Taking Care of Yourself at Work
Taking Care of Yourself at Work
January 30, 2020
In nursing school, I learned quickly that many nurses do not
take breaks. When I was doing clinicals, many of my nurses I followed decided
not to take a break because the day was busy and they simply thought if they
took time out of their day, they will not be able to get all their work done. I
noticed the nurses I followed that did not end up taking breaks were simply in
worse moods at the end of the day than the nurses who ended up taking their
breaks. Now I am out of school and in the nursing field, it is mandatory to take
breaks at my job and I feel it is run so much smoother. I feel like everyone is
in a happier mood and there is better patient care because when you take care
of yourself it is easier to take care of others.
Another thing nurses should do on their shifts is making
sure they drink plenty of water.
All nurses are taught in nursing school the importance of
staying hydrated. Hydration is a huge key of health. Without hydration, you are
more likely to get headaches and start to become forgetful, which when taking
care of patients it is important to be alert to give them the best care
possible. With great benefits of drinking water, it is shocking how many
individuals do not stay hydrated during their work shifts. Jolie Choi states in
the article 75 percent of Americans don’t drink the recommended 10 cups
of water a day in the article “why it’s important to drink more water at
work.”
Another healthy benefit of that is good for nurses to follow is one that I personally struggle with and that is eating healthy during a work shift. I found it is so easy to grab and snacks of junk food my whole shift. I end up feeling crappy the rest of the day. When I pack healthy snacks, I feel so much more energized and it is easier for me to stay focused on getting my work done and have better patient care.
Another healthy benefit of that is good for nurses to follow is one that I personally struggle with and that is eating healthy during a work shift. I found it is so easy to grab and snacks of junk food my whole shift. I end up feeling crappy the rest of the day. When I pack healthy snacks, I feel so much more energized and it is easier for me to stay focused on getting my work done and have better patient care.
Healthy food categories
The last thing I want to talk about is taking time to empty
you bladder. When I started going to clinicals, I used to hold my pee in for
hours, sometimes not going the entire shift. The fact is holding in your urine harmful to the body and leads to many health
problems. Susan A Werner M.D. states
that “holding in urine cause
urinary tract infections due to bacteria build-up” in article “sometimes, being
too polite is bad for you” which was published Mar. 29, 2018
Over time holding in urine can also cause incontinence. It can
get very busy being nurse on the units, and I still sometimes struggle finding
time to go to the bathroom, but I have gotten a lot better on taking just a few
minutes to relieve myself to help with my health in the long term.
I have learned that a day in a life of a nurse can be extremely
busy and stressful. Nurses have a lot of responsibility with taking care of
patients. It is important for nurses to take care of themselves first so they
can take care of their patients to their full potential.
Resources:
Disclaimer: This is not a real blog and is for a class
assignment
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