Many nurses struggle with finding a work-life balance. With increasingly demanding 12-hour shifts, its tough to stay healthyand sane when you are continually going a mile a minute. In time you may become overwhelmed and unsatisfied with your nursing career and your personal life.
Nurse burnout is real. The journey towards a satisfying work-life balance as a nurse is within your control and will only be attainable if you make it a priority.
Consider doing a little soul-searching. Take a moment to sit quietly with yourself and pinpoint precisely what you need to simplify your life. Here are a few things to consider on your journey to creating a better work-life balance as a nurse:
* This post contains affiliate links.
1. What are your priorities?
Take inventory of both your nursing lifeand personal life. Is it possible you may be juggling too many balls in the air? What do you envision your life to be like in 5 years?
Sit down and write a 1, 3, and 5-year plan. Make specific goals. You simply cannot create a satisfying work-life balance without fine-tuning your personal and work goals. Be brutally honest. Are you making major life decisions based on what you want to do or what you feel like you should do?
Many people (ahem, nurses!) are inherent caregivers who often give more to others before themselves. Now is an excellent time to think about how you will care for yourself first. Your happiness and success is your responsibility. Start by prioritizing what is most important to you!
2. Manage your stress
You have to manage your stress to achieve a work/life balance. This is a non-negotiable!
Here are two helpful ways to manage stress: #1) get moving with some type of physical activity (may I suggest yoga?) or #2) meditate (or just take a little time to chill out by yourself).
The benefits of exercise and mediation on physical and mental health are well documented in literature. For example, The Mayo Clinic has stated that “yoga may help reduce stress, lower blood pressure and lower your heart rate,” among many other benefits (my yoga practice has been a lifesaver for me!).
Also, a study published in the National Institute of Biotechnology Information investigated the effects of yoga on stress coping strategies of ICU nurses. After only eight weeks of yoga, the results showed that the participating ICU nurses had significantly better focus coping strategies and a significant reduction in perceived mental pressure. Just imagine how much better YOU could feel as a nurse who commits to a regular yoga practice.
Note: It doesn’t have to be yoga (although yoga has remarkably changed my life for the better over the past ten years). Exercise can come in any form you want it to: running, hiking, swimming, pole jumping, dancing in your living room. The best kind of exercise is the kind that you actually do!
3. Create more flexibility
In addition to the (literal) flexibility I get from yoga, I have also found flexibility within my workplace and at home.
12-hour shift schedules are already rigid enough. To find a work-life balance that works for you, consider other alternative scheduling options available in your workplace.
As a per diem nurse, I am employed “by the day.” Hospitals need the flexibility of per diem nurses so they can manage daily staffing needs in the hospital. There are many pros and cons to being a per diem nurse, and it is the only way I can effectively be a working mom at this time. Here is another way to create flexibility in your life: Try squeezing your workouts early in the morning before your family is awake. Sure, you will be tired, but you will also feel incredible for the rest of the day! (I have been practicing hot yoga at 5:30 AM twice a week before my tribe wakes up, and it is helping me function so much better).
4. Think outside of the box
Working 12-hour hospital shifts at the beginning of your career is an excellent way to gain clinical expertise and build a solid career base. But it is not the only career path within the nursing universe. There are many unique and alternative avenues a nurse can take!
If you are a nurse suffering from burnout and looking for alternative career paths, you are in luck. Finding a new way to practice nursing may help you find the work-life balance you have been looking for.
Here are a few ideas, just to get your brain thinking outside the box!:
Are you a nurse who is struggling with how to achieve a work-life balance? I enjoy hearing thoughts and ideas from other fellow nurses. Please leave a comment below!
P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter- receive a free gift when you sign up below!
There are so many different types of nurses in various specialties that work within the hospital setting. So how do you figure out which one is right for you?
When I was initially toying with the idea of going back to college to become a nurse, I had no idea how many types of nursing specialties there were. I thought there was just a single “type” of nurse who did pretty much everything.
