This week on the Healthcare Experience Matters Podcast, we are joined by Catie Harris PhD, MBA, RN. She will be sharing some unique strategies for nurses to confront burnout and find fulfillment. 

Catie worked as a nurse for two decades before becoming an entrepreneur. She currently serves as CEO of NursePreneurs & Concierge Nurse Services.

“A lot of the burnout that we’re seeing is the nurses having lost a lot of purpose and a lot of culture that used to be there in the hospital. And it was something that I experienced,” she said.

In today’s episode, Catie not only shared her personal journey of overcoming burnout as a nurse but also highlighted the negative impact of the pandemic on the nursing profession. 

“When I talk about my experience, a lot of nurses resonate quite a bit with it. I just think it was amplified during COVID,” she told us.

Catie encourages nurses to think outside the box when it comes to fighting burnout and dealing with the struggle it brings to their psyche and life. 

As a nurse she struggled with feeling frustrated, angry, and apathetic. She talks about how she started her own business, which helps nurses start their own businesses, to address her burnout and find fulfillment in her career. 

While this specific strategy for fighting burnout might not work for everyone, her story may inspire others to explore alternative ways to find fulfillment and make changes within their current roles to address burnout.

Midway through today’s episode, our host asks Catie about how nurses can better reconnect with why they wanted to be a nurse in the first place to stave off burnout.

Finding a way to reconnect with their original purpose or reengaging with “their why” can be very helpful when reflecting on the changes that need to be made, Catie tells us. 

There is no doubt that nursing is a challenging profession that demands incredible amounts of compassion and empathy. We know it to be a profession built on teamwork, collaboration, and mutual respect. 

As we’ve recently heard on this podcast, there has been a growing concern about nurse bullying. Nurse bullying is a form of workplace bullying that involves the use of power and aggression by one nurse towards another.

Catie discusses some of that phenomenon at the end of today’s episode. You can also catch up on our recent podcast episode about nurse bullying here. 

Unfortunately, a lot of the bullying that Catie has seen comes from the way the system is structured. 

“We’re in high-intense environments and there’s not a whole lot of outlets for health care workers,” she said. 

Posted in:

Nursing