Regina Temple: Work-Life Balance for Healthcare Workers

 

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Regina Temple: Achieving Work-Life Balance in Healthcare

For many workers, working in healthcare is a fulfilling career, and while the industry has earned a reputation for demanding schedules and long hours, a healthy work-life balance is still possible. Between co-worker absences, emergencies, and the growing demand not met by the current workforce, healthcare workers need to set boundaries and ensure that their personal life does not suffer. Here are some tips for maintaining work-life balance in the healthcare field.

Scheduling and organization

Setting up a calendar so that nothing gets double-booked or forgotten allows the mundane parts of your life to run smoothly, leaving more time for more important things. Meal planning and adapting a scheduled routine every day free up time that might otherwise be spent making extra stops at the grocery store. While difficult at first, Regina Temples says that once routines are in place, they become automatic.

Avoid time-wasters

Most healthcare workers are vulnerable to time-wasters in the workplace. Keep in mind that there are many other patients to care for and tasks to complete. Be polite, but develop a way to get out of long, irrelevant conversations, both with co-workers and patients. This way, work tasks get completed at work instead of bleeding over into your home life. Time-wasters also exist at home, so look for ways to complete a task while doing other things that do not require your full attention, like working out while watching television.

Make time for health.

Studies show that healthcare workers are generally less healthy than employees in other industries while taking care of other people, both at home and at work. It may seem strange, but when considering the busy pace and long hours at work, combined with the stress of balancing personal life, it becomes easier to understand how self-care is taken for granted. Setting aside time for exercise and routine care visits is essential, notes Regina Temple. Maintaining a spiritual practice or meditation should also take priority to help with a balanced life.

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Take a break

New technology has made some positive changes in the workforce, many of them good but some with negative consequences on work-life balance, says Regina Temple. Since people are always connected, so many health professionals never really stop working. E-mails, electronic work files, and social media can be accessed from almost anywhere, so if you are not on call, shut off the computer, phone, or tablet for at least a few hours a day. Let your home life be quality time away from work. Nurses and doctors are particularly prone to overworking themselves, but taking some time off leads to increased productivity in the long run.

Identify priorities

Occasionally, take a step back and identify the things that really matter to you. When balancing work and life, things get hectic, and it is almost impossible to do everything perfectly, says Regina Temple. Tasks and activities that are not important need to fade into the background. For example, worrying less about having a spotless bedroom allows for more quality time with family. Delegation is also essential, both professionally and personally, to spread out the workload.

Regina Temple has served in the healthcare community for over 30 years. She has worked in various settings, from unionized to non-unionized facilities, for-profit to not-for-profit organizations, acute care centers, and outpatient clinics. For more articles on healthcare leadership, employee satisfaction, retention, and other related topics, subscribe to this page.


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