Four Ways for Nurses to Stay Strong in a Demanding Profession

Nursing is a very challenging and demanding career that can cause emotional and physical drain.  Being a nurse requires combining technical skills with clinical knowledge and a caring attitude. With so many demands on nurses, how can they keep up their emotional and physical strength to function at their best? Outlined in this article are just some of the things that nurses can do to stay strong under pressure and deal with the everyday stresses that come with your chosen career.

Never Stop Learning

As a nurse, there is always the opportunity to learn and achieve more. Nursing has a range of opportunities for branching out, meaning there are plenty of options available for trained nurses to do something different with their career. Earning a Master of Science in Nursing online degree alongside your job allows you to learn new things and further your career. You can earn a distance learning degree from Bradley University.

Don’t Ignore Your Needs

Nurses spend a lot of time tending to the needs of others, whether it be the patients in their care or the needs of other medical professionals such as doctors. However, as a nurse, it is vital to ensure that you don’t end up neglecting yourself and your own needs. During particularly busy periods you may often need to push yourself, but this doesn’t mean you should allow yourself to work for hours on end without taking bathroom breaks or eating. Looking after yourself is crucial, as meeting your own needs will allow you to perform tasks to the best of your ability and deal with the pressures of the job.

 

Be a Team Player

Nurses make up a team which must work together to keep the hospital, clinic or ward running smoothly. To deal with the emotional and physical demands of the nursing profession, it’s crucial that you have support. This support will often come in the form of your nursing teammates, who understand the job and its pressures just as much as you do. Good communication, respect and mutual support between nurses on a team are crucial for keeping up morale positive.

Stay on Top of Stress

As a nurse, it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed at times. Working in the nursing profession can be highly stressful, especially if there are other factors in your personal life increasing the strain. Knowing yourself and how you react to certain pressures and situations is crucial as a nurse. Understanding what you need to do to manage stress, whether it be taking time off or meditating, can render you better equipped to deal with the demands of the job.

Being a nurse may be demanding, but it’s also a hugely rewarding career.