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Nursing means passion, courage, fulfillment, knowledge, uncommon bonds and powerful experiences.
Nursing also means strenuous schedules, sleep deprivation, loss, acute mental exhaustion and an unrelenting sense of pressure.
It’s no wonder that compassion fatigue, burnout and moral distress are not uncommon among weary caretakers who forget to care for themselves. In the Spring 2015 issue of Scrubs, we explore the causes and effects of nursing’s most formidable occupational hazards, as well as a few simple steps that can be taken to help curb them.
To offer additional support, we’ve likewise gathered a few informative articles that you can browse for worthwhile information or encouragement:
Sleep deprivation
- How to be a well-rested nurse
- Too many hours, too little sleep
- 3 ways to break out of the “sleepy nurse” rut
- You can thrive on the night shift
Stress
- Under stress and overwhelmed
- Why stress matters in the nursing world
- A nurse’s 18 lessons in stress management
- Top 10 at-work stress relief exercises for nurses
Burnout
- 3 must-see videos to rebound from burnout
- Spring cleaning for nurses: Letting go
- 5 ways to tell if you’re experiencing burnout
- Are you on overload?
Compassion fatigue
- Help for compassion fatigue
- Compassion fatigue checklist
- How do I deal with compassion fatigue?
- 5 strategies to help deal with compassion fatigue
Moral distress
- Who can I talk to when something goes wrong?
- How do I deal with leaving bedside?
- How do I deal with a patient who insists on leaving AMA?
- How do I deal with being in charge of friends?
Have a particular question or topic you’d like us to address? Share it with us in the comments section below.