I was so wrong. That just shows how little I knew about the nursing world back then! I think many potential nurses who are contemplating getting a BSN may think the same thing as I once did.
The good news about starting in nursing school is that you don’t have to decide on what type of nursing specialty you want to go into right away. At least not until you get closer to the end of nursing school and start interviewing for jobs. Also, you can even change your nursing specialty during your career if you want (I did it and reignited my passion for nursing). So, if you find you don’t enjoy one specialty after a while, you can look into others that might better suit you.
This particular post explores nursing career specialties within the hospital. If you don’t want to work in the hospital, that’s OK. There are a ton of opportunities to explore as a new grad nurse outside of the hospital setting too! However, if the hospital setting is for you (as it was for me), then this is a quick and dirty explanation of the different types of nurses and nursing specialties that may be available to you!
There are dozens of different nursing specialties and levels of care in the hospital to choose from. When deciding on a specialty, it may help to start with the level of care that works best with your personality and then work from there. While some nursing students think the intensity of working in an emergency room might be exhilarating, others may prefer to start by learning on a medical-surgical unit instead.
The next step may be to consider which patient age groups you would most enjoy working with. For example, a nursing school friend of mine knew from the moment she applied to nursing school that she had to be a pediatric nurse. Yet another student friend was passionate about working in the geriatric community. Some nurses find that they love working with newborn babies or children, while others find that they enjoy the intensity of managing patients at the ICU level of care.
Lastly, as you start studying more about the different body systems and doing clinical hours, you can decide which specialties that you are most interested in. Being a student nurse is a great time to learn all about the different types of nurses in the hospital you might want to work in!
If you are interested in learning more about the types of nurses that in the higest demand, check out this video:
Types of nurses, based on credentials:
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
LPNs perform a number of duties under the supervision of an RN. They have a more limited scope of practice than an RN, however, they can check vital signs, give oral medication and give injections. LPNs are trained through a state-approved educational program, which takes 12 to 24 months to achieve.
Registered Nurse (RN)
Registered nurses (RNs) are nurses with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. It takes two years to complete an associate’s degree in nursing and at least 4 years to complete a BSN.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
A clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is an experienced nurse who has also completed a master’s degree in nursing. CNS’s are trained in diagnosing and treating illnesses within a specific realm of expertise.
Nurse Practitioner (NP)
NPs work under the supervision of a medical doctor, however, they have the autonomy to diagnose diseases, prescribe medications, and initiate patient treatment plans. Educational requirements include a master’s or doctoral degree.
Levels of care in the hospital setting
Medical/Surgical Care
Medical-Surgical Care, otherwise known as Med/Surg, is the largest nursing specialty in the United States. Med/Surg nurses care for adult patients who are acutely ill with a wide variety of medical issues or are recovering from surgery. Nurses on these units often care for 4-5 patients (or more) depending on acuity.
Telemetry Care
Telemetry Unit patients are often more acutely ill and need constant monitoring. Patients here are monitored with telemetry monitors that allow nurses to review a patient’s vital signs constantly so they can give more detailed care. Often, Med/Surg and Telemetry patients are referred to interchangeably as many Telemetry Units have both types of patients.
Intensive Care Units
An Intensive Care Unit, otherwise known as an ICU or Critical Care Unit is a unit that provides a higher level of intensive patient care. Patients in the ICU often have severe and life-threatening injuries that require constant, close monitoring. Nurses in the ICU usually only care for 1 or 2 patients at a time due to the high acuity of patient care.
Emergency Room
ER nurses treat patients in emergent situations who are involved in a trauma or other life-threatening injuries. These nurses deal with patients from all age groups involving many different levels of patient care. You may have patients with illnesses and wounds, ranging from dog bites or minor burns to more serious conditions such as strokes or other trauma victims.
