Job Burnout and Satisfaction Among Nurses



Job Burnout and Satisfaction Among NursesRachel MartinkoUniversity of Central FloridaJob Burnout and Satisfaction Among NursesBackgroundPressures are being placed on hospitals worldwide to shorten patient length of stay, while battling nursing shortages and higher demands from patients and organizations. Nurses are expected to provide a higher quality of care, while dealing with issues such as unhealthy, and often times stressful working environments (Poghosyan, Clarke, Finlayson, & Aiken, 2010). Under the Affordable Care Act, hospital reimbursement relies on performance scores from patient surveys issued post-discharge ("Hospital ," 2014). A greater emphasis is placed on the nursing staff to provide quality care while ensuring patients are satisfied. However, this increased demand causes stress resulting in job burnout and reduced job satisfaction among nurses. Healthcare organizations depend on nurses to provide quality patient care, promote positive patient outcomes and satisfaction, and help to improve financial performance (Kaur, Sambasivan, & Kumar, 2013). These organizations strive to develop strategies to improve effectiveness of workflow for staff to deliver quality patient care while also maintaining satisfaction among employees. Nurses encompass the majority of healthcare professionals. They hold a tremendous impact on a patient’s experience while in the hospital. Thus, lies the importance for nurses to be satisfied with their working environment, and decrease incidences of job burnout.Workplace environment plays a major role in worker satisfaction and the quality of care provided to patients directly and indirectly. Studies have proved a correlation exists between poor working environments and high levels of dissatisfaction and burnout levels (Lamrou, Merkeouris, Middleton, & Papastavrou, 2014). Job BurnoutJob burnout is common among nurses worldwide. One study completed by Crawford and Daniels (2014) showed that 30-40% of nurses in five different countries feel burned out with their jobs. Moreover, 89% of nurses leave the profession because of this feeling of burnout (Crawford & Daniels, 2014). Referred to as a psychological syndrome, job burnout can comprise of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. Nurses may feel less accomplished, depersonalized, and their connections with patients suffer (Poghosyan et al., 2010). They may distance themselves from their work and peers, compromising trust with their patients. These problems may result in increased absences from work, further adding to the shortages staff often faces during a workday. Poorer patient outcomes have been linked to higher nurse to patient ratios (Wang, Liu, & Wang, 2015). In a study by Van Bogaert, Clarke, Roelant, Meulemans, & Van de Heyning (2010), positive ratings of practice environments by nurses were correlated with reduced burnout, positive job outcomes, and increased ratings of quality of care to patients. Positive practice environments are essential and promote the health, safety, and well being of the staff, while focusing on providing quality patient care. Motivating team members with incentives and rewards increases productivity, and helps to improve patient outcomes as well (Lamrou et al., 2014).Kaur et al. (2013) discuss how psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual valuable can affect burnout rates among nurses. It is suggested that spiritual and emotional intelligence are core values nurses should posses to deliver quality patient care. This is important, and education for the development of spirituality and emotional intelligence is embedded in nursing curriculum. Nurses portraying a strong sense of ownership in their jobs, with high spiritual values are not typically affected by job burnout (Kaur et al., 2013).Job SatisfactionBurnout among nurses can directly relate to job dissatisfaction. Reduced levels of emotional exhaustion, intent to stay, and positive quality of care are linked to high job satisfaction in nursing. Factors that affect job satisfaction and burnout include organizational and environmental influences. These factors comprise of managerial hierarchy, lack of nurse autonomy, poor nurse leadership or support, and lack of resources necessary to perform one’s job (Wang et al., 2015). Personal attributes, such as emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization, also may negatively influence work duties. Management and leadership support also influence job satisfaction among nurses. It is essential to have a strong leadership team that shows support toward staff and their ideas to empower nurses, and promote a sense of fulfillment in their jobs. Reducing stressors in the workplace, such as maintaining adequate staffing levels and promoting a trusting and positive culture, should also be a priority to keep staff satisfied (Wang et al., 2015). RecommendationsIt is essential to create positive working environments for nurses, not only to promote patient safety and quality care, but also for the overall well being of the staff. Support from managers and leadership team members are an essential part of this. Brunges and Foley-Brinza (2014) formulated a list of the top areas with greatest opportunity for improvement on nursing units. They used job satisfaction questionnaires on staff to gain feedback. The top