Beat Job Burnout - Part 1 in a 2-Part Series

Most people have a day here or there when they feel drained and nothing goes right, despite all their hard work. But when these feelings last for days or weeks, they may indicate a much larger problem: Job burnout.

Things may be going great -- you love your job and are excited about your career -- when job burnout sneaks up on you with a creeping sense of dread. Or burnout may hit like a ton of bricks. No matter how it happens, job burnout can wreak havoc on your career and your health.

And job burnout doesn't just negatively affect employees who suffer from it. Employers must correct burnt-out workers' mistakes and replace employees who leave due to burnout, which costs time and money.

Job burnout is not unusual for healthcare workers. Many handle life and death situations on a daily basis and work with patients whose diagnoses and treatments frighten them. Some are overworked from long hours and staff cutbacks. And in healthcare, burnout can have dangerous consequences.