Healthcare Worker Burnout in Vancouver: Symptoms, Stages, and Support
An article by Declan White
Burnout has become an increasingly prevalent issue within Canada’s healthcare system. In the years following COVID-19, healthcare workers continue to face growing patient demands, rising administrative pressures, and chronic staffing shortages. Surveys show that as many as 80 percent of healthcare workers report experiencing burnout, and among physicians the rate climbs as high as 86 percent.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to workplace stress. It often develops gradually and may go unnoticed until it becomes severe. In professions such as nursing, social work, and medicine, burnout is linked to long hours, insufficient support, and the strain of working with people in highly stressful situations.
Researchers often describe burnout across five subscales:
Emotional Exhaustion: Feeling drained and depleted.
Depersonalization: Developing detachment, cynicism, or an impersonal approach to patients.
Personal Accomplishment: Reduced sense of effectiveness at work.
Cynicism: Indifference or dismissiveness toward tasks or colleagues.
Professional Efficacy: Confidence in one’s ability to do good work and make a difference.
Symptoms of Burnout in Healthcare Workers
Burnout manifests differently for each person, but common signs include changes in emotions, thinking, behaviour, and physical health.
Emotional and Motivational Symptoms
Decreased motivation and job satisfaction
Irritability, anger, or anxiety
Feeling isolated or alone
Reduced self-confidence
Cognitive Symptoms
Negative or cynical thoughts about the job
Frequent mistakes or lapses in judgement
Difficulty concentrating or remembering details
Desire to leave the profession
Behavioural Symptoms
Declining productivity or procrastination
Social withdrawal or isolation
Showing up late or missing work
Reduced engagement with patients and colleagues
Physical Symptoms
Persistent fatigue and exhaustion
Headaches, back pain, or muscle soreness
Increased susceptibility to illness
Sleep disturbances
Digestive issues or skin problems
Stages of Burnout in Healthcare Workers
Burnout rarely happens overnight. It develops gradually, starting with manageable stress that builds over time and erodes energy, motivation, and well-being. This progression can often be recognized in five stages:
Honeymoon Stage
High energy, optimism, and resilience help balance early stress. The job feels rewarding, and difficulties are manageable.Onset of Stress
Stress begins to accumulate through long shifts, crises, and workload pressures. Fatigue, irritability, and sleep issues start to appear, though coping is still possible.Chronic Stress
Stress becomes more frequent and harder to manage. Emotional exhaustion, performance issues, and detachment from colleagues and patients emerge. Withdrawal behaviours may begin.Burnout
Symptoms become entrenched: severe exhaustion, depersonalization, cynicism, and loss of competency. Completing daily tasks becomes a struggle.Habitual Burnout
Burnout becomes chronic, leading to long-term mental and physical health issues such as depression, anxiety, cardiovascular problems, or self-harm thoughts. At this stage, stepping away from the role and prioritizing recovery is often necessary.
How to Prevent and Manage Burnout
Preventing and managing burnout begins with personal strategies that help you protect your energy and well-being. While healthcare systems play a role in shaping workplace conditions, there are steps you can take to recognize the signs early and respond in ways that support your health. By setting boundaries, seeking support, and making space for recovery, you can reduce the impact of stress and strengthen your resilience over time.
The approaches you can take as an individual
Set Boundaries: Limit overtime when possible and protect rest periods.
Seek Support: Talk to colleagues, mentors, or mental health professionals to reduce feelings of isolation.
Prioritize Recovery: Ensure adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise to counteract stress.
Reflect and Reconnect: Take time to reconnect with the values and purpose that brought you into healthcare.
Stress-Management Techniques: Practices like mindfulness, breathing exercises, or counselling can reduce the impact of daily stress.
The Benefits of Counselling to Help with Burnout
In Vancouver, healthcare professionals are working in environments where patient demands, long hours, and staffing shortages create constant pressure. Counselling provides a confidential space for workers to talk through these challenges and regain a sense of balance. By addressing emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and the unique stressors of healthcare roles, counselling helps reduce burnout symptoms and supports resilience.
Counselling also offers practical tools that can be applied both inside and outside of the workplace. Through strategies such as mindfulness, cognitive reframing, and self-compassion, healthcare workers learn to manage stress more effectively and maintain their sense of professional purpose. Many in Vancouver also have access to counselling through extended health benefits, making it easier to integrate into their lives. By investing in their own mental health, healthcare workers can improve not only their personal well-being but also the care they deliver to patients and the overall strength of the healthcare system.
About the author: Declan White, BA
Declan White is a practicum counsellor at the Vancouver Therapy Collective and a Mental Health Clinician with Fraser Health. With over three years of experience working in hospital settings, he has witnessed firsthand both the toll that burnout, anxiety, stress, and depression can take on healthcare workers, as well as the resilience and growth many clinicians find in overcoming these challenges. Declan is passionate about supporting nurses, social workers, and other healthcare professionals in navigating the unique pressures of their work. His approach emphasizes collaboration, helping clients find practical and sustainable ways to care for themselves so they can continue caring for others. He believes that all healthcare workers deserve the opportunity to thrive in their roles without being weighed down by the mental strain of the job.
How We Can Help with Affordable Counselling
At Vancouver Therapy Collective, we understand the unique challenges faced by healthcare workers in Vancouver and across BC. Burnout in this field often comes from long hours, high patient demands, and the emotional weight of caring for others. Our counselling is designed to be supportive, accessible, and affordable, making it easier for healthcare professionals to prioritize their mental health without added financial stress. We use sliding scale prices based on your individual resources to provide low-cost counselling that is accessible to everyone.
Whether you are working in a hospital, community clinic, or long-term care setting, counselling can provide a valuable space to manage stress, strengthen resilience, and reconnect with the meaning behind your work. Our goal is to help healthcare professionals sustain their careers with greater balance, confidence, and a renewed sense of personal and professional health.
