Burnout in healthcare: signs, causes and what helps

What burnout is

Burnout is a response to long-term stress at work. People describe feeling exhausted, detached from their work and less effective. It's common in healthcare. In 2022 the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory, Addressing Health Worker Burnout, calling it a threat to the health of the workforce and to patient care.

NIOSH, the federal agency for worker safety, points to the conditions behind it: healthcare workers face challenging working conditions and high stress, and long hours, hazardous conditions and exposure to suffering and death all take a toll.

Signs to watch for

• Feeling drained before a shift starts, and not recovering on days off
• Dreading work, or feeling numb or cynical about patients and coworkers
• Trouble sleeping, irritability, or getting sick more often
• Feeling like nothing you do makes a difference

These signs overlap with depression and anxiety. If they last, talk to a health professional.

What helps you

• Protect recovery time. Real days off, enough sleep between shifts and time away from work messages matter.
• Take control of your schedule where you can. For some people that means fewer shifts, different shifts, or flexible PRN work.
• Use the support you have. Many employers offer employee assistance programs (EAPs), and peers who understand the work are often the best support.
• Say something early. Tell your manager when a workload isn't safe. Unsafe staffing affects patients as well as you.

What helps workplaces

The Surgeon General's advisory and NIOSH's Impact Wellbeing campaign both say lasting change has to come from the system: reasonable workloads, enough staff, less administrative burden, and leaders who make it safe to ask for help. Impact Wellbeing offers free resources for hospital leaders.

If you're in crisis

Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time of day.