5. Ignoring Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue (otherwise known as “burnout”) can hit even the most conscientious nurse from time to time. The key is recognizing burnout and making a concentrated effort to eradicate it. Of course, there will always be those patients, families, and colleagues that make you want to tear your hair out, but that doesn’t have to ruin your nursing career.
Feeling burned out? Take a step back and think to yourself “What am I worried about? Is something outside work stressing me out?” Look into changing shifts if working in the middle of the night isn’t your cup of tea. Have some vacation time saved up? Take some time off – alone or with family and friends. Lastly, think back to all the reasons you wanted to become a nurse. Make a list of these reasons and look at it every once in a while to remind yourself of all the great things about your job.
Don’t get duped into mistake #6!
