Nursing burnout is on the rise, and your patients are paying the price. One study found that staff burnout was directly connected to decreased patient safety, lower patient satisfaction, and lower quality of care. So how do you keep your nurses engaged (and your patients safe) during a burnout epidemic?
Today we’re going to outline five solutions to help your nurses reconnect with their profession.
Nursing Burnout: The Basics
Nursing burnout is a state of mental and physical exhaustion due to being overworked and understaffed. It’s a widespread issue in health care and can directly impact the quality of care patients receive. Due to the high-stress nature of the job and demanding work environments, burnout affects about 62% of nurses.
Several factors contribute to burnout, including staff shortages and high turnover. When teams are understaffed, nurses work overtime, increasing stress and fatigue. This also leads to higher patient-to-nurse ratios, placing even more pressure on individual nurses and taking a significant toll on their mental health.
Burnout is often confused with compassion fatigue. While the two are heavily related, they are different. Compassion fatigue is common in occupations that deal with trauma on a daily basis, such as police officers, therapists, social workers, and health care workers. The emotional strain of caring for others in distress can lead to detachment, cynicism, and eventually burnout.
Signs of Nursing Burnout
If you notice these symptoms in you and your staff, then you may have a burnout problem on your hands.
- Feeling emotionally and mentally exhausted.
- Being unable to detach from work.
- Feeling less invested in the wellbeing of your patients.
- Decreased sense of accomplishment in your work.
- Feeling helpless or trapped.
- Changes in your weight, appetite, or sleeping patterns.
- Negative feelings about your job (anger, frustration, guilt, or feeling like a failure).
- Increase in substance use.
- Losing interest in your hobbies.
- Feeling the urge to quit nursing.
So what do you do if your team is struggling with burnout? You can’t change the job description, but there are a few things you can change.
Addressing Burnout in Nursing Teams
Nursing burnout is inevitable, but it can be managed. By recognizing the symptoms early and tackling the problem at a cultural level, you can create lasting change in your organization. The key to overcoming burnout is implementing health care staff engagement programs that help nurses rediscover their passion.
1). Reigniting the Spirit of Caring Workshop
Our first innovative burnout solution for hospitals is Re-Igniting the Spirit of Caring (RSC), a three-day workshop that helps teams reset, refocus, and reconnect. This health care staff engagement program will teach you how to care for patients more effectively and meaningfully.
Participants hear directly from former patients, gain fresh perspective, and feel inspired to be leaders of change. RSC tackles nursing burnout head-on by helping staff renew their sense of purpose and compassion. After the workshop, many report greater joy in their work, along with noticeable improvements in engagement, retention, and overall wellbeing.
Hear From Past Participants:
“I had an amazing time. The workshop was very challenging, inspiring and it did re-ignite my desire to improve as a caregiver.”
“I can’t say enough good things about this. It was truly life-changing in addition to career changing. Please continue to have guest patients come tell their stories. The emotions were raw and real. This class is awesome.”
Re-Igniting the Spirit of Caring in Action
St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center was facing a wave of negativity, burnout, and distrust. They needed strong leadership to keep staff motivated amidst organizational changes. However, addressing the root cause of the issue was key. With our guidance, we transformed this crisis into an opportunity for cultural change.
Over two years, about one-third of St. Luke’s employees, executives, and volunteers participated in our RSC workshop, held monthly. Through this program, they gained insights on how to care for themselves, their colleagues, and their patients.
Our Results:
- Rediscovered their purpose, strengthened teams, and adopted a shared goal for the future.
- Saved an estimated $589,000 due to employee retention and avoiding turnover costs.
- Retained 19 participants who had previously planned to leave the organization or career.
- Recommended by 99.15% of participants.
2). Professional Governance Leadership Model
Another solution to addressing burnout in nursing teams is professional governance. This leadership model empowers nurses by giving them a voice in decision-making. By encouraging a sense of accountability and ownership in their work, nurses are more invested in patient outcomes.
Shared decision-making is an effective tool to foster employee engagement, which in turn increases job satisfaction among nurses. It also improves profitability and hospital performance. With staffing shortages and nursing burnout on the rise, building a culture of engagement has never been more important.
Professional Governance in Action
A major academic medical center had implemented professional governance, but it wasn’t functioning effectively. Their staff was not engaged or taking ownership of patient outcomes. They also struggled to measure their results and interpret data.
By investing in health care staff engagement programs like Relationship-Based Care and RSC, their team was able to create a functioning professional governance model.
Our Results:
- Increased nurse satisfaction from underperforming to outperforming in four out of five criteria.
- Increased patient satisfaction (in just two years) from the 55th percentile to the 88th percentile.
- Increased number of nurses certified for the operating room.
3). Leading an Empowered Organization Program
Burnout among nursing leaders is just as common—and just as serious—as it is for your staff. That’s why we offer our program, Leading an Empowered Organization (LEO).
This three-day course helps current and emerging leaders sharpen their management skills and leadership approach. Over 200,000 professionals worldwide have taken LEO because they know one thing for sure: a strong, healthy team starts with strong, healthy leadership.
Leaders who complete this program report:
- Improved staff participation in decision-making.
- Organization-wide accountability.
- Healthier work environments.
4). Peer Support Networks
Another way to reduce nursing burnout is by fostering social connection. Peer support networks can build camaraderie, offer emotional support, and help nurses feel less alone. Colleagues with shared experiences can also offer practical advice, boosting morale and a sense of belonging.
After a traumatic event, hold a debriefing session to help your team process and recover in a healthy way—before stress builds up and leads to burnout. Nursing can’t be done in isolation. A strong culture depends on support, understanding, and open communication. Remind your staff that they matter and their work is meaningful.
5). Self-Care Practices
The final way of addressing burnout in nursing teams is through self-care. It starts with tuning into your own wellbeing. Recognize when you’re overwhelmed and need a break. Take short walks, breathe deeply, and try to leave work at work.
Simple self-care habits go a long way: get at least seven hours of sleep, eat well, stay active, and make time for things you enjoy. Unwind after shifts with activities like meditation, connecting with loved ones, or even doing chores that help you feel more in control. Consider making a self-care plan that reflects what matters most to you.
But self-care isn’t just on nurses. Managers play a key role by encouraging open communication, offering wellness resources, and ensuring schedules aren’t pushing staff past their limits.
Enhancing Workforce Morale with CHCM
Our innovative burnout solutions for hospitals and health care systems can spark a new passion in your team. With the right strategies, you can boost staff engagement, improve patient outcomes, and reduce turnover—all while building a healthier, more resilient workforce.
At CHCM, it starts with a conversation. Tell us what challenges you’re facing and where you want to go. Our expert consultants will craft solutions to support your team and your goals.
Don’t let nursing burnout stand in the way of progress. The change starts with you.
Ruth’s career has spanned over 30 years with a large health system where she has held progressive leadership roles including Risk Manager, Director of Surgical Services, Clinical Project Director, and Magnet® Program Director. Ruth has extensive experience with successful Magnet® designation, and a proven track record of improved outcomes.
