🎙 Episode Overview:

When you hear the word “resilience” paired with “nurses,” how does it make you feel? Frustrated? Defensive? Just plain tired? You’re not alone.

In this episode, we’re breaking down one of the biggest myths about burnout: it’s not a personal problem—it’s a systems problem.

Bubble baths and yoga might offer momentary relief, but they won’t fix the core issue: healthcare systems built for maximum efficiency, not long-term resilience.

It’s time to stop blaming individuals for systemic failures and start building systems that can actually absorb shocks and adapt to challenges without burning out their people.

• Why burnout feels so personal—and why it’s actually a systems-level issue.
• The difference between resilience and efficiency in healthcare systems and why they need balance.
• How healthcare systems excel at acute crises but fail at addressing slow-burning, chronic problems.
• Practical strategies for nurses to reframe personal complaints as systemic observations.
• How to advocate for changes using systems language that leaders understand.

• Burnout isn’t a personal failure—it’s a symptom of an overstretched system.
• Resilience and efficiency exist on a seesaw: Too much focus on one will destabilize the other.
• Slow-burn problems (like chronic understaffing) often go unnoticed until they become full-blown crises.
• Observation beats complaint: Framing problems as system patterns (e.g., “Our system is over-relying on overtime”) shifts the conversation to solutions.
• True resilience means absorbing shocks while maintaining core functions.

• Listen with a systems mindset: Notice patterns, not just problems.
• Reflect on where you’ve seen the efficiency vs. resilience seesaw tilt too far in either direction.
• Share this episode with colleagues—it’s a conversation that needs to happen across teams, not just in leadership meetings.

1. Reframe Complaints → System Observations: For example, replace “I’m exhausted” with “Our system relies too heavily on overtime to meet basic needs”.
2. Spot Patterns of Over-Efficiency: Where are resources maxed out? Where is there no room for error?
3. Raise Awareness of Slow-Burn Issues: Identify trends like turnover or increased workloads before they snowball.
4. Speak Systems Language to Leaders: Highlight systemic solutions like better staffing models, flexible workflows, and improved resource allocation.

📣 Heads Up: Something’s Coming!

I’ll be dropping an Easter egg at the end of the next few episodes. Today’s letters are “Y” and “I”. Keep listening—you’ll want to collect them all! 

• Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.
• Share this episode with your team or a leader who needs to hear it.
• DM Claire on Instagram with your thoughts or follow-up questions.
• Leave a review to help other healthcare professionals find this podcast.
• Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!

Let’s stop putting burnout on individual shoulders and start redesigning the systems we work in.

🎧 Hit play and let’s get into it.

👉 Resources Mentioned:

• Instagram
• Systems Sunday Newsletter