Burn out
I was a new grad TRN in 2020-2021; I had worked as an AIN for 3 years at a large Sydney hospital prior to this and I knew what I was going into. But what I wasn’t aware was how much of an impact the current work crisis would have on my well-being. I ended up having to take time off during my new grad to spend it in hospital as a psychiatric patient due to burn out: 3 times this happened. I felt so guilty not being able to work because I knew how desperate they needed staff. Everyday I see colleagues exhausted, saying they want to quit, feeling frustrated, not wanting to be at work, burnt out yet still coming. Today my shift had 3 nurses for 16 patients with many admissions and post op patients to come. It was unsafe practice and there was no ability to say no we can’t take more patients with they ratio and care demands but that didn’t stop them from coming. People are not getting there breaks, people are working overtime and doubles more than ever, peoples leave isn’t being approved, our educators and NUMS aren’t able to do their roles as they are forced to work on the floor. Patient care and safety is suffering as we cannot provide the best care. But most of all the nurses are burning out, the government needs to step up, otherwise their nurses will soon be some the patients or many more will just leave. It is not okay what is happening. We are not ok.