Palliative nurse Lorri C. Jackson speaks on burnout, boundaries and end-of-life care

Lorri C. Jackson, MSN, RN, was featured in a two-part Close Up Radio interview on Oct. 9 and Oct. 16, discussing burnout in nursing, hospice care and the emotional toll of end-of-life work. Jackson also described her move from California to Utah, where she now works as a hospice case manager and nurse educator.

Why it matters: - Jackson’s story puts a human face on a broader nursing crisis: emotional exhaustion, skipped breaks and burnout. - Her work also highlights how palliative care shapes decisions for patients and families at the end of life. - Her move from overwork to firmer boundaries mirrors a growing focus on nurse retention and mental health.

What happened: - Close Up Radio featured Lorri C. Jackson, MSN, RN, in a two-part interview with Jim Masters on Friday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. Eastern and with Doug Llewelyn on Friday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. Eastern. - Jackson is a palliative and hospice nurse educator who now works in Utah as a hospice case manager. - Jackson discussed her career in end-of-life care, her move to southern Utah and the changes she made to avoid burnout.

The details: - Jackson said she helps families navigate resuscitation decisions, hospice versus continued treatment, and advance directives. - Jackson described goals-of-care conversations as trust-building discussions that begin with asking patients what quality of life means to them. - Jackson said she now takes her full lunch break, keeps her cellphone at the nursing station and hands patients off to a colleague without exception. - Jackson said she took a pay cut to move to southern Utah, but she expects the tradeoff to improve her quality of life. - Jackson now works as a hospice case manager and also trains younger nurses. - Jackson teaches that morphine given for air hunger is comfort care, not harm. - Jackson encourages the use of the respiratory distress observation scale for patients who cannot describe their own symptoms. - Jackson said younger nurses often enter the field with less hands-on training than previous generations because pandemic-era restrictions limited hospital rotations. - Joyce University’s survey of 1,000 registered nurses found 74% feel emotionally drained more than once a week. - The same survey found more than half of nurses regularly skip meals or breaks to keep up. - The survey found Gen Z nurses reported the highest rate of daily emotional exhaustion at 28%. - Jackson said families increasingly worry that loved ones are being discharged before they are ready, often because of financial pressure on hospitals. - Jackson said her department gives families a direct line to answers and palliative care. - Jackson cared for her father for nearly two and a half years on hospice as Parkinson’s disease progressed. - Jackson said watching her father die at home, surrounded by family and a chaplain, taught her about dignity. - Jackson said she was moved into helping people facing critical illness after watching the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks during a human anatomy class. - Jackson traces her roots to Oklahoma and describes herself as a country girl at heart. - Jackson has worked across several departments before focusing on palliative care. - Jackson said simple thanks from patients and families still matter deeply.

Between the lines: - Jackson’s comments connect personal boundary-setting with a wider clinical culture that often rewards overwork. - Her emphasis on advance care planning shows how palliative care depends as much on communication as on medication or treatment protocols. - The survey data and Jackson’s experience point to a workforce under pressure at the same time that demand for end-of-life guidance remains high.

What's next: - Jackson will continue working in hospice care and educating nurses in Utah. - Her interview is available through podcast platforms and her LinkedIn profile. - More information about Lorri C. Jackson is available on her LinkedIn profile. - The interview also appears on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Spotify.