Back to Blogs
Shutterstock 570120298
Share this Article

Nursing and Long-Term Care: Stress And Burnout

  • Publish Date: Posted over 4 years ago
  • Author:by Kate Andrews

The previous blog in our long-term care series examined the growing requirement for long-term care nurses in the US, and why facilities are recruiting international nurses to help meet demand. 

While foreign nurses bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, organizations are concerned that the gravity of moving to a new country and starting a demanding role in long-term care could lead to stress and burnout. 

What Is Burnout? 

Burnout is characterized by a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job (Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001) and typically defined and measured according to three dimensions (Maslach, 2003; Weber & Jaekel-Reinhard, 2000):  

  • Emotional exhaustion;

  • Feelings of cynicism and detachment from work;

  • Sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.

Are Healthcare Employers Right To Be Concerned? 

Absolutely. Staff burnout represents a danger to the overall mental and physical health of nurses. Additionally, burnout often diminishes the quality and efficiency of care delivered by nurses, putting patients at risk and potentially leading to high costs for employers.  

With this in mind, it’s easy to see why some employers would be concerned about the mental welfare nurses from overseas joining their facility. Especially when you consider there are unscrupulous staffing agencies that place nurses without providing any additional education and support that helps them adapt to working in a US healthcare environment. 

What Can You Do? 

Some common and effective practices employed by LTC facilities to help minimise the risk of burnout include:

  • Robust orientation for new starts

  • Regular team-building exercises

  • Junior-senior staff support

  • Employee assistance programmes 

However, when resources are stretched, it’s not always possible to employ such strategies, especially when it comes to the additional support required by foreign nurses. That’s why LTC organizations must do their homework when it comes to selecting the right international staffing partner. 

What The RIght Staffing Partner Can Do For You

When you work with a reputable staffing partner like Conexus, you’re safe in the knowledge that the welfare of nurses is paramount. We provide in-person support to candidates in two main ways: 

Ongoing education and development through a dedicated Clinical Nurse Educator to ensure nurses are well-equipped in their role and understand the US healthcare workplace. 

Personal support through our Operation Managers who help each nurse settle into a new country, whether that’s by sourcing the right accommodation, scoping out transport options, or finding schools for their children. 

Helping With The Move 

Stress and burnout can be exacerbated for nurses when they’re placed under financial pressure. To ensure our nurses can thrive in their role at your facility from day one, we cover all visa application costs as well as the first 30-day cost of their accommodation. 

Additionally, our local presence means we’re always on-hand to provide an extra layer of support for all candidates on assignment whenever they need us.  

Find Out More 

Download our guide ‘Hiring the Right Nurses for your Long-Term Care Facility’ to get more information about recruiting international nurses and find out how Conexus can help with the process.