Nursing Leadership and Management of Nursing Staff Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: The purpose of this research study is to assess the correlation between effective nursing leadership and nursing staff burnout during pandemics. Background: The problem of nursing burnout if unmanaged can be traumatic to the nurse at the bedside. It can lead to many problems that can destabilize how nurses and other clinicians’ work. It is imperative that we study the best practices that can reduce nursing staff burnout. Methods: Cross-sectional Survey design was used to gather data and to assess the level of burnout among nurses and nursing leadership influence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five hundred (N = 500) nurses from a population of 1500 nurses who worked during the pandemic in the Upper Bronx of New York City responded to an invitation to participate in this study with a focus on three theories and three leadership, behavioral and burnout survey tools. Results: Using descriptive statistics, comparisons of means, and correlations among the study variables, it was revealed that nearly all respondents experienced burnout and there was a correlation between effective nursing leadership, management, and nursing staff burnout. Conclusions: Data obtained went through both internal and external validity to optimize validity following the order of identification, collection, analysis, and interpretation of findings. The effect of nursing burnout can be managed or prevented by nursing leadership most especially during crises and pandemics.