Burnout in the Nursing Profession

To reduce burnout in the nursing profession, we must aim at the causes of burnout which include excessive workloads, understaffing, and general stress nurses feel. Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. California stepped forward to change that problem through state mandated nurse to patient ratios ensuring that understaffing will not lead to complications which so commonly arise. Not just increasing staffing, but by exercising regularly, nursing burnout can be significantly lower than those who don't exercise. Also, through various relaxation techniques, nurses can actively change the way they deal with stressful situations and reduce burnout in the long run. Through following the lead of California’s state mandated ratio, exercising regularly and using stress management techniques, nursing burnout could be reduced allowing nurses to work more efficiently at providing quality healthcare.