Beyond Burnout: Trauma Takes a Toll on Patients AND New Jersey Nurses
by Jennie Sherlock-Loeb and Mandy Irby
Content includes discussion on: stillbirth, birth trauma, maternal death.
Nurses are warriors. They’re always ready to answer the call, never knowing exactly what the
next shift might bring. Nurses have strong connections to the individuals they serve and deep
investments in the patient experience. They’re tasked with balancing the needs of their patients
with their own self-preservation. It can be a difficult balancing act.
Consider perinatal nurses: those who provide care to individuals before and after birth. What
many individuals herald as the most exciting day of their lives— the birth of their child—can be
fraught with grim, unexpected complications for the patient, and consequently, for the nurse.
Perinatal nursing is a specialty that shoulders tremendous burdens. These nurses may bear
witness to traumatic patient experiences and unexpected outcomes during childbirth, like
stillbirths or the death of the birthing person during delivery. Coupled with a rapidly changing,
emotionally charged healthcare landscape of mounting workloads and grueling shifts in an
environment that may not offer well-defined support systems, circumstances can be difficult to
navigate. Quite predictably, over time, these experiences expose vulnerabilities in the nursing
profession. The pressure to provide comprehensive care under such conditions exposes
perinatal nurses to unique psychological risks, including:
Burnout
Perinatal nurses are no strangers to burnout, stemming from the intense emotional labor they
invest in their work and the frustration of doing so in unsupportive systems. The constant
demands of caregiving, increased workload, often juggling long shifts, contribute to a physical
and emotional exhaustion that jeopardizes the quality of care.
Secondary Traumatic Stress
The nature of perinatal care makes nurses especially susceptible to experiencing secondary
traumatic stress. Witnessing traumatic experiences, such as unexpected outcomes or
complications during childbirth, can lead to emotional distress, which, if left unaddressed, can
have far-reaching and serious consequences on nurses’ mental wellbeing.
Diminished Sense of Efficacy
The emotional toll of perinatal care, coupled with the vulnerability of patients and low
confidence in preventing birth trauma, can create a belief among nurses that their efforts don’t
truly make a difference. This sense of powerlessness undermines job satisfaction and erodes
the motivation to remain engaged and continue providing optimal care.
To create meaningful change, healthcare institutions must prioritize and require trauma-
informed care training in the professional development of their nurses. This urgently necessary
education gives nurses a deeper understanding about pervasive issues affecting patients, such
as systemic racism, a soaring maternal mortality rate and pregnant and birthing individuals not
being treated with dignity and respect.
Such training equips nurses with a profound appreciation for the impact of trauma on patients,
enabling nurses to approach their patients with greater empathy, sensitivity, and knowledge of
the unique challenges they face. This training simultaneously emphasizes self-care and coping
strategies, empowering nurses to protect their mental and emotional wellbeing so they can
enjoy their work and personal lives without taking stress home with them. When nurses are
supported with the tools to provide compassionate care and offer trauma-informed support to
patients, it provides them with affirmation about their sense of professional purpose and
effectiveness.
Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, the state-licensed maternal-child health
consortium serving Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem
counties, is hosting a trauma-informed training program entitled Trauma-Responsive Nurse
Recovery led by The Birth Nurse, a renowned labor and delivery nurse educator. Sessions will be
held October 23 and 24, 2023 at the Cooperative’s Camden office located at 808 Market Street,
Camden, New Jersey.
This training will examine and identify opportunities for nurses to connect more deeply with
patients to provide equitable, inclusive, and personalized care. Nurses will be trained to
develop strategies to overcome barriers, identify symptoms of traumatic stress, and implement
healthy self-care practices like stress reduction.
The health of our patients and healthcare systems hinges on the health and wellbeing of our
nurses. It’s time we create psychologically safe and supportive environments for perinatal
nurses and make these urgently needed training investments in these powerful birth advocates.
While this training may not be a solution to every perinatal health complexity, it is a blueprint
to uplift our nurses, enabling them to provide exceptional care while safeguarding their own
emotional health.
To learn more about the Cooperative’s Trauma-Responsive Nurse Recovery training, email: JSherlock@snjpc.org.
This article can also be found at the Courier Post Newspaper/Gannett | USA Today Network and NJ Advance Media
About the authors
Jennie Sherlock-Loeb of Medford Township is a board-certified inpatient obstetrics nurse and
the director of clinical and professional education at the Southern New Jersey Perinatal
Cooperative.
Mandy Irby of Virginia, the founder of The Birth Nurse, is a trauma-focused
labor & delivery nurse educator, transformational speaker & healthcare consultant, and
podcaster.