Patient age groups
Hospital units are also broken into different age groups to offer more specialized care. This is also something to consider when deciding on a specialty you want to work in. Some of the age groups include:
Newborns
Pediatrics
Adult
Geriatric
Hospital specialties
Here is a general list of hospital specialty units that many nurses work in:
Cardiovascular
Thoracic
Neuro/Trauma
Medical
Orthopedic
Radiology
Hematology/Oncology
Liver Transplant
PACU
Emergency Room
Neonatal
Urology
Surgical
Gynecology
Operating Room
What nursing jobs are you most interested in?
As you can see from the above information, there are so many different types of nurses and nursing specialties. You may want to pick a few that are most interesting to you and narrow your search in from there. Once you get your legs wet in the profession for a few years, you may even want to look into other alternative and unique careers in nursing.
Now that you have a better understanding of the different career options out there for nurses, you may want to brush up on your interviewing skills. Let us help you achieve that with this article “How To Land Your First Nursing Job In Six Steps.”
Are you thinking about becoming a nurse and wondering what nursing specialties might be best for you? Or do you have any other questions about the different types of nurses in the hospital setting? Please leave a comment or question below!
I experienced nurse burnout after two years of being a nurse.
That’s right. After only TWO YEARS, I was already feeling overstressed, exhausted, and cynical about my career.
When my mind finally wrapped itself around this understanding, I thought I’ve barely graduated with my BSN, and I’m ALREADY burned out? How am I going to continue in the nursing profession for an entire career?
I was frustrated, confused, and, to be honest, a little heartbroken. I was passionate about helping others, and I did enjoy the mental stimulation that I got as a nurse. But I couldn’t figure out how there were nurses on our unit who had been doing the same thing for the last 5, 10 or even 20 years. Didn’t they feel the same way?
Lately, I have spoken with a lot of nurses about their experiences with burnout. The truth of the matter is that most, if not all, nurses feel spent and exhausted at some point throughout their careers.
Do you feel exhausted, anxious, physically ill, or dread the thought of going to work each day? If so, you, too may be experiencing burnout. Here are some tips that can help you overcome this chronic, stressful state and learn to thrive again.
Seven ways to beat nurse burnout: reclaim your passion!
1. Find a work-life balance.
Are you rotating days and nights? Constantly working overtime? Or maybe just working too many hours per week? That may work for a while, but it is not a very good long term plan. Everyone needs a break, especially nurses! Consider taking a vacation (or stay-cation) and plan a few solid days of “me” time. A little TLC can go a long way. You simply can’t continue to take good care of others before taking care of yourself first.
One of the best things a nurse can do to help prevent nurse burnout is to take good care of themselves. Often this notion is counter-intuitive to nurses because the nature of their job is to continually put others’ needs in front of their own. Ask yourself, what do I need to be healthy? Here are a few suggestions:
What is it that is causing you to feel the burnout? Try writing your thoughts down at the end of a few shifts to help figure out what is overwhelming you. Is there a pattern? Perhaps you need to plan your shifts differently. Are there a few personalities in your workplace that you are not jiving with? Or, maybe you just are not inspired by your chosen specialty. Permit yourself to be brutally honest about what you need to overcome nurse burnout.
4. Challenge yourself.
Are you under-challenged at work? There are so many ways to challenge yourself as a nurse:
Become a certified nurse in your specialty (or a completely new specialty!)
Compassion fatigue and nurse burnout are so common among nurses. Left unchecked, it can lead to mistakes, unhappiness, or even depression. Share your burnout struggles with a close comrade from work who can empathize with your struggle. If that doesn’t help, consider talking to a trusted mentor, a therapist, or find a career coach that can help you work your way out of nurse burnout. Nurses are self-giving creatures by nature, but we must give to our own needs as well. Crawl out of your shell and start talking it out!
6. Find an outlet.
What do you do on your days off that may you happy? If you don’t have a stress-relieving outlet, then its time to find one! Is your inner artist craving a creative outlet, such as painting, designing, or even scrapbooking? Does a day on the golf course or an afternoon on the tennis court bring you joy? Maybe you have been so busy that you have forgotten how wonderfully distracting it can be to become enveloped into an activity that you love to do.
