IndexResponsibility and burnoutFactors that worsen burnoutHow to alleviate burnoutNursing is a profession that is based on critical thinking, basic knowledge and the alleviation of pain and patient suffering (Stacey, Singh-Carlson, Odell, Reynolds, & Yuhua, 2016). The ANA Scope and Standards of Practice recommend that nurses have “an ethical responsibility to show up to work…prepared to provide safe, quality care to patients” (ANA, 2015). Although nurses are guided by a code of ethics, their work involves being patient advocates, communicators, and educators. With autonomy comes an increased level of responsibility which can lead to burnout, a feeling of “hopelessness,” and an “inability to do [one's] job well” (Hunsaker, Chen, Maughan, & Heaston, 2015). Burnout affects professional responsibility because if a nurse does not have the correct mindset, he or she cannot perform his or her duties adequately. The purpose of this article is to highlight the high-stress work environment that can often cause increased susceptibility to errors, decreased job performance, and compassion fatigue due to unfavorable environmental pressures (Bamonti et al., 2019) . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Responsibility and Burnout Burnout was first coined by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger who found evidence of psychological impoverishment caused by environmental stressors (Hunsaker, et al., 2015) . Burnout is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion defined in three phases: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal fulfillment (Bamonti et al., 2017). These phases influence the nursing profession due to the level of emotional control required of nurses (Bamonti et al., 2017). Findings from Bamonti et al., (2017) indicate that long-term care facilities experience high levels of turnover due to symptoms of emotional distress caused by burnout. More specifically, dysfunctional coping mechanisms, such as emotion-focused coping, are related to an increased level of burnout as a result of unhealthy suppression of emotions. In contrast, problem-focused coping aims to resolve the problem at hand that is causing complications and has been found to have an inverse relationship with burnout (Bamonti, et al., 2017). Because nurses care for a multitude of people at once, compassion fatigue can also negatively affect the workplace. The distinction between burnout and compassion fatigue is that burnout is driven by the environment while compassion fatigue is caused by second-hand emotional exhaustion resulting from witnessing the pain of others (Bamonti, et al., 2017). For example, a study focused on oncology nurses found that although building a close relationship with a patient is vital to getting to know them, when traumatic events such as death occur, there is a greater risk of burnout due to the personal bonds that are were built. (Stacey et al., 2016). Factors That Worsen Burnout Environmental determinants that increase the likelihood of burnout include job turnover, management issues, staffing shortages, and patient workload (Hunsaker et al., 2015). These factors are amplified by some nursing specialties such as working in long-term care facilities, geriatrics, intensive care units, and emergency rooms (Monsalve-Reyes et al., 2018). These jobs tend to have a frequent rate., 2019).