Nurse leaders describe ways to combat nurse burnout

AONL members described various ways of combatting nurse burnout in recent interviews with HealthLeaders magazine. Claire Zangerle, DNP, RN, chief nurse executive at Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network, applied newly acquired time-management skills to reduce the stress and sense of chaos resulting from the pandemic. Trenda Ray, PhD, RN, CNO and associate vice chancellor for patient care services at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, developed a half-day off-site retreat where front-line nurses learned about the importance of self-care. Other hospitals used virtual reality to transport front-line nurses far away from the stresses of their units. Michelle Romano, MSN, RN, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, outlined the hospital’s Care for Caregivers program, which provides peer-to-peer support to a colleague who is having a stressful reaction to an event. Started in nursing, the program now serves all hospital employees. (HealthLeaders Media article, 12/13/21)