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DiversityNursing Blog

Nurses Holiday Survival Guide

Posted by Sarah West APRN, FNP-BC

Thu, Dec 14, 2023 @ 09:42 AM

Being a Nurse means you will most likely have to spend a holiday or two a year working a shift. It can be disappointing to forego your holiday traditions and festivities with your loved ones to head to work instead.

Although having to work the holidays can be difficult, it is important to remember that your presence can make a huge difference in the lives of your patients. Follow this holiday survival guide to continue spreading holiday cheer, even if you must spend the holiday in your scrubs.

Put Your Mental Health First

Nurses have a physically and emotionally exhausting job, and the emotional toll can become especially hard during the holidays. It is important to prioritize your mental health, especially during the holiday season. Set time aside to recharge before, during, and after your shift by taking a short walk, a bubble bath, or reading a good book.

Prioritizing your mental health while working the holidays will set you up to enjoy celebrations in your personal life.

Find Ways To Celebrate the Holidays at Work

Just because you must work the holidays, it doesn't mean you can't celebrate them. One of the best ways to spread the holiday spirit and enjoy your time at work is to bring the celebration into your shift.

Consider organizing a holiday party at work where everyone brings a dish to share, wear holiday accessories or scrubs, or even plan a Secret Santa with your coworkers. Although working the holidays can sometimes feel like a drag, these simple holiday traditions can make all the difference.

Think About Your Patients

If you are disappointed to be spending the holidays working and away from your family, odds are your patients are feeling the same way, maybe even worse. Be cheerful when interacting with your patients and tell them they are not alone.

You could decorate patient rooms to spread holiday cheer or help them call or Facetime their loved ones to help lift their spirits. A great way to uplift your mood is to boost the mood of others, and a little extra holiday cheer can make a huge difference in the lives of our patients.

Stay Connected to Friends and Loved Ones

It can be challenging to work the holidays instead of spending time with your friends and family, but staying connected the best way you can is essential. If possible, arrange with your loved ones to move your usual holiday traditions to a different day so you can attend. This way, you can still enjoy time together celebrating the holidays. Because at the end of the day, all that matters is time spent with loved ones, even if you celebrate the holiday on a different day.

If you work as a travel Nurse and distance is a struggle when trying to stay connected, arrange for a virtual celebration so that you can stay connected despite the physical distance.  

Splurge on a Gift for Yourself

One of the perks of working the holidays is holiday pay or bonuses. If you are working during the holidays and find yourself with a little extra cash in your pocket, consider buying yourself a gift to celebrate your hard work. Nurses put so much of their time and energy into caring for their patients. You deserve to celebrate your hard work with something special.

Prioritize your Rest to Combat Fatigue

The key to success in surviving the holidays is remembering the basics of self-care, and this includes prioritizing your rest. Caring for yourself and getting enough sleep between your holiday shifts is essential to combat the physical and emotional fatigue that comes with working a busy holiday shift. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine to help unwind and reset your mind for a good night's sleep.

Maintain Boundaries

We all know, the holiday season is a busy time of year. It can be challenging for Nurses who work off shifts to coordinate attending specific gatherings, especially when it seems like there is a gathering planned every day of the week.

 It is important to set clear boundaries between your work and personal life. When you are off-duty, focus on relaxing and enjoying the time with your loved ones and not overcommitting to social events if you need the time to recharge between your busy holiday work shifts.  

Balancing work and your personal life can be challenging, and the holidays are no different. The best way to survive the holidays is to plan appropriately and prioritize self-care so you can enjoy the season and continue to take great care of your patients.

Topics: holiday shifts, working holidays, nursing career, Nursing tips, stress during the holidays, nursing shift, nursing practice, nursing field

Tips For Nurses Working Through The Holidays

Posted by Erica Bettencourt

Wed, Nov 23, 2022 @ 02:47 PM

GettyImages-1423947212Many people look forward to the holidays, however it can be a stressful time for Nurses working through the holiday season and missing festivities. Here are several tips to help make working through the holidays a little brighter.

