The lived experiences of nurses with burnout A phenomenological study

• Main Author: Bamberg-Merritt, Gloria
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2015
• Subjects: Nursing
• ISBN: 9781321548785; 1321548788

The purpose of this research study was to employ a phenomenological research design to understand nurses' lived experiences with burnout. The sample consisted of 10 nurses, ages 19-69, from Alaska who work or worked in the nursing field. Over the past 30 years or more, burnout in nurses has been an issue. Burnout is a process that involves emotional exhaustion, very little personal or professional accomplishment, and limited depersonalization. The nursing population experiences physical and behavioral fatigue. Because of this it has led to the shortage in the field of nursing. The qualitative methodology for the study used a phenomenological approach and a purposive sampling procedure with face-to-face interviews, observation, and field notes to determine themes and pattern. This study answered the following research question: How do nurses describe their lived experiences with burnout? Data were input in NVivo 9 qualitative software to analyze the data. The results of the study showed that the participants in the study had experienced burnout. Burnout was described by the participants as coming in the practice of workload size, overtime hours, documentation, job environment, lack of support from management. Findings from the study may assist the nursing profession, counseling professions, and other organizations in identifying burnout and providing enhanced support for nurses.