Nurses' Burnout: Causes, Consequences, and Ways of Prevention

 Running head: NURSES' BURNOUT 1
Nurses' Burnout: Causes, Consequences, and Ways of Prevention
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Outline
I. Introduction
II. The Predictors of Nurses' Burnout
III. Burnout in Different Healthcare Units
IV. The Outcomes of Burnout
V. The Ways of Preventing the Negative Effects of Nurses' Burnout
VI. Conclusion
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Nurses' Burnout: Causes, Consequences, and Ways of Prevention
Saving people's lives is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. However,
people who work in medical settings do not always have a possibility to get
satisfaction from what they are doing. Nurses, who perform some of the most difficult
duties in a variety of healthcare facilities, frequently suffer from fatigue and feel
dissatisfied with their job because of burnout. There are many reasons why nurses
feel this way: there may be an insufficient number of employees within a unit,
working conditions may be too stressful, or hours may be too long. Whatever the
causes of burnout may be, one thing is certain: they should be seriously considered
and eliminated. With such an aim, interventions to help nurses overcome their
exhaustion and depression are designed. Specialists in healthcare settings realize
that without acting appropriately, they may lose some of the most valuable
employees.
The Predictors of Nurses' Burnout
Along with investigating the specifications of burnout in various units, scholars
also pay attention to analyzing the predictors of this negative process that is
becoming more and more prevalent among medical workers. Queiros, Carlotto,
Kaiseler, Dias, and Pereira (2013) define several types of such predictors. According
to the authors, the factors like age, sex, number of years of experience, working in a
managerial position, being employed in several institutions, and the level of job
satisfaction are the major predictors of nurses' burnout. Moreover, there is another
crucial element – the interaction between work and home (Queiros et al., 2013).
Taking into consideration these data, it seems necessary to investigate the
mentioned factors in order to implement burnout prevention campaigns at various
hospital units.
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Another essential predictor of burnout is spirituality. According to research,
spirituality is a predictor of burnout following the analysis of well-being and
personality. Galea (2014) mentions that nurses' moral surroundings and physical
environment foster the development of burnout. The issue of work environment is
deeply investigated by many specialists since it is believed to be one of the most
crucial factors. One of the predictors of burnout identified by researchers is the low
level of manager's encouragement and support (Hunsaker, Chen, Maughan, &
Heaston, 2015). It is recommended to raise the quality of manager support in order
to eliminate the possibility of nurses' burnout. Li et al. (2013) remark that
environment dynamics are closely connected with burnout experiences at various
levels of health care. Achieving positive work climate is required to eliminate nurses'
exhaustion.
Burnout in Different Healthcare Units
The most frequent reason for burnout is associated with being new to nursing
profession. For yesterday's students, no matter how diligent they were in their
studies and at practical assignments, starting a job is a rather stressful period that is
full of new and not necessarily expected things. It is impossible to be prepared for
everything, and new graduate nurses face challenges every day (Laschinger & Fida,
2014). To eliminate this kind of burnout, it is necessary for the leaders to arrange the
most positive environment and provide assistance for the employees that do not
have much experience yet.
While all nurses may experience job burnout, there are some departments
employees of which have a higher disposition to feeling overworked. Emergency
care units' nurses belong to this category. Medical workers in these departments are
exposed to higher stress levels due to the specification of emergency care 
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(Hunsaker et al., 2015). However, with appropriate support from the units' leaders,
nurses are able to cope with stressful work conditions.
The reasons for burnout among nurses working in the area of end-of-life care
are also more complicated than among those employed in other units. According to
Gama, Barbosa, and Vieira (2014), there is a significant difference in burnout scores
when comparing the results of nurses from palliative care units and those from other
units. These nurses demonstrate higher levels of depersonalization and emotional
exhaustion and a lower level of personal accomplishment. Employees at end-of-care
departments feel a stronger fear of death and find themselves less secure than
nurses in other units (Gama et al., 2014). Therefore, special attention should be paid
to these nurses in terms of