Holiday Feast

Take time during a shift to fuel up with some yummy foods. Have everyone bring in their favorite meal or side dish, holiday treat, or order some take out. 

Work Fun

Organize a secret Santa with your unit or you may also consider planning a holiday party outside of your work setting. It’s nice to take the time out to blow off steam and enjoy your co-workers’ company. 

Decorate

With permission from your manager, decorate your work station, the hallways or even yourself with some holiday swag. Hang up paper pumpkins and turkeys. String twinkle lights and set up a holiday tree. Just be sure to be sensitive and inclusive of everyone’s holidays, not just your own. 

Celebrate On A Different Day

If you can't celebrate a holiday on the actual date, pick another day that works for your family or friends. Being with the people you love is what's important, no matter the date. 

Spread Holiday Cheer

This season is all about giving and as you know, giving makes you feel good. Try giving small gifts like scented hand sanitizers, cards, or decorative trinkets to your coworkers. Brighten patient's day with a note, little ornament, or holiday craft. 

Stay Connected

Make the most of your breaks during your shift. If able, FaceTime or Zoom with friends and family, follow their posts on social media, or ask someone to share videos of the holiday gatherings with you. Utilize available technology to stay as connected as possible. 

Silver Lining

Focus on the bright side, there may be benefits to working a holiday shift, such as extra pay or the next holiday off. You may also, hopefully, get to enjoy a slower work pace or less traffic during your commute.

Remember You're Important

Healthcare will always be 24/7 and someone must be there to care for patients. You're saving and changing lives by showing up to work. During the holidays that care can mean the world to a patient especially if their family or friends aren't able to visit or stay long. What you do as a Nurse is so important, don't you forget it! 

Topics: Holidays, holiday shifts, nursing, nurses, working holidays, nursing career, holiday stress

See How Hospitals Are Celebrating the Holidays

Posted by Erica Bettencourt

Tue, Dec 12, 2017 @ 10:04 AM

HappyHolidays650.jpg

For many people, the holiday season is their favorite time of year, with excitement building for months. Spending time with family and friends, decorating, sharing laughs and getting in the holiday spirit means so much to so many. For these same reasons, this time of year can be the most difficult time to be in the hospital.

Fortunately, there are many ways to bring joy into hospitals during the holiday season.

Shriners Hospital Celebrates Holidays with Atrium Performance Series

AtriumSeries-01UkuleleHeaven.jpgThe holiday season brings the gift of music to Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California, where singers and musicians volunteer their time and talent as part of the Atrium Performance Series. Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, choirs, school bands, and local business groups perform in the hospital lobby to make spirits bright.

Gingerbread village event at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital

gingerbread_2017_1_w.jpgGingerbread houses were assembled and decorated by patients and guests in the lobby of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital who layered them with white frosting roofs and assorted, colorful candies. Other houses were sent to patients on the units who could not come down for the event. Whenever a house was completed, Santa or one of his helpers placed it on a large display structure designed to evoke the shape of a Christmas tree. Patients got to take a Teddy bear and the book of their choice.

Akron Children's Hospital Holiday Tree Festival 2017

akron childrens trees.jpgAccording to cleveland.com, there are 85,000 strings of lights at the festival at the John S. Knight Center. There are 140 trees, wreaths galore and holiday gifts all donated by an individual, group or business. Click Here to See Photos of all the trees!


Santa takes a helicopter to UVM Medical Center Children’s Hospital

santahelicopter.jpgSanta made a trip to visit kids at the University of Vermont Medical Center Children’s Hospital. According to the Burlington Free Press, No reindeer were used for this pre-holiday visit. Santa Claus hovered in a helicopter at the hospital entrance, waving to the children gathered on a balcony inside.

