By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
The COVID pandemic has been very hard on the nursing workforce, but no group has felt the sustained impact more intensely than nurse managers. When I ask Chief Nursing Officers today what they are most worried about – almost all respond that they worry about their nurse managers. Many organizations have lost seasoned managers who left because their mental health was at risk. Recent data in an AONL study indicates that 25% of leaders report their emotional health is not good, and 32% are neutral on the question.
After 18 months on the frontline of this intense war with COVID, frontline leaders tell me that they are feeling very burned out. Some recent comments from managers include the following:
Managers like myself straddle the line between staff and leadership. Issues associated with being overworked, overwhelmed, and underappreciated are common among us as well. I feel like a charging station that is rapidly losing its ability to charge.
I am working 24/7 – do you know what it is like to leave your unit staffed with young, inexperienced nurses taking assignments that they should not be taking? You feel guilty and put nurses in situations that are not safe. I feel like I can’t take care of them the way I should.
So many staff are angry and frustrated that maintaining morale is so challenging. I feel like a punching bag that is deflating. All this negativity is taking a toll on my mental health.
HR is placing pressure on Leaders to hold people accountable. They don’t seem to understand or be compassionate/empathetic to leaders about what is happening on the frontlines-it is easy to direct from the bleachers when you are not on the sideline.
Don’t talk to me about meditation or lavender rooms. Tell me that I am not crazy because things seem so out of control. Give me some tools on how to talk with angry families because we have no beds, and patients stay in the ED for days. Give me some tactics on what to do with shell-shocked new graduates in what I can only describe as a war zone.
I have been an ICU Director for 20 years – our unit is a Beacon Unit. I have always taken pride in our culture and our work but not now. Things feel like they are in free fall. Nurses resign right and left and tell me not to take it personally – they are doing it for their own needs. But you can’t help feeling demoralized and blame yourself. I seriously wonder if I am the right person for the job.
So what can be done to help sustain these frontline leaders during this turbulent time? Here are some of the ideas that I hear about:
- A nurse manager support group that meets weekly with a psychologist to discuss the challenges they are experiencing.
- Nurse leader appreciation days to recognize the heroic efforts of frontline nurse leaders.
- Assigning “seasoned interim managers” to units gives managers two weeks off without any contact with their unit.
- Job sharing the nurse manager role.
We need to take action as a profession to address frontline nurse leader burnout. Nurses depend on their leaders for hope and support. Without effective ways to recharge their batteries, nurse managers will not give nurses what they need.
© emergingrnleader.com 2021
Our Most Popular Right Now – Become the Boss No One Wants to Leave Nurse Retention in Turbulent Times
Give your leadership team the gift of a highly rated webinar – Nursing Leadership in 2021: Rebooting after a Life-Quake A Nursing Leadership Reboot Workshop.
Read the Nurse Leader Coach – Available at Amazon and Other Book Sellers.
Recommended Book by the Association of Critical Care Nurses – The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership: Your Toolkit for Success
LinkedIn
Instagram