Dear Healthcare Leaders: Self-Care is Not the Answer

This is on you. Not us.

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Self-care has become a Band-Aid to fix a gaping stab wound. And by gaping stab wound, I mean the work environments we are forced to endure every shift as nurses.

The system is broken

We are not broken. So why is self-care thrown out as the answer to our burnout and stress? Because it’s easier to throw a Band-Aid on it than to get in and fix the internal damage.

We are sad, exhausted, frustrated, and traumatized. To fix this, we are told we need more self-care. It’s up to us to fix ourselves. To fix our trauma.

Not only are we expected to give our best to our patients, while being completely stressed out and working short-staffed, we are expected to fix ourselves, too.

If we’re too stressed out and traumatized, we obviously haven’t been caring for ourselves enough, right? That’s what is shoved down our throats at every opportunity. We are made to feel that it’s our fault for being broken.

Newsflash: There are not enough bath bombs, spa days, and Netflix binges in the world to fix all the trauma we have suffered.

When are we supposed to find time for all of this self-care anyway?