I heard this term recently applied to nursing. Can anyone comment on this topic. It's about how nurses run themselves into the ground because of compassion for their patients and co-workers. The point to the article was that if nurses exhaust themselves, even for a good reason, they are not in any shape to take care of their patients. I've seen nurses do this alot. Any comments?

Thanks for your input cdnurse. I hadn't really thought of this in relation to other professions--but certainly it does apply to all the other "helping professions." You bring up another good point: nurses are often referred to as "angels or saints." I remember an article I read about that--about how nurses are perceived as such helpful little creatures that we really don't need such "earthly" things like food, clothing, housing, transportation, insurance, retirement accounts, etc. How dare we sully our profession with such "earthly" demands or needs. Our jobs are to be above all that because, after all, we're angels and saints, and all our needs are met just be serving others. That's our reward! We reallly don't need anything else. You can probably guess how I feel about that. Anytime I hear anyone make one of those "angel" or "saint" references, I instantly remind them I am no angel. I need a house to live in, and food on the table. I need a good reliable car with good insurance, dental work, retirement security, a decent vacation once in a while, etc, and depending on the situation, I also add that nursing as a profession usually falls short of providing for all those needs. That's been my experince anyway. I think it's important for the public to give up that silly notion that nurses can subsist on the mere knowledge that they do good--that that's all we really need. We can simply trust the crumbs the hospital throws us as long as we fly around (answering call bells) as little angels...THose days are so far gone--and never coming back. I think it's time nursing as a profession and nurses in particular--independently and unified--stand up and demand what we need. We don't ask for extravagance. We ask for decency, and we deserve it. I'll never quit asking until the problem is resolved. And I don't feel guilty or ashamed for stating the obvious-- that the working conditions of and benefits/pay to nurses needs to be improved. If I don't feel guilty about that, then you know I also do not feel guilty about stating and abiding by my own limitations. I don't routinely volunteer for extra time at work unless I genuinely feel like it. I believe it's the responsibility of administration to come up with solutions regarding staffing. I'll be happy to offer input, and I have a lot of ideas, but I'll need to be paid for the time used to share those ideas. Nursing is not a volunteer activity for me. It's my chosen career. I volunteer at other things that are important to me. I work long and hard, and always do the absolute best I can do. That's enough. If any body thinks it isn't, I suggest they volunteer to come a few extra days to their job, and leave off family, home, rest and relaxation, etc.

this is very interesting-I have felt this way before-most recently while working in a LTC where conditions were horrible. staffing was a major problem-constant shortage of supplies- few activities scheduled for the patients-large demands on the nurses-cost effective mentality before concern for patient's welfare- I could go on and on! nurses and CNAs were given no incentives to stay, in fact there were too few benefits offerred, CNAs came and went so fast I could hardly learn their names. the morale was so bad-it affected everyone on a daily basis. I dreaded going to work each day, but felt someone had to care about these patients. Sadly, it just became too much for me. It was a no win situation and I left work every day exhausted and frustrated.

Charlita, I have been there. I am burned out on LTC. I have seen people who have been in it for a long time approach it as just a job. I 'm relatively new to nursing and just can't do that. I questioned myself and wondered if this is for me. But I truly beleive that I am a good nurse.

I am sorry that this one got lost. would like to see some discussion on this.

I am like Kay, in that I rarely volunteered to work extra time. When I first started on a Med Surg floor I did, but it didn't take long to learn not to do it. As long as people keep volunteering to work extra, administration will consider that the solution. The floor I recently left is now down to 2 nurses on night shift when it takes 4 to run the floor. In the last 6 months they have had 6 to either quit, move to another shift or transter out to another department. I myself have left. They have only hired one new grad for night shift, and have not hired anyone to replace any of the nurses that have left. The two that are left  have less than 2 years experience. Overworking the nurses will cause burn out really fast. Not being able to take care of your patients in a way you want to or should is very discouraging and makes one want to move on to something different.

Just my two cents worth.

Starlight, That is some very good insight. On the med/surg floor that I worked on their was a call shift schedule that RNs were required to sign up for. Since I was only a nurse tech I am not sure how many shifts were "mandatory", but that was the way administration felt they solved the problem. However, it was pretty well known that you would be called in to work on the night that you signed up for. The only thing that made it a little easier to swallow was that the shifts were referred to as "princess shifts" - 8 hours and the nurse was typically a helper or teammate for a regularly scheduled RN.

CD, I am wondering why management can't come up with something better/creative to help fight the burnout that goes on?

Charlita, I am constantly dumbfounded at the turnaround for CNAs in most facilities, yet most places will not put in any effort/incentive to keep CNAs that are worth their weight in gold. If I were at a facility that treated CNAs that way, I would like to think that I would try to motivate them to stay by helping them to enjoy coming to work because of the people they work with.  

I guess I am getting into an old post here but I just wanted to put my 2 cents in. I work in LTC. I work with a bunch of old nurses, by old I mean in it for a long time. Most of there time in this facility. I have come to the conclusion that under no circumstances will I end up like them. They have been working there so long they are no longer commpassionate. They are jaded and, pardon my french, bitchy! I can't understand how they got to be this way! Just an example, an aide walks up and says so and so needs a pain pill. They roll their eyes and get to it about an hour or two later. I hate that! I even have one RN supervisor who does her head to toe assessments from the desk while the pt is in their room. Now I would love to be able to see through walls but that is just ridiculous! I atleast know having them as examples, how not to end up!

HMMMM...Compassion fatigue or just a very dedicated,caring need I say more nurse? I began to give up on hospital nursing when I noticed others just either not caring or totally burnt out. My final career changing came one day when this happened to me. I just began to  my 3 to 11 shift. My first patient I checked on was to have her pedal pulse checked. A simple check in a box. Present__ or not Present__ that was it. Well I am checking and checking for the pulse and wondering , do I really feel it or not? That could be the pulse in my finger pulsating. Damn what did everyeone else check? Let me see all Pos for pedal pulse they checked prior to me. Being a recovering Catholic I have alot of guilt to deal with to begin with I just couldn't check pos. I was soooooo busy too. I told the charge nurse on duty.  She came back to the room and did not check it. I just got a look. She called the surgeon on duty. She stated to him that, " the LPN on duty stated there was not a pedal pulse yet the color of the foot was ok for the amount of edema". He immediately came to the floor within 15 mins. He checked and checked for her pedal pulse. He then looked at me kind of sternly and nodded. The patient was in the OR in 10 mins. Did I save the day? Did I save the leg? It was never brought up. I now work so passionately in a place I found was made for me. I work (or did work) in a mental ill/Addiction facility. Life was never so rewarding.   JoniDoe