 

There are plenty of ways to bring holiday cheer to your facilities halls. Here are a few ideas:

  • Have a family member bring in a LED menorah or a small tree to make it feel more like home.
  • Light up a hospital room with a simple strand of lights.
  • Play some classic Holiday music.
  • Watch a Christmas movie.
  • Share thank you notes and holiday cards.
  • Bring Holiday desserts and treats.
  • Open some presents with loved ones and staff members.

 

 If you have other ideas or tips to celebrating the holidays in a hospital, please comment below! Happy Holidays!

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Topics: Holidays, holiday shifts, working holidays

10 Tips To Help You Enjoy Your Holiday Nursing Shift

Posted by Pat Magrath

Mon, Nov 14, 2016 @ 04:19 PM

cee7b8dcb59575f069eae423085a3bc0.jpgThe holiday season is fast approaching and with that comes a lot of stress in both our personal and professional lives. No matter what holiday you celebrate, we hope it is a joyful and peaceful holiday for you and your family.
 
To help you deal with the holiday details, we found this article that offers some useful tips to help you enjoy the holidays. What works for you? Perhaps you’ve discovered something that you’d like to share.
 
As October comes to a close, we can feel the excitement and, at times, stress of the holidays approaching. While many people are out buying their last-minute Halloween costumes or planning their Thanksgiving menu, or even setting up their Christmas decorations (we know, early!), nurses are preparing for working their holiday shifts. 

Working over the holidays is a reality check for nurses. While other professionals get this time off to be with their loved ones, nurses are caring for their patients and working to ensure the safety of other people’s friends and family members. While it is an honor at any time to care for the sick or injured, we understand it can be especially difficult at the celebratory times of the year. 

To make these occurrences a tad easier, and even fun, here are 10 ways to make the most of your holiday nursing shift. 

1. Plan ahead
Start planning your holiday shifts way ahead of time. Coordinate with your loved ones on days to celebrate that work around your schedule. For instance, if you are working over Thanksgiving, plan to celebrate a day or two later. Speak with your manager about the best way to ensure you are there to cover your shift, but that you also have time built in for those holidays that are important to you. 

2. Ask for help
Do you normally do the bulk of the Christmas or Hanukkah cooking? Ask your family members to pitch in or organize a pot luck so everyone shares the labor. If you know you are scheduled to work over a holiday, know your limits and time constraints and ask those around you to assist in the holiday preparations.

3. Be prepared
If you are scheduled to work over certain holidays, be prepared to meet any holiday-related needs of patients. Be on the lookout for complications of diabetes and dehydration over Halloween and be sensitive to how costumes may interfere with your ability to care for a patient or how they may affect a patient, especially those with a mental illness. Be ready for cooking-related injuries, such as burns or cuts, around Thanksgiving. Pay extra attention to patients suffering from depression around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. If you know what to look for, you will feel more prepared when encountering these situations. 

4. Make your work space feel like home
With permission from your manager, decorate your work station over the holidays. Put up paper pumpkins and turkeys. String twinkle lights and set up a holiday tree or bush. Just be sure to be sensitive and inclusive of everyone’s holidays, not just your own. 

5. Organize a work party
Many times, your co-workers can feel like family. Take some time during a shift to celebrate with your team. Have everyone bring in their favorite holiday treat or consider exchanging small gifts. You may also consider planning a holiday party outside of your work setting. It’s nice to take the time out to blow off steam and enjoy your co-workers’ company. 

6. Celebrate when you can
Working over New Year’s Eve? Celebrate at a time that works for you. Start the countdown at 5am with the other nurses working alongside you. If you want to celebrate with family and friends, you can do the same – pick another day and/or time, adjust your clocks and watches and ring in the New Year accordingly. 

7. Be resourceful 
Make the most of your breaks during your shift. If able, Skype with friends and family, follow their photos on Facebook or Instagram, or ask someone to share videos of the holiday gatherings with you. Utilize available technology to stay as connected as possible. 

