Nurse Faculty Burnout and Strategies to Avoid it

Abstract

BackgroundEight out of ten Americans report they experience job stress. Nurses (74%) are reporting acute and chronic stress as a contributing factor to nurse burnout. Stress can be the result of organizational, interpersonal or individual/personal factors and could eventually lead to burnout if ignored. It has long been reported about the shortage of nursing faculty but very little about how current nurse faculty experience burnout. Faculty burnout can be due to a variety of reasons (e.g., employment requirements, working in understaffed environment, lack of support). ProblemAlthough stress at work has become common nurses may avoid acknowledging stress. Nurse faculty have not received as much attention related to chronic stress and burnout or recognize personal chronic stress potentially leading to burnout. ApproachThis paper discusses how to recognize the chronic stress that may lead to nurse faculty burnout, provides a case study for reflection and learning, and offers strategies to reduce and avoid burnout. ConclusionNurse faculty may gain greater understanding of stressors leading to burnout, determine if they are experiencing symptoms of burnout and apply strategies to reduce or prevent burnout.