Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1225425
Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com 21 March 23–April 27, 2020 NEW GRAD BURNOUT T he hard truth is that even before the COVID-19 crisis became a pandemic, many nurses were already dangerously close to burnout. This is nothing new for our profession, and it's a problem that starts early. I have vivid memories of my first nursing job as a new graduate, sitting in the conference room to take change-of-shift reports from nurses just coming off the night shift. A few managed to crack a smile, but others were dreary and red-eyed, com- plaining about heavy patient loads, inadequate staffing and having to fin- ish work for other nurses. Even in my first week, colleagues asked, "Why on earth did you go into nurs- ing? This is a thankless job." By the end of my res- idency, I was already so burned out by the stress and negativity that I jumped at a chance to join the staff of a physician group. Although that was years ago, many new grads today could tell sim- ilar stories. A PROFESSION IN CRISIS I n October 2019, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) released a widely anticipated report, Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Wellbeing, a culmination of two years of research. The report cites research suggesting that more than half of all clinicians — including nurses and physi- cians across the United States — experience symp- toms of professional burnout, depression and suici- dality. This is a bona fide public health epidemic that is adversely affecting the quality and safety of U.S. healthcare. For nurses, burnout manifests as emotional exhaustion; feelings of ineffectiveness and cynicism; no longer finding work meaningful; and a tendency to view patients, students and colleagues as objects rather than human beings. Burnout reduces job satisfaction; contributes to medical errors and poorer patient satisfaction; and increases rates of alcohol and drug abuse, self-harm and suicide. It's a serious danger to your physical and mental health. RISK FACTORS AT HOME AND WORK T he NAM report affirms something nurses already know: that burnout can have both per- sonal and workplace causes. Personal risk fac- tors include not practicing self-care or healthy lifestyle behaviors. Workplace risk factors can include poor staffing, schedules that cut into personal time, inadequate leadership support, IT challenges, spending less time with patients, a negative or toxic work environment and a lack of connection and trust with coworkers. As a nurse, you may have little control over your unit's staffing and schedules, but there are measures you can take to bolster your personal wellbeing and be your best self. What does it mean to be your best self? Martin Seligman, Ph.D., founder of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences, identifies three distinct states of human functioning: 1. FLOURISHING describes people who maintain an "optimal level of functioning," characterized by good- ness, generativity, growth, joy, hope and resilience. 2. LANGUISHING describes those who are showing up day to day, watching the clock and collecting their paychecks, but who ultimately feel like something is missing in their lives. 3. DYSFUNCTION describes a negative condition characterized by depression, anxiety and loneliness. P-R-O-P-E-L H ow does one reach the ideal "flourishing" state? Thomas Muha, Ph.D., has defined a framework with the acronym "PROPEL," which stands for Passion, Relationships, Optimism, Proactive response, Energy and Legacy. Muha has developed an evidence-based program designed to improve clinicians' wellbeing and increase resilience by focusing on each of these factors. F l ourishing is an optimal level of functioning, characterized by goodness, generativity, growth, joy, hope and resilience.