I am writing this post the day after a busy night of on-call. I am a family nurse practitioner and work in a critical access hospital doing primary care, as well as, covering emergency services. My night of on-call consisted of multiple ER visits and only a few hours sleep.
Being on-call may look different to you. Maybe you don’t have to go into the clinic/hospital but instead answer the dozens of questions patient have after hours.
Whichever way, being on-call sucks for most nurse practitioners. It is generally in addition to an already busy clinic day. Being on-call can create a lot of extra worry and overwhelm. What if I miss a phone call? What if I don’t know the answer to the patient’s question? What if I have to go into the office/hospital?
While being on call is not the high light of my day, here are a few tips that make it less sucky.
1. Give yourself grace. When on call, I don’t worry about cleaning the house, doing laundry, or making a gourmet meal. I let go of any expectations and keep my plans open for the evening/night. I avoid any added stress and give myself grace for not getting a non mandatory task accomplished.
2. Treat yourself. When I’m at the hospital till late or up early, I’ll get myself a treat. Whether it is a snack or a delicious coffee, I treat myself for the work that I am doing. Also make sure you are meeting your basic nutritional needs. Have nourishing snacks and drinks readily available.
3. Adjust sleep routine. If you’re getting multiple phone calls during the night or have to go into work, it’s likely you’re not going to get a good nights sleep. And I don’t know about you, but I need my beauty sleep. That’s why I plan ahead. I’ll make it a point to go to bed 30 minute early the night before call, allow myself to sleep in, or go to bed early the night after call. I know I am my best when I get a full nights sleep and I try to adjust accordingly to my night of call.
I would love to hear about your “surviving on-call tips”, please share below!
If charting is contributing to your burnout, check out this free video lesson on Creating a Problem Focused Visit in Less than 10 Minutes!
For time management and charting tips, check out The Nurse Practitioner Charting School– The one stop for all documentation resources created specifically for nurse practitioners. Learn more at www.npchartingschool.com
**Full disclosure, this blog post may include affiliate links. I do receive a commission if any of the affiliate programs/services/supplies are purchased. This is at no extra cost to you but does allow me to continue to provide content as The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner! Thank you!
**Full disclosure, this blog post may include affiliate links. I do receive a commission if any of the affiliate programs/services/supplies are purchased. This is at no extra cost to you but does allow me to continue to provide content as The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner! Thank you!