8. Be mindful
Be mindful that the patients are there for the holidays too. Try to lift their spirits by asking if they would like their room decorated or try speaking with them about happy holiday memories. You may be able to help accommodate visitors or help patients get in touch with family and friends. 

9. Know your limits
Too busy to decorate for your favorite holiday? Not enough time to go to the mall to buy gifts? Too stressed to cook your traditional holiday meals? Cut corners where you can; shop online, skip the decorating all together, order take-out or pick up prepared food from a local store. Determine what you can do without and compromise where you can. 

10. Focus on the positive
Depending on your work place, there may be benefits to working a holiday shift, such as extra pay or the next holiday off. During the holidays, you may also get to enjoy a slower work pace and a shorter commute. On top of that, you are in it together with your fellow nurses and your patients, who all are there to share the holiday with you.
 
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Topics: Holidays, holiday shifts, working holidays

Nurse Gives Christmas Card To Entire Airplane Crew

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Mon, Jan 06, 2014 @ 10:40 AM

One airplane pilot says he and his whole crew got a touching surprise from a grateful passenger while they were working on Christmas.

"Today, a passenger gave our crew Christmas cards with this note inside," theunidentified pilot said on Reddit. The note was apparently from a nurse who cares for cancer patients at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Airplane crew members on Reddit seemed to support the idea that such a small gesture makes a big difference.

"As a former FA [flight attendant], I can confirm that it is always appreciated when passengers were nice, or acknowledged us in this way," user MonorailBlack wrote on Thursday. "Flying over the holidays isn't fun - missing Christmas with your family for more than 10 years gets really old. The little things made it more tolerable."

Topics: nurse, note, working holidays, pilot, Christmas

3 tips to help you enjoy your holiday shifts

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Fri, Dec 20, 2013 @ 01:27 PM

BY ELIZABETH SCALA

iStockphoto | ThinkStockWhy am I doing this again?

Now that the holiday season is upon us (and many of us nurses have to work while our loved ones get to stay home and play), we might be questioning why we went into nursing in the first place. It’s no fun working when everyone else is off, enjoying meals, gifts and holiday traditions with family and friends.

But this is the time of year when many of our patients need us most.

Some of them don’t have family and friends. Many of them are scared and alone. And I can bet that all of them would rather be anywhere but in the hospital during this time of year.

Instead of focusing on the downsides of nursing during the holidays, let’s choose something different. Together we can empower ourselves and enjoy our work and our home life, no matter where we find ourselves on these special days.

Here are three tips for shifting your nursing perspective during this busy time of year:

1. Reconnect with what you enjoy. One of the simplest ways to reconnect ourselves with our nursing selves is to remember what brought us to nursing in the first place. After that memory is brought back to life, bring it into the here-and-now. You might ask yourself the following questions: What is it about nursing that I love? What’s my favorite part of my job? In what ways am I passionate about this really awesome and humbling profession? Reconnecting with your purpose is a wonderful way to shed light on the joy of your life.

2. Discover the good in everyone. I had a client last week tell me how she was making a conscious choice to find the good in every single person she worked with, even when it was hard. From the front desk to the parking garage, from the manager to the newest graduate on your unit, from the CEO to the ancillary staff, what can you appreciate in every single person? The more you see the good in everything you do–and everyone you greet–the more your environment is filled with good things to see. Try it for yourself. Give this a shot for a week or so and see what happens.

3. Be mindful of gratitude. The fastest and easiest to shift your perspective is through the practice of gratitude. We get what we give. Now, during the holidays, or at any time of year. Our thoughts become our worlds. If you’re able to focus on what you’re thankful for–about your job, your place of employment and your coworkers–you’re much more likely to enjoy working the holiday shifts. Yes, they may still be hard…we all want to be with family. But what is it about being a nurse and sharing the holiday with a patient that can lift your spirits? How can you be grateful today?

Source: Scrubs Mag

Topics: holiday shifts, enjoy, nurses, working holidays

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