Nursing is a stressful profession and can lead to physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. Within the nursing community this is referred to as burnout, and can have serious consequences on health and well-being if not addressed.

There are a number of factors that can lead to burnout such as: long shifts; chaotic and busy shifts; a poor work environment; high patient workloads; and emotional strain when dealing with patients and their families.

This can lead to: fatigue; self-doubt; loss of motivation; disillusionment; disengagement and cynicism with nursing as a career. Burnout can also affect nursing students who have competing priorities and can potentially lead to: distress; isolation; lack of motivation; and self-doubt.

It is important, therefore, for you to practice self-care to manage stress and prevent burnout.

Self-care for ED Nurses
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The Rise of Burnout
An emerging challenge facing Nurses and Midwives.
http://anmf.org.au/featured-stories/entry/the-rise-of-burnout-an-emerging-challenge-facing-nurses-and-midwives


Occupational stress and burnout
This article gives a brief overview of occupational stress, burnout and job satisfaction among health professionals, and examines whether engagement in research can contribute to job satisfaction and efficacy, and thereby to reducing stress and burnout.
https://www.westernalliance.org.au/2016/06/occupational-stress-and-burnout-low-job-satisfaction-and-efficacy-among-health-professionals


Nurse & Midwife Support
Identifying the signs of burnout early is important – it can help you to put early reparative measures in place that may prevent burnout and its consequences.
https://www.nmsupport.org.au/workplace/burnout

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Goodwin, M. (2017). Work/life balance: Best practices in healthcare management begin with self. Nursing Economics, 35(3), 152-155.

Halm, M. (2017). The role of mindfulness in enhancing self-care for nurses. American Journal of Critical Care, 26(4), 344-348. doi:10.4037/ajcc2017589

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Roberts, D. (2018). Choose Self-Care for a Healthy Nursing Career. MedSurg Nursing, 27(5), 279-279.

Schreiber, M. L. (2018). Care and Compassion for Self: Nurses Should Look Inward More Often. MedSurg Nursing, 27(2), 75-75.