D.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Cur. (Nursing Management) / The largest and most expensive asset of any health care institution is its human resources. Mol [1984 : 1J quite correctly says that no organization can reach its full potential when these resources are not utilized effectively. The researcher has noticed certain behavior patterns amongst the nursing staff in intensive care units. These behaviour patterns include an increase in staff turnover and absenteeism. The question that arose was whether it could be ascribed to professional burnout and whether nursing managers could be contributing to the cause thereof. Th. burnout syndrome is a slowly developing psychologically destructive process, which is in relation to the effect the work environment· has on the individual. The consequences of professional burnout has many negative effects on the nurse, ·the patient, the profession and the health care delivery system. The concept of professional burnout is described with reference from the literature and by means·of a survey the following was determined, that:- all nurses working in intensive care units in the hospital were the research was conducted, had experienced symptoms of professional burnout; the majority of these nurses perceive their work situation as severely stressful; and - nursing managers are overwhelmingly applying the autocratic leadership style. Some of the important conclusions culminating from this study are that:- all these nurses experience one or other degree of professional burnout as a result of experiences resulting from unresolved stress in the work environment; and the nursing manager possibly uses ineffective management strategies due to a lack of management training, thus contributing to professional burnout.