Consider these remedies for mastering meeting burnout.

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Nurses can experience burnout in all aspects of life, from work to family time. A key frustration at work can be a seemingly endless array of meetings, some of which may appear to be extraneous or unnecessary. Most likely, you won't be able to avoid such meetings, so the next best step is to take one of the following actions to prevent meeting burnout.

* Identify your purpose. Before a meeting, write a one-sentence summary of your objective or what you want to learn from or offer to the meeting.

* Attitude is everything. Demonstrate by words and actions that you want to make a positive contribution to the meeting. Acknowledge good ideas of others. Watch your language closely, and limit your use of "yes, but" comments.

* Listen. Ask yourself, how does this knowledge apply to me? Do I understand what is being said? How does this link to what I already know? How can I participate in a positive manner?

* Take notes. Jot down notes for each agenda item. Make a list of questions you have or how you might help implement or explain the new outcomes or policies.

* Learn by watching. Take the time to watch other meeting participants. Sense their moods through their body language and their use of language. How are disagreements being voiced and resolved? Use more inclusive language like we, our, and our team instead of I and they.

Karen Hochberg, MS, ONS Director of Marketing and Public Relations