Date of Paper/Work

6-2012

Type of Paper/Work

Scholarly project

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Nursing

Department

Nursing

Advisor

Roberta Hunt

Abstract

The health care system’s infrastructure has created a hostile environment for the nursing profession. Role expectations and the current working conditions place nurses at risk for burnout. The consequences of burnout affect individual nurses, patients, health care institutions and the health care system. The writer proposes that practicing meditation, available in various methods, is one strategy that could prevent and reverse burnout in nursing.

In this paper, risk factors to burnout inherent in the nursing profession will be examined and discussed as they relate to the health care infrastructure, the foundation from which nursing has evolved, nursing education and professional socialization of nurses. In addition, burnout and the psychology that accompanies the syndrome will be presented to further understanding. Strategies will be developed to support the use of meditation as a strategy to prevent and reverse burnout. Furthermore, recommendations for nurses, academic and health care institutions to incorporate strategies to foster meditation practice will be provided.

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