This document summarizes a presentation given by nursing students to nurse leaders on burnout. It discusses how burnout can negatively impact nurses physically and mentally and deteriorate their personal and professional lives. The presentation aimed to educate nurse leaders on identifying and preventing burnout. The nursing students realized nurse leaders face high stress levels and increased risk of burnout from complex responsibilities. The students overcame feelings of inadequacy by thoroughly researching and rehearsing their presentation.

1. ASL Refection 1
TITLE OF PAPER 2
Title of Paper
Student Name(s)
Name of department, name of college
Course number and name of course
Instructor name
Date
Title of Paper
Nursing can be a rewarding, yet stressful profession. As
Registered Nurses, we are aware of the negative consequences
that stress can have on the human body, both physically and
mentally. Burnout can progressively deteriorate the quality of a
nurse’s life, both personally and professionally. Burnout is an
occupational hazard (O’Mahony, 2011). As members of this

2. rewarding yet stressful profession, we feel compelled to educate
other nurses on how to prevent, identify, and treat burnout. On
_______, our group visited _______. Our evaluation of the
information presented led us to believe that this group of
professionals is more aware of the risk factors for nurse burnout
and that they will apply this new education in their everyday
lives.
Enhanced Academic Learning
Our objectives for this ASL experience are: 3.7 Describe a
workplace problem requiring managerial intervention in a select
healthcare setting and 3.8 Demonstrate independent and
interdependent decision-making strategies to improve the select
problem. Nurses enter the field of nursing with enthusiasm and
a desire to do good for those who are, physically, mentally,
emotionally, and spiritually ill. However, nurses may become
overwhelmed due to the many demands of the patient, the
family, and the organization. Burnout leads to emotional and
physical exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal
accomplishment (O’Mahony, 2011). Applying Dorothy Orem’s
Self-Care and Self -Care Deficit nursing theory, any individual
who is unable perform or practice activities needed to maintain
health and well-being, structural integrity, human functioning
and human development is compromised and attention is
urgently needed (Coldwell Foster, 2011). The impact of burnout
on nurses can be profound. Consequences include low morale,
increased absenteeism due to sickness, decreased effectiveness
and productivity, poorer job performance and patient care, and
higher staff attrition and turnover (O’Mahony, 2011). Even
though the profession of nursing is centered on caring for the
patient, it should not be at the expense of the nurse’s own
health. Nurses need to be aware of impending burnout, its signs
and symptoms as well as preventive measure.
Purposeful Civic Learning
We understand the devastating toll burnout can have on a
nurse’s physical, psychological, and working relationships.
Nurses are the cornerstones of healthcare. When he or she

3. experiences burnout, the profession and also the health and
wellness of patients are affected. A nurse may miss changes in
patient status due to fatigue and burnout (O’Mahony, 2011).
Nurses tend to be selfless caregivers; we overlook our
emotional and physical needs in place of others. On any given
day, a nurse can experience the highs of helping a mother with
the birth of a child and the lows of comforting the sick and
dying. This service-learning project focuses on teaching nurse
leaders the signs of nurse burnout and resolutions to help
combat this growing problem.
Purposeful Reflection
Before our presentation, it was our belief that compared to
nurses that work directly with the patients on the unit, nurse
leaders had a lower risk of developing work-related stress. What
we actually learned is that stress does not discriminate, that it
can grab a hold of anyone. Studies reveal that nurse leaders tend
to undergo higher levels of stress and are at increased risk of
burnout. Like other nurses on the unit, work related activities
such as dealing with complex or difficult patients, lack of time
to complete tasks, and group-work are some of the main
stressors and reason for burnout (O’Mahony, 2011). After our
presentation, we all came to a consensus that this experience
has opened our eyes as to how much more responsibilities a
nurse acquires when he or she takes on the title of a leader or a
manager. It changed our view on how we perceived the role of a
nurse manager and how we would cope with the stressors of
being a nurse leader when and if we decide to take on the
responsibilities that come with such a title.
Critical Thinking
As BSN students, our group initially felt inadequate and
intimidated by the thought of teaching nurses in leadership and
management positions who are more educated than us. However,
we critically thought about it and prepared for our challenge.
We read scholarly literature on the topic, shared it with each
other, and rehearsed our presentation to become knowledgeable
about the topic and confident in our approach. We also

4. anticipated potential questions the audience may ask. We began
to look at the situation simply as a valuable teaching
opportunity, not a mountain to climb.
References
Coldwell Foster, P. (2011). Self-care deficit nursing theory:
Dorothy Orem. In J. B George (Ed.), Nursing theories: The base
for professional nursing practice (6th ed., pp 113-145). Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson
O’Mahony, N. (2011). Nurse burnout and the working
environment. Emergency Nurse, 19(5),
30-37. https://doi.org/10.7748/en.19.5.30.s10