Burnout is a professional prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job. Burnout can be looked in three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment.
Emotional exhaustion refers to feeling emotionally depleted and tired. Depersonalization is feeling detached from the work and worksite. While lacking of personal accomplishment refers to feeling incompetent and lacking of achievement at work.
Nurses work under the situation of long shifts, busy, high-stress and always putting others first. These factors contribute to nursing burnout without them realize and finally they end up in compassion fatigue in their jobs. It is important to create awareness so that nurses could realize on they might have the tendency of burnout when they showing some symptoms.
The symptoms of burnout are:
a) Diminished sense of humour
Inability to laugh at daily, on-the-job situations
b) Skipping rest and food breaks
Continually having no time for coffee or lunch breaks to restore stamina
c) Increased overtime and no vocation
Indispensable to the organization; reluctant to say no to working on scheduled off-days.
d) Increased physical complaints
Fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, stomach upset and susceptibility to illness.
e) Social withdrawal
Pulling away from coworkers, peers, family members.
f) Changed job performance
Increased absenteeism, tardiness, use of sick leave and decreased efficiency or productivity.
g) Self-medication
Increased used of alcohol, tranquilizers, and other mood-altering drugs.
h) Internal changes
Emotional exhaustion, loss of self-esteem, depression, frustration and a “trapped” feelings.
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