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that "The nature of the work [nursing] requires sophisticated technical skill, vigilance, and judgment . . . under intense conditions and considerable pressure"(Mckeon, Norris, Cardell & Britt). Self-care and mindfulness training is said to alleviate the pressure and intense working
Nurses that were once an invisible self-sacrificing profession needs to bloom and evolve into a noticeable and confident profession equivalent to other roles in healthcare (i.e doctors). Nurses need to collectively be proactive in showing the public that with out nurses the healthcare world would not of been as great at it is today. Nurses in one’s opinion are the heart of healthcare, through the knowledge, passion, and skill of a nurse contributes the drive the healthcare role to