The topic of burnout among critical care nurses is a topic of great importance in healthcare today. This essay examines the article written by Arnold M. Bakker, Pascale M. Le Blanc, and Wilmar B. Schaufeli, “Burnout Contagion Among Intensive Care Nurses,” published in The Journal of Advanced Nursing. This article describes burnout in critical care nurses. The authors present their data that impacts society at large and directly impacts the workforce that provides healthcare. The authors present evidence in their article that contradicts previous studies on the topic. The purpose of this rhetorical essay is to evaluate whether the reader is convinced by the authors' argument to accept the claim that burnout among critical care nurses is due to contagion, rather than previously given reasons. The authors' formal writing style and presentation of the study findings help increase readers' understanding of the statement. The authors convincingly argue that contagion deserves attention in the healthcare field to address the problem of retention of professional nurses. Bakker, Le Blanc, and Schaufeli begin by explicitly defining burnout and the characteristics of burnout (277). The authors' claim is that burnout among critical care nurses is due to contagion, that is, communicated from one nurse to another, rather than reasons presented in previous studies on the topic. The authors present the previously stated reasons for intensive care nurse burnout: excessive workload, high care demands from patients, time constraints and intensive use of sophisticated technologies. The authors' assurance is explicitly stated by the presentation of statistical evidence obtained from a large study of nurse interviews. Bakker, Le Blan... at the center of the article... which should receive immediate attention. The growing healthcare industry must turn its attention to the retention of nurses in general, but especially in intensive care units. The authors have provided sufficient evidence to make their claim. Through the use of multiple rhetorical tools the writers presented a logical analysis to their theory and engaged the audience. The logical presentation of data helps present the problem in a very clear format. Stating that there are other logical reasons for burnout among critical care nurses and that there are limitations to their study gives credibility to the authors and does not paint the picture that all authors know. Works Cited Bakker, Arnold B., Pascale M. Blanc, and Wilmar B. Schaufeli. “Burnout contagion among intensive care nurses”. Journal of Advanced Nursing 51.3 (2005): 276-288. Press.