three areas included the need for more education for staff members, recognition and rewards, and staff member input for decision-making on the unit. Meal breaks without interruption should be required on all units. Fun activities, such as potluck meals, holiday parties, and social functions outside of work promote a bond among team members, which can help to build a stronger team while at work (Brunges & Foley-Brinza, 2014)Availability and flexibility of leaders and management team can also greatly impact job satisfaction. This includes managers on the unit level as well as organizational administration. Trust between these members allows for staff to share ideas freely without fear of being reprimanded. Staff feels accomplished and empowered when they are involved in important unit and possible hospital-wide decisions. Leaders should recognize when staff members are emotionally fatigued or unhappy in the workplace, and intervene when necessary (Van Bogaert et al., 2010). Education should be provided to these staff members on ways of coping with workplace stressors. Burnout programs may also be beneficial for organizations to adopt to decrease job turnover from dissatisfaction and burnout among nurses (Crawford & Daniels, 2014). Nurses are vital to the success of healthcare and are key players in providing positive patient outcomes. Keeping nurses satisfied at work, by maintained a positive practice environment, helps to reduce job burnout and turnover rates. Today’s society cannot afford to lose any more nurses, as the shortage has costly and often times negative outcomes to organizations and their patients. Personal ExperienceIt is evident that nursing is a high stress, demanding profession, which can lead to job burnout and dissatisfaction. As a nurse on a busy orthopedic unit, I have first hand experience with this all too common issue. Often short-staffed, which increases nurse to patient ratios, nurses easily become fatigued with the heavy workload. Nurses can also become frustrated with patients and their family members, reducing the quality of care provided. I, too, have been a victim of job burnout. However, I think that this is due to the busy, high patient turnover, orthopedic unit in which I work. We are constantly losing staff to other units, but mostly due to new opportunities available in different areas of nursing. It is difficult to blame a poor work environment, or lack of leadership on my current unit on the intent to leave by nurses. I feel our manager does an excellent job at promoting a positive, supportive workplace through exemplary leadership skills. Everyday, she thanks each team member on duty for all we do, and for providing excellent patient care. Incentives are given, in form of “High Five Rewards”, which can be cashed in for gift cards and other various items. Monthly meetings are held, discussing new and old issues, and team members are asked for suggestions for improvements. The manager on my unit displays many qualities necessary to lead and maintain a positive working environment. She is always looking for ways to improve patient care, while trying to simplify staff’s daily tasks. Asking team members suggestions for changes, the staff on the unit is involved in decision-making and any new major implementations or practice changes. Whether it’s helping a patient bathe or passing medications, she also is willing to jump in and assist staff whenever is needed.The organization where I am employed was listed on the “Forbes Best Companies to Work For in 2015”, and also ranks as a top “100 Places to Work in Tampa Bay”. I am very proud to work where I do, but in the nature of nursing, there are always difficulties to overcome. For this reason, it is essential to maintain a positive, healthy work environment that strives for nurse job satisfaction. ReferencesBrunges, M., & Foley-Brinza, C. (2014). Projects for increasing job satisfaction and creating a healthy work environment. AORN Journal, 100, 670-681. Retrieved from , J., & Daniels, M. (2014). Follow the leader: how does “followership” influence nurse burnout? Nursing Management, 45, 30-37. value-based purchasing. (2014). Retrieved April 1, 2015, from , D., Sambasivan, M., & Kumar, N. (2013). Effect of spiritual intelligence, emotional intelligence, psychological ownership and burnout on caring behaviours of nurses: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 22, 3192-3202. , P., Merkeouris, A., Middleton, N., & Papastavrou, E. (2014). Nurses’ perceptions of their professional practice environment in relation to job satisfaction: a review of quantitative studies. Health Science Journal, 8, 298-317. Retrieved fromPoghosyan, L., Clarke, S. P., Finlayson, M., & Aiken, L. H. (2010). Nurse burnout and quality of care: cross-national investigation in six countries. Research in Nursing & Health, 33, 288-298. 10.1002/nur.2038Van Bogaert, P., Clarke, S., Roelant, E., Meulemans, H., & Van de Heyning, P. (2010). Impacts of unit-level nurse practice environment and burnout on nurse-reported outcomes: a multilevel modelling approach. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19, 1664-1674. , S., Liu, Y., & Wang, L. (2015). Nurse burnout: personal and environmental factors as predictors. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 21, 78-86. ................
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