In the famous words of Cristina Yang (Grey’s Anatomy star for those living under a rock) having a “person” is important for life! Someone that helps you through the tough times. Someone that supports you in whatever way possible! I hope all you fellow nurse practitioners have a person that you can confide in and vent to.
More specifically, a healthcare person.
What is a healthcare person?
A healthcare person is someone who works in healthcare, or understands very well the difficulties with working in the profession.
This person can be anyone in healthcare: nurse practitioner, nurse, physician, physician associates, respiratory therapist, occupational therapist, radiology staff, laboratory staff, anyone and everyone who works in healthcare. Nurse practitioners should realize having a healthcare person is vital (pun intended).
Whether it is a best friend at work, an old friend from nursing school, or a family member working in healthcare, we need a person!
A healthcare person should be someone that you can:
- Vent to when you have a noncompliant patient.
- Discuss a traumatic experience or second victim syndrome.
- Find support when you lose a beloved patient.
- Get help to manage the burn out and stay in healthcare.
I am fortunate enough to have three healthcare people that are very close to me. I can talk to them about the struggles with working in healthcare and they get it! They have been through it too!
I have a close friend who is an emergency room RN.
She understands when I complaint about the frequent-flyer patient. She understands the traumatic experiences that we will never forget. She worries about patients we discharge home. I can talk to her about anything and she gets it. She’s my healthcare person.
I have another friend who works as a RN in a specialty clinic and outpatient surgery setting.
She understands the craziness of the schedule. She knows there is little time to pee, let alone eat some lunch. She experiences the work-life imbalance. She has had to set boundaries with her boss. She knows the signs of burnout and feels overworked and undervalued. She gets the hardships of healthcare. She’s my healthcare person.
I have another close friend who works as a licensed mental health practitioner.
She has talked to patients about their trauma, while simultaneously keeping that trauma from affecting her own thoughts and life. She understands human behavior and why patients act the way they do. It is so nice to talk to her and have validation or support when I have a difficult patient. She’s my healthcare person.
I hope each and every one of you can find a healthcare person.
Connect with a long lost nursing school friend. Talk to a coworker who may also be struggling.
Find connection and support within The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner Facebook group.
Don’t be afraid to reach out and have conversations about healthcare burnout.
I can guarantee you were not the only one struggling with nurse practitioner burnout right now!
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
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