Lately, I’ve met several young nurses who are already burnt out, and honestly, it makes me sad.
They invested so much to get here. Years of prerequisites. Nursing school. Studying. Tears. Semester after semester. Clinicals. Externships. Preceptorships. Residencies. Countless exams. Sacrificed weekends. Missed holidays. Anxiety. Self-doubt. Finally earning those two letters after their names! RN!
And then, after hanging in there for only a year or two, some are already wondering if they made a mistake.
They’re exhausted and questioning whether they can do this for another thirty years.
Some are leaving the bedside to explore case management positions and some wondering if they should even renew their licenses.
Why is this happening?
Why is it the culture?
Are nurses still “eating their young,” or are experienced nurses simply struggling under the weight of impossible workloads themselves?
Is it chronic understaffing? 12 hr shifts that routinely become 14? Missed meals? Moral distress? Documentation demands? Feeling unsupported? Being expected to give endlessly while having very little left to give?
I don’t pretend to have the answers, but I have almost 20 years of experience and have witnessed….
I do wonder what healthcare would look like if we truly prioritized the wellbeing of the people caring for everyone else.
Could we mentor more intentionally?
Normalize asking for help?
Protect and prioritize breaks?
Dare I say, Improve staffing?
Speak kinder and more professionally to one another?
We wish to be viewed as professional, yet we are own worst enemies at times….
Unit vs unit… what happened to a “walk in my shoes” experience that all nurses should attend, and not just once.
Offer more flexibility and opportunities for nurses to explore paths beyond the bedside before they feel forced to leave altogether?
I don’t know.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Has nursing changed and if so, how?
And are we willing to admit that some parts of the system have been unsustainable for a long time?
The S-BAR 