Nurses are the unsung superheroes who ensure that patients receive whatever they need and assist them on their road to recovery. However, many nurses put in double and sometimes consecutive treble shifts, exhausting their mental and physical health. Nurses’ grueling working hours have been overlooked for years. Nonetheless, fortunately, people have now started realizing its dire effects and are raising voices against it.
Medical experts agree that healthy and happy nurses provide better service, resulting in improved outcomes. Aside from a physically exhausting job, nursing is mentally demanding. Workplace stress is almost inevitable, and many nurses, especially travel nurses with specialties suffer from the burnout that affects their assessments and leads to dissatisfied patients. Satisfied and energetic nurses provide better services and help in instilling a positive work environment.
The nursing administration must realize that nurses’ wellness directly impacts their work; hence they must improve it. Below are some effective ways healthcare facilities can improve well-being among nurses:
1. Provide Them Opportunities to Enhance their Learning
Healthcare administrations that understand that relaxed nurses work productively provide different opportunities for dynamic nurses to excel. Today, nursing has become a relatively broad area, and with constant development in the nursing field, it is continually expanding. Nurses continuously need to learn new skills to learn to help them climb the ladder of success. Medical institutes can arrange online learning programs to keep their nurses abreast with the latest occurrences. In the modern technology-driven world, nurses can register in one of the accredited online msn programs to equip themselves with advanced knowledge, eventually enhancing their skills and improving patient outcomes.
2. Structure their Duties with Breaks
Most healthcare organizations suffer from a shortage of nurses and have to burden their existing workforce. They must realize that overworked nurses are prone to make errors, and some negligence from their end can cost human life. To prevent such outcomes, implementing comprehensive medical workforce support systems is essential, as they help balance workload, reduce stress, and ensure patient safety. Management must structure nurses’ duties appropriately, ensuring that they get adequate breaks to eat and rest. Nurses often have to work 10 to 12 hours straight without getting a sip of water. It can take a toll on their wellness and affect their work. Structured routines will enable nurses to bring quality in their care and give important tasks their due attention.
3. Promote Healthy Eating
Nurses can act as role models for their patients. Their attitude, behaviors and conduct can affect patients, and they observe their every move. The administration must promote healthy eating among nurses to ensure that nurses get sufficient nutrients that keep them going. Healthy eating will help nurses stay active, boost their mental health and enable them to work efficiently. Moreover, it will indirectly impact patients, and they may feel more comfortable with an energetic, more active nurse.
4. Practice Meditation at Institutes
Workplace stress is almost unavoidable in modern times. Besides, staff may have some personal baggage that affects their psychological health. Healthcare organizations must promote meditation at institutes and encourage nurses to take a few breaks and practice it. Mediation assists in calming their minds by blocking all chaotic noise. Practicing meditation can make nurses emotionally strong and mentally relaxed. As a result, they can stay composed in stressful situations and focus on the tasks at hand.
5. Encourage Nurses to Spend Time Amongst Nature
Medical experts have admitted that nature has healing characteristics and it improves people’s mental and physical health. Nurses’ job is dramatic as they may experience moments of euphoria and dismal in the same day. Spending time amongst nature helps keep their mood alive and enables them to inhale some fresh air out of all the commotion. Institutes must encourage nurses to go and sit in their parks for a few minutes. Moreover, many nurses who suffer from vitamin D deficiency can get sufficient sun exposure by spending some time under the sun.
6. Foster Open Communication
Problems in the workplace are inevitable. Nurses may encounter some issues and have complaints that they want to bring in higher authorities’ notice. Healthcare organizations must have an open-door policy where nurses don’t feel threatened or scared while contacting higher authorities. They must instill an environment where nurses can speak openly without fear. Managers or supervisors should give their staff the confidence to discuss their issues with them and act accordingly. Fostering open communication gives nurses mental peace. They know that they can contact management in their times of distress or when they need assistance.
7. Organize Social Events
People sometimes need a break from work-related events. It’s the same with nurses. Hosting fun activities can improve work quality. Healthcare facilities can arrange social events where their nurses can discuss matters other than nursing and have a good time. Social events do not necessarily have to be extravagant, and an annual dinner or sports match will be sufficient. Organizing events other than nursing-related ones will help nurses calm their nerves and focus on their job well.
8. Encourage them to Indulge in Exercise
Physical exercises have proven to be effective in dealing with physical and mental health issues. Healthcare administrations can have one room dedicated as a gym where nurses can burn their calories. Another idea is to organize challenges to encourage nurses to shed extra weight. Doing exercise boosts mental focus and allows nurses to work with full attention, minimizing chances of errors.
9. Show Appreciation
Showing appreciation is never harmful; on the contrary, it serves as a motivation to do better. Nurses earnestly try to improve patient outcomes, and management must demonstrate appreciation through gestures and other schemes. They can organize some awards, offer them a vacation or surprise them with an increment in salaries. Nurses will feel motivated and, in turn, work productively.
Conclusion
Nurses are always at the forefront, taking care of patients’ needs and lending a helping hand to other healthcare workers. They are mostly compassionate and practice empathy while running here and there, looking after multiple tasks. Nursing is a challenging job, and nurses often have to work extra hours.
In addition, they experience heart-wrenching scenes, people losing their loved ones, others fighting for their lives, which adds to their stress. Nurses often suffer from anxiety and depression, and in severe cases, prolonged stress leads to burnout. Nurses’ phycological and physical health directly impacts patients; thus, institutes must take measures to enhance their well-being and focus on their mental and physical health. Simultaneously, the healthcare administration must motivate them to learn more and achieve new milestones in their work field.
