Why Is Nursing So Exhausting?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Long hours and the high stress of jobs in the health care field are driving factors behind the burnout many nurses feel. In a recent survey by the American Nurses Association (ANA), over half of nurses said they often have to

work

through breaks or arrive early or stay late to get their work done.

Is being a nurse exhausting?


Nurses often feel exhausted after a long shift

, and a new study suggests that this feeling isn’t just a consequence of hard physical labor—a finding that could help explain why desk workers also feel weary after a long day at work, Brian Resnick reports for Vox.

Why are nurses so tired?

Nurse burnout is caused by many different reasons and you’ll find yourself starting to hate your job. The workload is

getting heavier

and the patients are getting sicker, but we are expected to perform at our best without adequate staffing, breaks, or sleep.

Is nursing the most stressful job?

As far as work settings go,

working as a hospital nurse generally tops the most stressful list

. With all these factors in mind, here are some possibilities for the least stressful, easiest nursing jobs. Nurse administrators often have very high-level jobs, usually in larger hospitals or health care systems.

Why is nursing so stressful?

Other researchers [8][12][31] have reached similar conclusions, since the results of their research show that nurses experience stress due to:

a lack of staff and the resulting excessive workload

, highly demanding work and tasks, too high expectations from and inappropriate attitudes of superiors, poor work …

Why are 12 hour shifts so tiring?

Long Working Hours

In fact, considering that most of us get between 6-8 hours of sleep, a 12-hour shift would only leave you with around

4 hours of “free” time or to “wind down”

. This in and of itself is physically and mentally draining and can cause you to feel run down and like you have little to no energy.

Why is nurse burnout a problem?

Regardless of the cause, nurse burnout has far-reaching consequences. Evidence from the American Nurses Association suggests that stress from long hours at work, rotating shifts and infrequent breaks slows down reaction times, reduces motivation, and

increases errors

— all of which can affect patient care.

Why do nurses only work 3 days a week?

Most likely, working three days a week means

having four days off

. … Having four full days away from your nursing job can allow for greater enjoyment of your personal life and more time with family. Most nurses are unable to spend time with their family after long shifts in the hospital.

How many hours do nurses sleep?

Results: Nurses reported an average of 414 minutes, or

just less than 7 hours

, of sleep before a work day and 497 minutes, or just over 8 hours, before a nonwork day. Short sleep duration was statistically significantly associated with lower ratings of quality of care (p=. 002) and patient safety (p=. 000).

Is it worth the risk 12-hour shifts and nurse fatigue?

Proponents of 12-hour shifts argue that 12-hour shifts lead to

consistency and continuity of care

because there is a reduction from three hand-offs to two hand-offs between nurses every 24-hours. Less hand-offs may also decrease the incidence of errors and sentinel events.

What type of nurse is most in demand?

  • Certified Nursing Assistant or CNA. …
  • Cosmetic Nurse. …
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse or NICU Nurse. …
  • Pediatric Nurse. …
  • Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. …
  • Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist or CRNA. …
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist or CNS. …
  • Nurse Practitioner or NP.

What’s the easiest nursing job?

  1. Nurse educator. …
  2. Long-term care nurse. …
  3. Nurse administrator. …
  4. Clinical research nurse. …
  5. School or summer camp nurse. …
  6. Clinic nurse. …
  7. Nurse informatics.

What is the hardest type of nursing?

  • Oncology. There’s no surprise that this specialty is near the top of the list.
  • Hospice. This is another specialty that you’d expect to see described as particularly tough.
  • Medical-Surgical. …
  • Geriatric Care.
  • Emergency Room.
  • Psychiatry.
  • Correctional Nursing.
  • Home Health.

What’s the hardest class in nursing school?

  • Pathophysiology. In this course, students learn how different anatomical systems work and how diseases or injuries affect these systems. …
  • Pharmacology. …
  • Medical Surgical 1 (also known as Adult Health 1) …
  • Evidence-Based Practice.

Are nurses happy?

Nurses are

one of the least happy careers

in the United States. At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, nurses rate their career happiness 2.7 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 13% of careers.

Why is nursing so hard?

There’s lots of learning,

the exams are challenging

, schedules are tricky, assignments constantly pile one on top of the over. All these have the potential of making your student life really hard. Of course, for every nursing student, the experience and the training process goes differently.

James Park
Author
James Park
Dr. James Park is a medical doctor and health expert with a focus on disease prevention and wellness. He has written several publications on nutrition and fitness, and has been featured in various health magazines. Dr. Park's evidence-based approach to health will help you make informed decisions about your well-being.