7 Strategies to Fight Nursing Fatigue

You are incredibly resilient. Each day, you wake up, throw on a set of scrubs and head into work to perform a demanding 12-hour shift—all while striving to provide the best possible care to your patients. Then, you get home and fall asleep, only to begin the process all over again.

But as a nurse, you know that this barely touches the reality of the situation. In the United States, most hospitals and clinics are woefully understaffed, which often forces you to work longer shifts and manage far more patients than you can actually handle. The unfortunate result is nursing fatigue, a common condition which can make you feel both mentally and physically exhausted for days, weeks or even months.

Almost all nurses have experienced nursing fatigue at some point in their careers, so don’t feel guilty over it. Instead, try these seven strategies to combat the effects of nursing fatigue…