During our November 5, 2025, webinar, From Burnout to Balance: Tools to Navigate Stress, presenter Danielle Rhode, MSN, RN, CEN, discussed some of the most common challenges contributing to nurse burnout in today’s fast-paced healthcare settings. Participants raised insightful questions about unit culture, leadership support, workload demands, and the barriers nurses face when trying to protect their well-being. Danielle provided clear, practical strategies to reduce nurse burnout, strengthen team resilience, and promote healthier work environments across all care areas. Below is a recap of key questions from the session and her expert guidance.
Q. How do we get management on board to help change unit culture? I am an ER nurse.
A. The ER is a tough culture to change; one of the best ways to get management on board is to show them the value. Sometimes, senior leadership appreciates having numbers and data. If you have any employee wellness surveys, turnover rates, and a culture that focuses on wellness, that can help. You should also start using that pro-wellness, or healthy culture language to help create that domino effect.
Q. I work in critical care nursing; there is rarely time for a lunch break with critical care patients.
A. I empathize with you. I know that we can’t always get that 30-minute break uninterrupted, but I would say to start small, and hopefully, you can begin to shift your culture to get that time to step away in your unit. Our culture is like sweeping sand; there will always be more work, more medications, more things to do. Certainly, you do not want to neglect your patient care by walking away for a few minutes, but doing so will make you a better nurse throughout your day. Getting started small, just 10 minutes, can be a game-changer.
Q. Bedside nurses know what helps and hurts our mental state. Any suggestions on what to do to get non-bedside personnel on board?
A. Showing the value is always a good thing, especially the value that senior leadership likes to see. But you can also start building this value with your peers if you can get a few people on board to help trickle that. We see units with strong autonomy and strong involvement from bedside staff start to gain traction because turnover is lower. You’re working as a team and supporting each other, and there are significant benefits to doing so, all supported by research. It can be a tough battle, and it is not always an immediate win.
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