Nurse Leader Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Impact on Staff Satisfaction, Patient Satisfaction, and Turnover

Fatigue and burnout are hot topics in the profession of nursing. There is a growing body of literature addressing shift work, compassion fatigue, and burnout for the direct care nurse. Nurse leaders are working to improve the burnout rates to improve retention for their nursing staff, but what about the nurse leaders? Although not the front line care giver, they are also managing large numbers of staff, dealing with shrinking budgets, and working long hours. If our nurse leaders are fatigued, it isn’t realistic to rely on them to combat the fatigue of the front line care givers.

This project aims to measure the impact of nurse leader fatigue and burnout on the satisfaction rates of both staff and family as well as the staff turnover rates for those that report to the nurse leader. Ultimately researching the question: Do nurse leaders in a pediatric academic medical center who exhibit low burnout scores compared to those with high burnout scores contribute to lower staff turnover, higher staff satisfaction, and higher patient/family satisfaction rates?

This project will be conducted using a mixed method design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative data will be collected using the ProQOLV5 tool sent via survey to participants of the study. The staff satisfaction, patient family satisfaction, and turnover rates will also be quantitative data that is currently readily available in the organization. In addition to the ProQOLV5 tool (Stamm, 2010), the survey sent to participants will also include open ended questions which will allow participants to identify any factors that are not addressed via the validated tool.

Organizations should develop effective strategies around not only front line nurse fatigue, but nurse leader fatigue as well. Frequent recognition, supporting disconnection from work, and relaxation space may provide the keys to rejuvenating leadership and promoting a healthy work environment to decrease nurse leader fatigue.