Any burnt out nurses out there?

[piglets29]

Are there any nurses out there, who have burnt out, and then got themselves back together again?

It's a long time since I did clinical work (15 years). But I still work in a nursing related area. I manage my current work very well, with no anxiety.

I worked in oncology for about 11 years and burnt out really badly. I am currently supporting a close friend with advanced cancer. I am shocked at how many familiar feelings have resurged. I know some of them are all linked to my friend's very sad situation. But it also feels like it has bought up loads of stuff from when I burnt out. So many familiar feelings of anxiety, self doubt about, for example saying wrong things, causing harm, making mistakes.

It's inevitable the situation for my friend will get worse, and also I will continue to be exposed to these situations in my personal life as we all get older.

I wondered if anyone 'fixed' themselves post burn out, even managed to return to practice? I feel I have no internal defence mechanisms left. I would love to rebuild them.

I feel guilty about being highly trained and skilled in nursing but know I will never step on a ward again. . I’ve had enough body fluids and heartbreaking responsibility for the rest of my days. People make mistakes in all walks of life, humans minding humans=nursing.. patients make mistakes with poor coping mechanisms such as smoking no Excercise etc, get sick.. nurses are going to make mistakes too. Putting on a uniform doesn’t remove our fallible humanity.. you’re not alone in this, it’s ok, you did your best for as long as you could. You can let it go now.. 11 years is more than most could tolerate in oncology.. you did great for as long as you could..

Hell to the Yes, I’m burnt out too 😫 I’m looking to leave the profession in the next 6 months.

Me. I have ‘fixed’ myself in the sense that I do a related job and still do some clinical work. I will never fix the guilt and feeling of failure and selling out for leaving frontline work. For me fixing myself meant leaving. I don’t know if I will go back to frontline. I did do some during Covid but in a way found that less stressful (fewer people complaining about care, more grateful for care) - I think I am unusual in this though as many found it more stressful.

My current job involves supporting frontline staff and I take solace in the fact that I try my hardest to support them and make their jobs a little less shit (although I cannot always achieve this of course).

I know I will always feel like a failure but to fix that I would need to go back to full ok frontline work and I can’t bring myself to do that.

@KILNAMATRA

I feel guilty about being highly trained and skilled in nursing but know I will never step on a ward again. . I’ve had enough body fluids and heartbreaking responsibility for the rest of my days. People make mistakes in all walks of life, humans minding humans=nursing.. patients make mistakes with poor coping mechanisms such as smoking no Excercise etc, get sick.. nurses are going to make mistakes too. Putting on a uniform doesn’t remove our fallible humanity.. you’re not alone in this, it’s ok, you did your best for as long as you could. You can let it go now.. 11 years is more than most could tolerate in oncology.. you did great for as long as you could..

I did 35 years in oncology and palliative care. Will never go back to it, although I still support people with cancer in a different job role.

I got burnt out last year, it was a mixture of realising I was in abusive relationship, sick children, poverty and years of poor working conditions and stress. I went on a course which gave 14 indicators of domestic, my relationship scored 11/14 but my nursing role also scored 9/14. I’ve got into the private sector but the pay is an insult and there is a really nasty undercurrent of bullying. I already know I won’t last