A frequent topic at Golden Mean Health is how to manage burnout in the healthcare setting. As nurse practitioners with years of experience in different healthcare settings, we understand the impact of working long hospital shifts, being understaffed, and feeling exhausted day in and day out while still trying to provide the very best care we can. Unfortunately, that sometimes means having little left of ourselves at the end of the day. 

Even before Covid the nation’s healthcare system was already experiencing a crisis level of burnout among US healthcare workers, according to the National Academy of Medicine, with 35%-54% of nurses and physicians and 45%-60% of medical students and residents reporting signs of burnout. Add to that a worldwide pandemic and record staffing shortages, and it’s no wonder why so many healthcare workers have decided to leave the profession and why those that have remained continue to suffer emotionally and physically.

Healthcare burnout has been linked to insomnia, heart disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, substance use, isolation and interpersonal/relationship challenges. As for the care provided by those experiencing burnout, their patients have been found to have delays in care and diagnosis, less time with healthcare workers, lower quality of care, and increased medical errors. Reasons for decreased quality of care by a healthcare worker experiencing burnout include increased irritability, withdrawal, impaired judgment, and a reduced ability to manage emotions and impulses.

At Golden Mean Health we understand the impact burnout can have on the lives of those in the healthcare profession, and we are here to listen and provide support in order to help improve the overall health of those who care for others.

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