WEBVTT - Burnout and Meditation

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<v Speaker 1>Stay Calm as a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome

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<v Speaker 1>to Stay Calm, your daily dose of calmness. I'm Bob Roth,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've been teaching people to meditate for fifty years,

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<v Speaker 1>helping them to stay calm under pressure, reboot and re

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<v Speaker 1>energize their lives, and basically be a happier, healthier version

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<v Speaker 1>of themselves. And now I want to help you do

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<v Speaker 1>the same. Ready, sit comfortably, take a few deep breaths,

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<v Speaker 1>and let's begin today's journey. It was a relatively slow

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<v Speaker 1>afternoon in the intensive care unit when suddenly a rush

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<v Speaker 1>of nurses burst through the double doors, pushing a gurney

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<v Speaker 1>with a young kid strapped to the frame. He was unconscious,

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<v Speaker 1>having difficulty breathing. One attending nurse told the story he

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<v Speaker 1>had been playing football and had been hit very hard.

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<v Speaker 1>Tests showed he would be paralyzed for the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>his life. The I C you nurse took it all

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<v Speaker 1>in as she ready the seventeen year old for care.

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<v Speaker 1>The sadness Amy felt for the kid was palpable. What

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<v Speaker 1>do you do with that sadness? Sadness that comes almost

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<v Speaker 1>every day as part of a job you love. Amy

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<v Speaker 1>was one of those people who knew when she was

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<v Speaker 1>just five years old that she wanted to be a nurse.

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<v Speaker 1>She entered nursing school right out of high school, and

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<v Speaker 1>after graduation started working in the I c U unit,

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<v Speaker 1>life and death situations where she could make the biggest difference.

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<v Speaker 1>She had great mentors. She looked forward to going to

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<v Speaker 1>work every day, taking on extra responsibilities, extra shifts. Then,

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<v Speaker 1>after just eighteen months on the job, bam, it hit her,

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<v Speaker 1>as it does so many nurses, Amy hit the wall.

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<v Speaker 1>She was utterly and completely exhausted. Amy was living and

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<v Speaker 1>working in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, looking for something to

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<v Speaker 1>help deal with the burnout. That's when she heard about

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<v Speaker 1>meditation and decided to give it a try. Her first

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<v Speaker 1>experience was profound. I felt a very very deep rest,

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<v Speaker 1>different from anything I'd ever experienced before, She says. I

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<v Speaker 1>was awake inside and could hear everything going on around me.

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<v Speaker 1>Since then, Amy has been meditating every day, twice a

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<v Speaker 1>day throughout a nearly forty year career as a clinical nurse.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes she would meditate at work, find a chair in

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<v Speaker 1>an empty hospital room or even a closet, and then

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<v Speaker 1>we'd go back to work. Twenty minutes later, feeling rested

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<v Speaker 1>and refreshed and ready to go for another eight or

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<v Speaker 1>nine hours. Meditation saved her career. She says, no way

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<v Speaker 1>would she have had the energy, clarity, and focus to

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<v Speaker 1>be a nurse without it. In two thousand nine, Amy

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<v Speaker 1>was ready to retire, or at least she thought she was,

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<v Speaker 1>But just two weeks into this new phase of her life,

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<v Speaker 1>Amy surprised herself with a huge wave of energy and

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<v Speaker 1>inspiration to get back into the fray. She decided to

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<v Speaker 1>bring transcendental meditation to all the nurses who might want

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<v Speaker 1>to learn anywhere in the country. Amy developed an academic

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<v Speaker 1>curriculum and then arranged continuing nursing education credit for the

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<v Speaker 1>nurses who learned to meditate and took the course. She

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<v Speaker 1>helped inspire a research study at Sarasota Memorial Hospital which

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<v Speaker 1>found significant reductions in burnout, compassion, fatigue, and traumatic stress,

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<v Speaker 1>along with increases and resilience among meditating nurses. Today, Amy

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<v Speaker 1>heads up to Heal the Healers Now for nurses and

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<v Speaker 1>is working with the American Nurses Association Healthy Nurse, Healthy

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<v Speaker 1>Nation initiative and is working with nurse wellness programs in

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<v Speaker 1>hospitals across the country to bring meditation to these women

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<v Speaker 1>and men who really really needed. Looking back on her career,

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<v Speaker 1>Amy says there are two types of nurses. First, the

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<v Speaker 1>task oriented nurse who passes out the medications, does the

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<v Speaker 1>wound care, dressing, the tasks. And second, the nurse who

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<v Speaker 1>does the tasks but also engages with the patients in

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<v Speaker 1>a meaningful way. You're alert to their needs physically, psychologically, emotionally,

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<v Speaker 1>and spiritually. That's what patients want. A nurse who will

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<v Speaker 1>listen to them, who will anticipate their needs, who will

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<v Speaker 1>comfort them and their family. That's what nursing is all about.

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<v Speaker 1>I leave you with this quote from Mother Teresa that

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<v Speaker 1>reminds me of Amy and the nurses I have known

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<v Speaker 1>and those who have helped me during my times of need. Quote.

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<v Speaker 1>Never worry about the numbers, help one person at a time,

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<v Speaker 1>and always start with the person nearest you. All right,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for joining me today. I hope you heard

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<v Speaker 1>something that inspires that uplifts you and that you can

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<v Speaker 1>incorporate into your own life. This is Bob Roth. Stay calm. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>all of you out there, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your stories, your questions, or anything

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<v Speaker 1>else on your mind. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>or Instagram at meditation Bob. You can also send me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to hearing from you