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Has The Resilience Cup Run Dry?

Nursing is in a crisis on an international scale. I acknowledge that my feed is biased and that the nature of my work predisposes me to an algorithm that constantly shares more and more nurses and health professionals talking about the state of healthcare and the experience of working within the system. This in itself is a step change from 2019 when I first started speaking about nurse burnout. So, what has changed?

Here are some of my observations;
Over my 29 year career as a nurse, the system has depended on the goodwill of the staff. Initially it was wrapped in the guise of nursing being a vocation, latterly it has been more blatant and shamed nurses into feeling that they didn’t have the resilience required to succeed in the profession. Then we have the culture of nurses eating their young, and the increasing incidents of acts of violence towards nurses from patients, and the perfect storm in a teacup has arrived.

A system that relies heavily on the goodwill of its staff but does not put the systems and structures in place to support that team is failing its greatest asset. Its people! Nurses are the backbone of healthcare; a hospital cannot run without them. Why are they treated like disposable assets that can be replaced? The latest Australian Nursing Workforce Strategy (2026) has identified that the number of practicing nurses over recent years has been consistently less than the actual number of nurses working, and its been predicted that by 2035 Australia will be 70,707 FTE nurses short. Which debunks the nurses are replaceable myth.

The resilience narrative is running dry. Nurses can have all the resilience in the world but a nervous system that is constantly stuck in fight or flight cannot sustain itself. We can’t meditate our way out of short staffing, increasing patient violence and a system wide lack of psychological safety. Nurses are leaving the profession as an act of self preservation, the experience is walking out the door and the new grads are following.

Nurses cannot pour from an empty cup, and the goodwill has run out. So, what do we do from here?

This is the first in a series of short articles on this topic. I want to open the conversation around positive change. Nurses are incredible innovators and advocates. We have the power to influence change. Please share your thoughts either in the comments or feel free to DM me.

Reference – Australian Government. (2026). National Nursing Workforce Strategy. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/national-nursing-workforce-strategy?language=en

This is the course that should not exist.

Because in a perfect world — nurses would finish their shifts without carrying the weight of everyone else's trauma home with them.

Paramedics would never have to talk themselves into getting out of bed for another shift.

Police officers wouldn't need to explain why they feel nothing anymore.

Teachers wouldn't be crying in their cars before walking into a classroom.

But it's not a perfect world.

And the people who hold everything together for everyone else are quietly falling apart.

So we made it anyway.

Stress to In Control. A 7-week course for the people who were never supposed to need one.

Comment 💙 or DM me for further details.

Happy International Nurses Day 💙

"Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives."

Please read that again.

Our nurses! Not just the profession. Not just a workforce. Ours. Belonging to each other, to our communities, to this shared humanity we're all just trying to hold together.

But here's what I want us to sit with today,
You cannot be the future if you're running on empty. You cannot empower others if no one is empowering you. You cannot save lives if you've forgotten that yours matters too.

You are a human first. A nurse second.

And that is not a limitation, it's your greatest strength.

The tears you've blinked back at the nurses station. The weight you've carried home in your chest after a shift. The smile you found somewhere for a frightened patient even when you had nothing left, that is not just nursing. That is humanity in its purest, most extraordinary form.

The future of healthcare is not built on burnt out bodies pushed past their limits. It is built on nurses who are SEEN. SUPPORTED. VALUED. Who know that their wellbeing is not separate from patient care, it is patient care.
So today, to every nurse in The Happy Nurse community,
Be empowered. Be celebrated. Be human.

The future is you. And you are enough. 🌿
With so much love,
Elaina 💙



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When new nurses enter the profession, they’re told to “toughen up” — but what they really need is support, balance, and space to be human.

In this week’s episode of The Happy Nurse Podcast, I’m joined by nurse educator and coach Deanne Geddes , who shares her powerful insights on helping graduate nurses transition into practice with confidence and care.

We talk about burnout, identity, boundaries, and why thriving as a nurse isn't about being the toughest — it's about being the most human.

Let this conversation remind you that self-care is not selfish — it’s essential to sustain your career and your compassion.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
🌿

"It's the worst it's been in the 18 years I've been in WA emergency departments." A senior WA emergency department doctor has described his workplace as running in a "disaster situation", struggling within a health system which has an "unhealthy fixation" on ambulance ramping. 📝 Keane Bourke for Stateline 🎬 Tim Carrier #ABCNews #ABCNewsWA #Health #Doctor #Nurse #EmergencyDepartment #Hospital #HealthcareWorkers #AmbulanceRamping

Every nurse deserves support that truly understands their world. In my latest episode of The Happy Nurse Podcast, Mark Carter, founder of MACH Health, shares how his groundbreaking app is transforming nurse wellbeing by tracking shifts, sleep, mood, and delivering personalised care, right into their pocket.

This is more than just an app. It’s a global community built by nurses, for nurses, designed to reduce burnout and build sustainable careers. If you’re a nurse, or care about those who are, this technology is a game changer.

Don’t miss this episode. Nurses need this support. Nurses deserve this support. Together, we can create a healthier future for healthcare.

Listen now on your preferred pod player, and join the movement.

Your wellbeing matters!!

Producing this weeks episode of the pod before my afternoon shift.

New episode just dropped! This is a great one. .a.swales and I unpack burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma and moral injury. Listen at your leisure on your favorite podcast app. 💙

Episode 60!!!!

In this episode of the Happy Nurse Podcast, Psychologist Shannon Swales joins me to discuss the realities of burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and moral injury with a special focus on the unique risks midlife women and nurses face.

Listen on your favourite podcast app.

This is me, out in nature, where I’m happy. After spending the working week in a fluorescently lit, windowless box (I’m a theatre nurse) it’s VERY important for me to reconnect with nature. I grew up in the Highlands of Scotland, surrounded by hills and forests. 🌳 I’m a country girl at heart 💓 Social prescribing is on the rise for a reason. We are meant to spend time outside. Our bodies need fresh air and sunlight. It’s scientifically proven to have a positive impact on our mental health and overall wellbeing.