Imagine being stuck in the middle of a lake in a canoe with a single set of paddles and a life jacket. Now, imagine that your life jacket deflates, and your paddles shrink ever so much with each stroke you take as you make your way back to shore. Now imagine there is a tiny hole in your canoe. You work hard to try and make your way back to shore, but your resources are being depleted. Despite your best efforts, you are eventually underwater.
That is sort of what it has felt like being a healthcare worker during COVID-19. It is the long hours, extra shifts, lack of PPE, and high nurse-to-patient ratios because the unit is short-staffed. It is feeling drained emotionally and physically. It’s burnout. Unfortunately, burnout has been a chronic issue within healthcare and something that hospital leadership has not adequately addressed.
What is burnout? Maslach defines burnout as a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response…
