Nursing

Trainers--beat burnout!

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, March 5, 2004

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Do you feel run-down as a result of your training duties? No matter how much you may enjoy training, it can be a tiresome occupation because it is often so intensive and demanding. To protect yourself and your job performance, check your own burnout potential by trying a brief self-assessment. Keep track of how many of the symptoms below sound familiar:
1. Lack of enthusiasm and energy when training.
2. Avoidance of social contact with learners.
3. Exhaustion at end of instructional day.
4. Difficulty in concentrating on learner comments.
5. Difficulty remembering learners' names.
6. Decreased smiling, less use of humor.
7. Faking interest or sincerity with learners.
8. Falling behind with administrative items.
9. Increased irritability.
10. Dreading getting out of bed in the morning.
11. Arriving at the last minute and leaving as soon as possible.
12. Speaking on "automatic."
13. Desire to spend less time in the classroom.
14. Boredom with course content and learners.
15. Lack of conviction regarding course content.
It's normal to relate to five or less of these characteristics, so don't be alarmed. Do more than five apply to you? Here are some suggestions that could help you conquer burnout. 
* Take a break from the training room - take on a new assignment that you've never done before.
* Assess priorities in both your professional and personal life - make adjustments to both to strike a better balance.
* Take a course yourself - become a learner for a while to revisit the learning experience from the other side.
Editor's note: The excerpt above was adapted from the free e-newsletter, Training Insider, a product of Langevin Learning Services. http://207.107.10.214/newsletter/index.asp?A=5 



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