Research has shown that finding a joyful outlet can enhance your mood, increase energy, lower stress levels, and even make your immune system stronger. Today is the time to find your joy!
7. Consider new options.
Have an honest discussion with yourself about your career. Are you a med/surg nurse who has always dreamed of working in the ICU? Or maybe you are an ER nurse with interest in becoming a flight nurse. A change in specialty might be precisely what you need to tackle nurse burnout.
On another note, nurses don’t have to work in a hospital. Perhaps working with injectables in a dermatology office or as a home healthcare nurse would be a better fit. There are so many nursing careers to choose from. The sky is the limit. Go find your nursing passion!
What do you do to beat nurse burnout? Leave a comment below!
In particular, travel nurses have a lot on their plate! They take travel assignments in cities where they’ve never even been and then work in different units with entirely new staff. And then when they finally think they have everything figured out their assignment ends and they go someplace else!
On top of that, they also have the physical and mental stress that comes with working 12 hours shifts.
Travel nurses need yoga.
By taking care of ourselves we are able to replenish our reserves and take better care of our patients and families. There is an endless amount of studies on yoga and its amazing benefits on physical and mental health.
As nurses, we need to practice what we preach and help lead our patients by example. Why should our patients take better care of themselves both physically and mentally if we are not doing it ourselves?
I love this mat because it doesn’t get slippery once I start getting sweaty during a yoga practice. It is a thicker, more durable mat with a great chakra design.
Cork yoga blocks are the best. I love these blocks because they are durable and have a really good grip. They can assist with alignment and help you get deeper into many yoga poses.
These are amazing for restorative chest opening poses! I have 2 of these in blue and purple. I use them all the time to help me wind down after nursing shifts. I also love using the booster to put my hips and legs up the wall after being on my feet for a twelve hour shift!
(This post contains affiliate links. My disclosure page is really boring but you can find it here.)
Ahhh, springtime is finally here! The days are getting longer, the sun is out and I want to be spending as much time as I can doing things that matter most to me. Like spending time with my husband and kids.
But I have to grocery shop, meal plan, and cook dinner for my family! Ugh, there is just never enough time. As a working mom (I’m an ER nurse) I already have a hard time coordinating everything I have on my do-to list.
That is one of the many reasons Sun Basket meal delivery has been such a blessing for us.
My husband and I started using Sun Basket three years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. Since then I have introduced the meal delivery system to several other families who have found the same value in it that we have.
Admittedly, I do not enjoy meal planning. And I have never thought of myself as a very good cook. Fortunately, with Sun Basket meal delivery I get simple recipes, organic nutrition, and an easy way to prepare a healthy meal in 3o minutes or less.
Sun Basket is a healthy meal kit service that delivers organic produce, clean ingredients and easy, delicious recipes for cooking at home. We have it delivered to our doorstep once a week and has completely revolutionized dinner at our house.
I have almost zero extra time (isn’t that every Mom’s dilemma?). Bottom line: Sun Basket meal delivery has made it so much easier for me as a Mom to ensure that my family eats a healthy diet. In fact, I don’t know how I could feed my family this well without it.
How does Sun Basket work?
You sign up online and pick the recipe option to your liking (vegetarian, paleo, gluten free, family options). You can also select exactly which meals you want delivered. Then a box is delivered to your doorstep with every pre measured ingredient you need along with a detailed recipe. Simple and easy, just the way I like, er, need it!
I have tried nearly every meal delivery system, yet I always come back to Sun Basket.
I wont say which ones we have tried but you have probably heard of them. I stopped using them because on several occasions there was at least one ingredient that had already gone bad. Yuck!
I just didn’t feel that I was getting the same quality that I did with Sun Basket.
Sun Basket Meal Delivery Review By A Mom, RN
Sun Basket Meal Delivery Review: 9 Reasons Sun Basket Brings Great Value To Our Family
1. Nutrition
Healthy nutrition is so important to me. As a registered nurse I have spent a lot of time taking care of patients with preventable chronic illnesses. I am constantly trying to teach my patients how to take better care of themselves by eating well and getting enough physical activity.
