Published
for Everyday Health, “Why America’s Nurses Are Burning Out” is an article that
addresses the issue of nurses leaving the medical field. Written by Dr. Sanjay
Gupta, the article explains that nurses leave the field for the following
reasons: bad administration and management, insufficient staffing and
scheduling, work related stress, wanting a career as a nurse versus having a
passion for nursing. Each of these issues are problems all nurses experience on
the job. The nursing field is not meant for everyone. It takes commitment, hard
work, dedication, patience, and the ability to differentiate between empathy
and sympathy. For a nurse to be successful and committed to the field, the
issues Dr. Sanjay Gupta discusses must be addressed and examined thoroughly.
The article was written to target working nurses, stressed nurses, healthcare
coordinators, healthcare administrators and mangers, and the Human Resources
and Development Department.
This article is relevant to the public and targeted audience
because nurses are the heart of healthcare, and for a hospital or medical
facility to run effectively, issues concerning the nursing field need to be addressed.
I am currently a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and a Certified Medication
Aide (CMA). I am also enrolled as a full-time Nursing student at Kaplan. So, I
know why nurses are burning out. I have experienced all the issues and problems
the article addresses. However, I must agree with one issue and strongly
disagree with another.
Dr. Gupta writes, “in order for nurses to feel satisfied and
fulfilled with their work, the staffing issues must be seriously addressed from
a very high level.” I agree with this point. The root of most problems with
nurses, is the administration and Human Resources Department. I have worked at
two nursing facilities since obtaining my CNA. I left my first job because of
bad management. When I had issues, concerns, or questions – I felt that they
were not addressed promptly or correctly. The individuals who held the
higher-level position, had little no experience in the healthcare department.
Thus, they were unable to connect with the nurses and nurse aides, or fully
understand their concerns through a nurse or nurse aide perspective. Eva
Francis, a former nursing administrator interviewed by Dr. Gupta says, “Nurses
also need to be able to express themselves professionally about the workload,
and be heard without the fear of threat to their jobs or the fear of begin
singled out.” I strongly agree with this because often, the nurse or nurse aide
who do go to management and express their questions and concerns, are not taken
seriously. Instead, the “old-way” of doing things is the “right away” of doing
things. To address this issue, administrator and Human Resource departments
needs to have an open-door policy. This policy must be practiced, just as much
as it’s preached. Nurses and nurse aides need to have reassurance that their
problems and concerns will be addressed and considered by their leaders,
without fear of begin fired or singled out.
At the end of the article, it’s stated that “when a person
goes into nursing as a profession, it’s either because it’s a career path or a
calling.” This is a quote from Jill O’ Hara, former nurse from New York who
left the nursing field. What O’Hara states is true. Some people get into
nursing because it is a calling for them. This is not a job, but a passion for
them. A passion to help care for the sick. Other get into nursing because it is
a career choice. It is a job, but not a passion for them. A job with steady
income. Though I agree with O’Hara on her view on why a person gets into the
nursing profession, I strongly disagree with her on another point. O’Hara also
states that, “the career nurse can leave work at the end of the day and let it
go, but the nurse who enters the field because she is called to it takes those
emotionally charged encounters home with her. They are empathetic, literally
connecting emotionally with their patients, and it becomes a part of the energetically.”
I strongly disagree with this statement because empathy is a big part of the
nursing field and the healthcare field. When a nurse can connect with his or
her patient, the bond allows them to see the patient as their own family member
or relative, rather than a patient or bed number. When a patient is seen as a
human begin, rather than another patient, they are given the best care because
the nurses knows them on a deeper level. The ability to have empathy for
another human being is key to the medical field. In my experience, nurses who
entered the field did so because it was a career choice, rather than a passion
or calling, tend to be the nurses who run into issues with patient cares. These
nurses are often unpleasant and “numb” to human emotion. As a CNA/CMA and
nursing student, knowing what I know – I would choose a nurse who was called to
nursing over a nurse who choose it as a career choice.
Overall, nursing is a field that resolves around patients
and patience, love and kindness, and sympathy and empathy. The issues that are
causing nurses to leave the field are fixable. These are issues that various
hospitals and healthcare facilities across the USA need to address. Dr. Sanjay
Gupta has done a great job of bringing these issues to light. Now it’s time for
the higher level position individuals to meet their nurses halfway, to provide
a better working environment for the mental and emotional sanity of the people
at the heart of the healthcare system.
Reference
Gupta, S., Dr.
(2016). Why America's Nurses Are Burning Out. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from
http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/why-americas-nurses-are-burning-out/
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