What Burnout in Healthcare Looks Like: A Conversation with Kristin, MedTreks Nurse Coach
Burnout in Healthcare: What It Looks Like from the Emergency Room
Today we’re introducing Kristin, our Nurse Coach and one of the facilitators behind our upcoming Nurses Retreat.
We sat down to talk about burnout in healthcare: what it actually looks like, how it builds over time, and what begins to shift when you step outside the day-to-day. At 12 years old, she underwent major surgery for scoliosis. What followed were two years of additional procedures, hospital stays, and uncertainty.
“My parents didn’t have a medical background,” she shared. “They struggled to navigate everything.”
Watching that experience develop from the inside molded everything that came next. It wasn’t just the care she remembers. It was how confusing it all felt, the pressure on her family, and not knowing what to expect. “That’s what made me want to do this, to help make that experience a little easier for someone else.”
When burnout becomes personal
Like for many people in healthcare, burnout built up little by little over time. “Anyone who worked through COVID felt it,” she said. She had always planned to stay in emergency medicine long-term. But something changed,
“The passion I once had faded. I kept telling myself it would come back after the pandemic… but nothing in my environment changed.”
Eventually, she reached a point that many healthcare professionals quietly arrive at: “I couldn’t see myself continuing. I hated being there.” After 18 years in the field, she actually made the decision to step away.
How burnout has changed over time
In some ways, the healthcare system has improved says Kristin. There’s more awareness now. Less stigma around struggling. More openness in conversations that used to happen behind closed doors. But at the same time there are new pressures.
“Medicine feels increasingly driven by financial pressures,” she explained. “And that can limit meaningful solutions.” There’s also a growing sense of constraint:
- less time with patients
- more administrative burden
- rising distrust and misinformation
And culturally, one thing hasn’t changed enough: “The expectation is still to endure.” So, as a result, burnout is happening faster and really hitting harder.
Burnout isn’t always obvious
One of the biggest misconceptions is what burnout actually looks like. It’s not always dramatic and it doesn’t always look like someone falling apart. Usually it’s more subtle.
“We’re very good at overlooking it in ourselves,” she said. In a profession built on self-sacrifice, it’s easy to normalize things like:
- constant fatigue
- anxiety before a shift
- trouble sleeping
- emotional detachment
Sometimes it shows up physically, but other times, it looks like apathy. Or irritation. Like a quiet disconnection.
Why it’s so hard to step away
At its core, healthcare is about helping people! That’s what makes stepping away so complicated.
“We carry a strong sense of responsibility,” she said. “And when something goes wrong, we take it hard.”
But that weight is often carried alone. There’s an unspoken pressure to hold it together. To not appear weak and/or to keep going. Even when something feels off…
What happens when you do step away
Stepping away (physically and mentally) isn’t just about rest. It’s about resetting the nervous system.
“We’re not built to stay in a constant state of high stress,” she explained. “When you allow your body to rest, you gain clarity, emotional steadiness, and the ability to keep going long-term.”
That pause creates space to recover!
Rethinking rest
Rest is often treated like a reward. Something you earn after pushing through. But that mindset doesn’t hold up.
“I think about it like sports,” she said. “Athletes need recovery. We do too.”
Without it, depletion is inevitable. Setting boundaries isn’t just about protecting time… it’s about creating space for things that actually restore you.
“Otherwise, you’re constantly giving without replenishing.”
A simple place to start
For those who can’t step away right now, the starting point doesn’t have to be big. Truly, it can be simple.
“Write things down,” she suggested. “It helps slow your mind and process what you’re actually feeling.”
And just as important: Pay attention to how you speak to yourself. “Perfectionism can feel like a strength until it turns on you.” Instead of defaulting to self-criticism, try something different.
“I actually like doing things I’m not good at,” she said. “It means I’m learning.”
A message for healthcare professionals feeling burned out
When we asked Kristin what she would say to someone in the middle of burnout, her answer was direct and truthful:
“You’re not alone in feeling this way. This work is hard.”
But there’s also something else: “We get to decide what change looks like and how we move forward.”
Why this matters to us at MedTreks
This is exactly why we’ve been expanding our retreats. Not as a quick fix for burnout in healthcare, just a way to step away for a bit and get some perspective. Sometimes a little space is enough to help things feel clearer.
This is exactly the kind of space we’re creating with our upcoming Nurses Retreat in Mexico.
Led by Kristin and Ari, the week brings together time outdoors, relevant continuing education, and a small group of nurses who understand the pressure of this work. It’s designed to be both supportive and practical. So really something that feels both restorative and real!
