A recent article on Monster asks, are you a healthcare professional who’s feeling anything but merry about working yet another holiday shift? Healthcare veterans offer tips on how to banish your inner grinch and make the most of another holiday on the job.
This list of pointers includes:
Plan Ahead
Healthcare professionals say one of the worst aspects of working a holiday is missing family events. Diane Speranza, RN, a certified emergency nurse at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tarpon Springs, Florida, plans holiday gatherings several months in advance with extended family members, many of whom also work in healthcare or in law enforcement and have similar scheduling challenges. “We very rarely celebrate Christmas on Christmas Day,” she says. “A holiday is whenever a family can be together.”
Invite Loved Ones to Work
Some healthcare employers allow their employees to invite guests for short visits during holiday shifts. “The best years have been when it’s slow enough to actually have families come in,” says Connie Meyer, a paramedic captain for Johnson County Med-Act in Olathe, Kansas.
Meyer, who always works 24-hour shifts with the same crew, finds ways to make the best of holiday shifts that are too busy for visitors. “At work, it’s just a different family we’re spending our time with,” she says.
Brace Yourself for the Emotional Toll
Caring for lonely, sick patients on holidays can be especially wrenching, Meyer says. Responding to a cardiac arrest during a family dinner, for example, is particularly tough. “On a holiday, you have to be flexible and expect that extra emotion to come into your calls,” she says.
In the ER on holidays, Speranza prefers a steady stream of patients to a trickle — but dreads severe trauma cases. “If it’s slow in the ER, time drags, and you start thinking about being there and working on the holiday,” she says. “If you’re kept busy, the next thing you know, the day is over.”
To see all the tips Monster has to offer follow the link below:
Monster – Cope with Working the Holidays in Healthcare