May 27, 2019 – Nurse Suicide

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Anchor lead: What is behind high rates of suicide among nurses? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Suicide among health care workers is known to happen more often than in the general population, with nurses 4 times more likely to commit suicide than those outside medicine. Patricia Davidson, dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, says recognition of the problem is just the beginning.

Davidson: We have to build resilience. Resilience is a big deal because healthcare is tough. And it always has been tough. It does not mean you have to be tough, but you have to be able to ride that wave, and not get pulled under the undertows, which are there. So its seeking supportive and enabling environments, making sure you have colleagues around you that will enable you, and also making sure that when you go home after work, that you have something that fulfills your soul. :31

Davidson urges all health care professionals to seek help if they’re feeling hopeless and notes that systems approaches to sustain them are in the works. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.