It is well documented that eating a nutrient rich diet is vital for good health, well being and even prevents many chronic illnesses from occurring in the first place. Good food provides our bodies with the energy, vitamins, fats and protein we need to thrive.
We need to take more responsibility for their own health and well-being. The best way to prevent chronic illnesses and most cancers is to not get sick in the first place!
Sun Basket helps me provide good nutrition for my family because:
It keeps me from ordering take-out, which is usually not very healthy, &
It keeps me from making something fast and less healthy at home, like a frozen pizza (don’t judge, life gets busy, yo!)
2. Time savings
Sun Basket delivers of ALL of the ingredients I need to make 3 dinners per week. That means I don’t have to spend time hauling my kids to the grocery store to buy food for those meals.
I also love that our meals are already pre planned so I don’t have to figure out what I’m going to cook that night.
Most importantly though, Sun Basket meals take 30 minutes or less to prepare with easy to follow recipes. Which means I get to spend more quality time doing things that I love, like playing with my little ones.
Since I am getting only the meal ingredients I need, I don’t have to buy an entire block of Parmesan cheese (for example). Plus, ordering take-out or eating out can start to add up over time.
4. The greens are often fresher then at the grocery store
I am a big fan of fresh, organic produce. I can even taste the difference between organic and conventional produce a lot of the time. That is why I appreciate that Sun Basket ingredients come directly from the source. There is nothing I hate worse then buying spinach from the grocery store and having it turn bad the next day!
5. I want my family to eat as organically as possible
100% of Sun Basket’s produce is organic and they only use responsibly raised meats free of antibiotics and added hormones.
Also, Sun Basket uses sustainably sourced seafood that is listed as “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” by the Monterey Bay aquarium’s seafood watch program.
6. I get to cook meals that I never would have made otherwise
Last week I made Havana shrimp mojo tostadas with cabbage slaw. This meal was so good, I couldn’t believe I actually cooked it myself! The recipe was super easy to follow and looked, dare I say… fancy? Like, restaurant style fancy. I used to steer clear from seafood because I never felt comfortable cooking it. Now I make a different seafood recipe at least once or twice a week!
7. Good customer service
There have been two times that our delivery was shipped 1 day late due to traffic issues in Los Angeles. Both times we were notified immediately and offered a credit if we decided not to accept the box. Not a deal breaker for me as the shipments did arrive fresh. LA traffic truly is off-the-charts insane so unfortunately its par for the course here. Other then those minor inconveniences the service has been exceptional.
8. Sun Basket makes it easier for us to have quality family time
The most important benefit for us that has come out of using Sun Basket is that it allows us to sit down as a family for our meals, no excuses! Dinner is my favorite part of the day and I love that it gives my husband and I a chance to reconnect and talk about whats going on in our lives. It keeps us connected. Its like having a date night in.
9. Sun Basket has helped me become a much better cook (And I am teaching my daughter too!)
Sadly, for my husband and children, I am not a culinary genius. I’m not horrible in the kitchen, so long as the recipes are simple and easy. My specialties usually involve a Nutri bullet and just mixing ingredients in a bowl (what can I say, I like to keep things really simple!).
Cooking has become a family experience for us. My daughter helps out by tearing greens, mixing dry ingredients in bowls, mashing veggies, and even dashing our meals with salt and other spices. It is a real treat to watch her get excited to cook! She is learning the value of cooking with healthy ingredients and we have a great opportunity to teach her where her food comes from (so she knows that food isn’t created in a grocery store).
I am constantly learning about new ingredients and cooking techniques. And looking like an expert chef to boot!
Tonight we are having lemon-pepper salmon over Greek salad with artichokes and olives. My recipe says it will take 20 minutes to prepare and I know I have every ingredient I need, so I am not stressed about it.
Its Saturday evening and I am looking forward to enjoying a wonderful, nutritious meal with my family on the back porch… with a nice glass of wine of course. Join us for dinner anytime!
