Enough with "Burnout"

Burnout.

Burnout is one of those buzz words thrown around, unfortunately almost flippantly a lot in today's world. The truth is, what burnout is describing is incredibly serious.  Burnout is typically an umbrella term for work-related stressors that caregivers experience, such as compassion fatigue, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, moral distress, and moral injury. 

Is burnout the right word to be using, though?

I continue to contend that it is NOT. Take a moment to think about a match. When you light that match, and it burns out, there is a reason behind it. Either the match wasn't long enough, or the materials the match was made of weren't high enough quality. Basically, it is on the match that it burned out. Calling caregivers burned out, unfortunately, whether intentionally or not, puts the ownness on them for what they are experiencing. Quite frankly, that is WRONG. It infers that they weren't resilient enough or aren't carrying the load or stressors correctly. The way caregivers are feeling IS NOT on them. And unfortunately, the perspective that a caregiver's experience reflects on the caregiver is a view recently expressed by the national organization whose mission is to advance the nursing profession. In a recent tweet for #motiviationmonday, the American Nurses Association (ANA) posted the following; "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." – Lou Holtz. Consider this important reminder if you're dealing with extra stress today. #MotivationMonday. Um, WHAT?!?!

The ANA has since rightly apologized and deleted the tweet. They noted the tweet was "…truly insensitive and did miss the mark. In no way did we mean to shift any blame or suggest that nurses are carrying the "load" incorrectly during the incredibly terrible times, but our post certainly did just that." 

I think I understand what the ANA was attempting to convey. Perhaps they were trying to convey that we are stronger than we think. That strength can't be fully realized if we are carrying a load incorrectly…or something like that. Honestly, I don’t much care for the quote after reading it regardless of the context it was originally used in. Not to mention the fact that I had to look up who Lou Holtz is (now I know). However, amid a global pandemic where caregivers are suffering in ways I have never seen before, it was anything but motivational.

I will take the ANA at its word that this was a lapse in judgment when trying to be "motivational." Full disclosure: I am a member of the ANA.  

Now, take a moment to re-read that quote from Lou Holtz. "It’s not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."  How someone can look at that quote and deduce anything other than you're not correctly carrying this load you are dealing with is beyond me…it is exactly what the quote says! Sounds a lot like the perspective on burnout to me. You're dealing with this overwhelming stress because you aren't resilient enough (you're not carrying the load correctly). This exhaustion you are experiencing, well, that is because you aren't taking care of yourself (you're not carrying the load correctly). Sound familiar? Words matter, and the continued use of burnout will continue to push the perception that what caregivers are experiencing is their fault (they aren't carrying the load correctly). Can we please STOP using the word burnout? I will continue to scream this from the mountaintop…will you join?

Can we please start referring to what caregivers are experiencing as what it actually is…overwhelming compassion fatigue, moral injury, moral trauma? These are things that ARE NOT the fault of the caregivers. They are a consequence of a system that is all too frequently tipped toward overwhelming stress. It IS the load that is breaking our caregivers down, coupled with a broken system, ineffective leadership and is something that no amount of pizza will fix. Our caregivers aren't burnt out. They are experiencing overwhelming trauma that is going to affect them for years. 

This was true pre-COVID. It is true during COVID and will continue to be true after COVID. I'm going to change around Lou Holtz's quote; "It isn't the way you are carrying the load, it is the overwhelming, crushing, unimaginable weight of the load many times caused by the system that breaks you down."  However, I am thankful we don't have to stop there! 

To my fellow caregivers; Thank you for the work you are doing to care for our communities. You aren't carrying the load wrong. You are carrying this load as the heroes you are, have always been, and will continue to be. You are carrying a load that no one outside of healthcare can fully understand. What you are feeling and experiencing as a result of carrying this load is NOT your fault. Please, I am imploring you to reach out, ask for help. In the words of Albus Dumbledore, "Help will always be given…to those who ask for it."  Please don't be afraid or ashamed to ask for help.