Nurse balancing multiple tasks with compassion in a surreal healthcare setting.

Overwhelmed Nurses: How to Lighten Your Load and Reclaim Your Well-being

Kai Mendoza in Health & Wellness November 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover practical strategies to manage nursing workloads, improve work conditions, and enhance patient care for a healthier, happier you."

In today's fast-paced healthcare environment, nurses often find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities, facing high patient volumes, and dealing with complex administrative tasks. This heavy workload not only affects their well-being but also impacts the quality of patient care. Universal access to healthcare, while a noble goal, can inadvertently increase the strain on healthcare professionals, especially those in primary care settings.

The concept of universal access aims to provide healthcare services to everyone, ensuring equity and justice. However, it goes beyond mere coverage; it focuses on whether people can actually use the services and whether those services meet their diverse health needs. Nurses are at the heart of this mission, working directly with patients and communities to deliver essential care. Their ability to manage workloads effectively is crucial for achieving the goals of universal healthcare.

Understanding the challenges nurses face and finding ways to alleviate their burden is essential. By addressing these issues, healthcare systems can improve not only the well-being of their nursing staff but also the overall quality and accessibility of healthcare services for everyone.

What Factors Contribute to Overwhelming Nursing Workloads?

Nurse balancing multiple tasks with compassion in a surreal healthcare setting.

Several interconnected factors contribute to the heavy workloads experienced by nurses in family health settings. These issues often stem from systemic problems within the healthcare system and the specific conditions under which nurses operate.

One of the primary issues is the sheer volume of work. Many nurses report feeling overburdened by the number of patients they need to see, the range of tasks they must perform, and the limited time they have to complete everything. This overextension can lead to burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and compromised patient care.

Excessive Demand and Overestimated Territories: The demand for healthcare services often exceeds the capacity of the available nursing staff. Overpopulated territories and a lack of resources further exacerbate this issue.
Deficits in Physical Infrastructure: Many healthcare facilities lack adequate resources and infrastructure, making it difficult for nurses to perform their duties efficiently.
Failures in the Care Network: A poorly coordinated care network can lead to fragmented care, increased administrative burdens, and duplicated efforts.
Shortage of Human Resources: A lack of qualified nurses and support staff increases the workload for those currently in the field, leading to stress and exhaustion.
Administrative Tasks: Excessive administrative duties take time away from direct patient care, adding to the overall burden.
Urban Violence: Exposure to violence in urban settings creates additional stress and safety concerns for nurses.

One nurse shared, "The workload gets intense; it's too much service to be carried out at the same time, we often leave work so tired and still under the impression that we did not accomplish all that was under our responsibility... It is inhuman to leave the colleague on his own; we go out with a guilty conscience."

Teamwork: The Foundation for Reducing Workloads

Creating a supportive and collaborative work environment is essential for reducing nursing workloads. Strategies that foster teamwork, respect professional autonomy, and recognize the value of each team member can significantly improve job satisfaction and patient outcomes. When nurses feel supported and appreciated, they are better equipped to handle the demands of their roles and provide high-quality care.

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This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1590/1518-8345.0992.2682, Alternate LINK

Title: Nursing Workloads In Family Health: Implications For Universal Access

Subject: General Nursing

Journal: Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem

Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)

Authors: Denise Elvira Pires De Pires, Rosani Ramos Machado, Jacks Soratto, Magda Dos Anjos Scherer, Ana Sofia Resque Gonçalves, Letícia Lima Trindade

Published: 2016-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What are the primary factors contributing to overwhelming workloads for nurses in family health?

Several interconnected factors contribute to the heavy workloads for nurses. These include excessive demand exceeding nursing staff capacity and overestimated territories. Deficits in physical infrastructure, failures in the care network, shortages of human resources, and excessive administrative tasks all add to the burden. The demanding workload can lead to burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and compromised patient care. The environment of urban violence only compounds these issues.

How does universal access to healthcare impact nursing workloads?

While universal access to healthcare aims to provide healthcare services to everyone, it can inadvertently increase the strain on healthcare professionals. Nurses are at the heart of this mission, working directly with patients and communities to deliver essential care. As healthcare strives for equity and justice by ensuring everyone can use the services, the demand on nurses in primary care settings increases. The ability to manage workloads effectively is crucial for achieving the goals of universal healthcare.

How can teamwork and a supportive work environment help to reduce nursing workloads?

Creating a supportive and collaborative work environment is essential for reducing workloads. Strategies that foster teamwork, respect professional autonomy, and recognize the value of each team member can significantly improve job satisfaction and patient outcomes. When nurses feel supported and appreciated, they are better equipped to handle the demands of their roles and provide high-quality care. This support can lead to more efficient task management and reduced stress.

What happens when the care network has failures, and how does this impact nurses?

Failures in the care network can lead to fragmented care, increased administrative burdens, and duplicated efforts. This means nurses spend more time coordinating care and resolving issues that arise from poor communication or lack of integration between different healthcare providers. The additional time spent on these tasks takes away from direct patient care and increases the overall burden on nurses, potentially leading to errors and reduced quality of care.

What role do administrative tasks play in the challenges faced by nurses, and how do these tasks affect patient care?

Excessive administrative duties take time away from direct patient care, adding to the overall burden. When nurses are bogged down with paperwork, documentation, and other non-clinical tasks, they have less time to spend with patients, which can compromise the quality of care. This can lead to rushed appointments, less attention to individual patient needs, and a greater risk of errors. Reducing administrative tasks allows nurses to focus on their primary role: providing quality care to patients.