9 Things You Can Implement to Improve Nurse Burnout Today

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Maintaining good health and work-life balance is difficult in any fast-paced job, but it can be particularly difficult for nurses. Managing the health of others can sometimes mean letting one's own well-being slip by the wayside. But it doesn't have to be that way. The following tips will help your institution assist its nurses in managing stress and maintaining a healthy outlook in the workplace.

Get Data on Workplace Burnout

Are your nurses in danger of burning out? It's important to know the state of the workplace for your workers, and there are tests that can help you ascertain how your nurses are doing. Med+Ed's Well Being Index is a good place to start to understand how your nurses are doing, what is causing stress and how to solve any issues.

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Analyze the Data

Look at the data to understand what is causing potential burnout among your nurses. Are shifts too long? Is there enough support for nurses dealing with psychological or other stresses? Is the environment emotionally or physically taxing? Take care to understand what is causing their stress to help determine how to support them better.

Research Solutions to Workplace Burnout

Once data has been gathered, you'll be able to start compiling solutions to the institutional problems you have identified. For each problem, it's wise to research a variety of solutions. Are nurses feeling psychologically fatigued or feeling unsupported? One solution could be to have counseling staff on hand to provide therapeutic support. For every issue, there is a solution out there. 

Create a Feedback Channel

In addition to surveys, you should create a feedback channel so employees can let you know if problems or stresses are developing.

Discuss Signs of Burnout

When nurses experience burnout on the job, they are likely to leave an institution if they feel unable to discuss the problem with their supervisors. Therefore, it is critical for institutions to be proactive about discussing burnout and its potential solutions. 

Create Awareness of Healthy Solutions

Some people are good at managing their own stress; others aren't. Creating workplace awareness of stress solutions that the institution provides is essential in making sure that whenever a nurse feels stressed, a solution is at hand. This can be as easy as posting flyers or sending periodic emails to ensure nurses are aware of all the solutions available to them. 

Promote Health in the Workplaces

It's easier to be healthy when you work in a healthy atmosphere. Stock nutritious snacks in the break room, provide healthy teas by the coffee maker, and encourage employees to take a breather when needed. Make sure nurses have resources to guide them regarding exercise, therapy and social activities. 

Check Up on Nurses

Institute a periodic check-in with your employees to see how they are doing in terms of managing their workloads. This can help keep small stresses from becoming large workflow issues. 

Celebrate Health!

There's nothing more necessary in a nursing environment than keeping a focus on what's most important: the health of patients and their providers. Adopting an institutional attitude that celebrating health is a priority can go a long way in affirming healthiness to both patients and nurses. Whether by implementing positive signage, bringing in fresh plants or providing healthy snack choices—celebrate health! 

Access The Demo Account - Try It For Yourself!

You will get instant access to the Well-Being Index demo account to test the software as different types of users. We will also send you a confirmation email with the link to the demo account for future access.

Go Beyond Burnout

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Download the Executive Leadership Summary

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