The Covid-19 pandemic underscores issues of overworking and understaffing in the healthcare field. With over half of all healthcare professionals experiencing burnout, it raises a question on how an ambitious healthcare worker can balance her/his professional and personal life. Emergency calls make it extremely challenging for them to turn their “healthcare service provider” switch off for some private time. This often leads to detrimental physical and mental issues.
Patients under the care of an overworked individual are also prone to risk, adding another layer to the problem of failing to find the right balance. Still, most find it to be a fulfilling career.
While the healthcare industry has a reputation for long working hours, achieving a healthy balance between work and home is still possible. To ensure that their home life does not suffer, healthcare workers need to set a few boundaries by taking some particular steps. Some tips for maintaining a healthy work-life balance are listed below. Read till the end if you are serious about achieving such a balance.
Identify Your Priorities
It is a welcome change to take a step back periodically to identify what really matters to you – a list that can vary from one individual to another. When you want to maintain a healthy work-life balance, things will get hectic, and you won't be able to do everything like a perfectionist.
The activities you do not prioritize should slowly fade away into the background. Instead of getting hung-over having a spotless house, worry about spending more time with your family on your days off work.
Delegation is also a must if you want to spread out your workload more efficiently. For instance, if you are a nurse looking to earn further education, search for BSN to DNP programs online for a more flexible routine. These online programs will not be a thorn in your backside when you want to spend quality time with your family while also working dreadful shifts.
Take A Well-Deserved Break
Advancement in technology significantly changes how everyone perceives the healthcare field. Some of these changes are good. However, some have significantly affected healthcare professionals' work-life balance. With the help of technology, everyone remains connected, and the same is the case for healthcare providers. They never really take a single day off from work. They can access social media accounts, text messages, emails, and electronic health records irrespective of their location.
If you are not on-call, turn off your phone, tablet, or computer for a couple of hours every day. Let your family be the center of your attention when away from work. Or simply prioritize self-care. Taking some time away from work will also provide you with a well-deserved re-fuel, increasing your productivity.
Don't Hesitate To Ask For Help
When you identify the issues disrupting your work-life balance, you need to figure out where it originates from. Are you overworking yourself or caring for too many patients? Figure out what is causing you trouble at the hospital or clinic, and ask your peers for help. By reaching out to them, you can share with them the goings-on of your life. If they genuinely care about you and your well-being, they will help you work your way to reducing your stress and restoring your work-life balance. If not, now is the time to search for a different career path that values your expertise.
Organize Yourself And Follow A Schedule
To ensure that you don't double book or forget everyday mundane home-related tasks, it is wise to set up a household calendar. It will give you more time to work on what matters in your life. Organizing yourself is also key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. For example, create a morning schedule that you have to follow, no matter what. It will free up some time that you would otherwise, for instance, spend searching for your car keys or making an extra stop at the utility store because you forgot something. While you might find it difficult to adjust to a new routine, everything will run on autopilot once you get accustomed to it.
Focus On Your Health
While healthcare professionals take care of other people before themselves, some studies show that they are typically less healthy than professionals from other industries. When you consider the countless working hours and fast-paced working environment of a healthcare worker, it is understandable for these professionals to let themselves go health-wise. You should set aside some time and follow a simple workout routine to stay active on the job and at home. You can also try mediation as it will provide you with a more well-rounded mental and physical health.
Learn To Say No
Covering other worker's shifts, heading group projects, or overseeing training programs can be hard to refuse, especially if you are a people person. While it's natural to help others out, you should first help yourself before you even think about helping others. It's okay to refuse particular tasks at work or say no to your friends for a boy's or girl's night out. Sometimes all you require is a good night's sleep or quality family time to recuperate and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Stay Away From Time Wasters
In the healthcare field, you will find your fair share of time wasters. Always be mindful that you have to see numerous patients, and you cannot spend hours answering the questions of a specific patient. Always be polite, but never forget how to get yourself out of an irrelevant conversation with patients, their families, or other healthcare professionals. You will find time-wasters at home as well. It is all about avoiding them and making time for things you cherish, one of which is your family!
Conclusion
No matter how challenging it can be, a healthcare worker can have everything- a healthy home and work-life as long as they know what to avoid. To help you find the perfect balance, give the tactics mentioned above a go. They can do wonders for you!
