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Five Steps to Creating NP Work-Life Balance

The phrase “work-life balance” was born in the 1970s when overworked baby boomers looked for ways to balance their careers and home life. According to the Cambridge dictionary, work-life balance is “the amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy.” Unfortunately, more than 66 percent of Americans say they do not have work-life balance.

Baby Boomers have a reputation for being workaholics, but there did not seem to be much of an option at that time. With the transition to the Generation X population, human resources witnessed an upwards trend of employees utilizing their paid time off to spend time with their family and do hobbies outside of work.

However, as millennials have escalated through the professional ranks, their main priority is finding a career supporting their current lifestyle outside of work. Millennials are thinking about the lives they want and are looking for jobs that support this vision. This is the opposite of what previous generations did, which was finding a job and then building a life around their work.

The prevalence of burnout for healthcare providers has inspired nurse practitioners to focus on balance and integration of work and personal life. According to Advisory.com, more than 60 percent of NPs reported feeling burned out. NPs may have difficulty balancing work and personal life because of the increased physical and emotional stress they experience in the work setting. They must balance multiple roles such as NP, spouse, parent, friend, and caregiver. In the work setting, NPs duties include patient care, charting, teaching and training, meetings, administrative tasks, and community outreach activities. With the addition of mobile technology, work time can easily creep into personal time.

Decompressing

A vital component of a healthy work-life balance is allowing for a decompression period. An example of decompression is spending time with coworkers or friends with similar jobs that can relate. Going out to eat after the end of a shift is a common stress reliever for nurses. When NPs cannot balance the demands of work with their family or personal needs, it can lead to inner turmoil.

NPs need to have a support system. They can better care for patients when they have encouragement and a team they can rely on. These can be family or friends, or even a mentor at work. When an NP finishes a shift, they often need a moment of silence at home before they can start their personal tasks, such as taking care of their children.

NPs must utilize their vacation days to decompress. Providers sometimes feel guilty taking paid time off because they know patients are always in need. The NP should take an introspective approach and realize that they will be a better clinician when they can unwind.

Practice Core Pursuits

Nurses are often selfless, which can feel like they are working 24/7. They are caregivers at their core and put the needs of patients before their own. Even off the clock, NPs tend to offer medical advice to their family and friends. Nurses and NPs should take time each day to do something enjoyable. This will allow them to feel refreshed and let them focus on their personal lives. This can be something as simple as going for a walk, reading a book, or meditating.

NPs can use personal time to focus on their wellness, romantic life, family, friends, physical health, finances, and other factors in personal growth. NPs should use their skills as a nurse to evaluate their priorities. They should start with small goals. For instance, if they want to spend more time with their loved ones, they can start by planning dinner together at the table instead of everyone eating separately. They can schedule a monthly massage if they want to focus on wellness.

When away from work, NPs should follow their core pursuits. This can include physical activities such as playing golf or tennis. NPs must set aside time each week to focus on their interests outside of work. They can spend time with loved ones, participate in their church, cook, join a book club, or do gardening.

Additionally, traveling during their time off allows them to bond with family or friends and creates a sense of adventure. Taking time away from work is crucial. It helps reduce work-related stress and regulates emotional and physical states. In return, this will improve the NP’s work performance.

Effective Time Management

Work and personal lives are often commingled. Effective time management is a very important aspect of work-life balance. NPs should schedule their days, including free time. If they spend a lot of their free time browsing through social media, they can use that time to exercise or work on another one of their lifestyle goals.

NPs have control of their work schedules. If working eight hours a day, five days a week is too much, they can consider working four ten-hour shifts instead. Having the extra day off may be more beneficial for the NP and allow them more time for their personal commitments. Working the night shift or being on call can also be challenging for NPs. If the NP experiences psychological issues due to this, they should speak with their supervisor regarding their schedule and explore alternative options.

Part of time management is setting both long- and short-term goals. This allows the NP to strive towards something and start planning and organizing. It helps the NP refrain from engaging in time-wasting activities. A good use of time management at work is to have a daily huddle with the team.

Before the NP starts seeing patients, they can gather with their care team to discuss patient needs for that day, prepare electronic health record templates, and request any missing consult notes or imaging results needed. This makes sure the work day goes more smoothly and allows supportive staff to take some responsibility for patient care.

Setting Boundaries

As a clinician, NPs feel that they are in the business of helping people. They sometimes believe they need to be at work all the time. However, it becomes a wake-up call when they witness their colleagues experience heart attacks or panic attacks at work from the stress of if. Setting boundaries is difficult for NPs, but doing so is an excellent form of self-care. Saying “no” is the best boundary an NP can set. Saying “yes” when the NP’s plate is full will lead to more burnout. As a result, burnout leads to resentment towards the workplace and even towards patients.

Establishing boundaries can protect NP’s physical, emotional, and mental needs. NPs should try to take their lunch break even if a patient walked in to be seen. The lunch break allows the NP to decompress, even for a few minutes. If the NP is only comfortable seeing 20 patients maximum per day, they should put their foot down when their schedule is being double-booked, and they now have 30 patients on their schedule.

The NP should evaluate which aspects of their job they do not enjoy. This can be administrative tasks or bureaucratic meetings. They can negotiate with their employer about stepping back from participating in these duties. In their personal lives, the NP can set boundaries regarding personal tasks. For instance, if the NP normally spends an entire day off cleaning the house, they can decide to hire out for this task. They can negotiate with their partner or subscribe to a weekly meal delivery service if they do not enjoy cooking.

NPs should also establish temporal boundaries. These are specific for leisure activities, such as spending time with friends or participating in their favorite hobbies. They can set aside a specific time each day dedicated to the activities. NPs can also utilize physical boundaries to create a gap between work and home life. Examples include turning the work phone off, especially long enough for the NP to enjoy dinner with their family. Lastly, NPs can practice cognitive boundaries by leaving work completely behind when they leave work for the day. They would set the boundary of not turning their work computer back on once their shift ends.

Creating a Positive Work Culture

A facility’s work culture is an important aspect of NP work-life balance. If their coworkers are smiling and happy to be there, the NP will also feel delighted to be there. If their coworkers are always in a negative mood and complaining about work, the NP will feel disheartened to be there. Having a work culture of friendliness is affiliated with balance.

Many sites have started incorporating a culture team in their company to promote a positive work culture. Promoting a positive work culture includes celebrating birthdays, doing team-building exercises, and recognizing an employee of the month. Some organizations go beyond this and even have their staff volunteer together because the best way to find happiness is in serving others.

It is important for an NP to find their purpose in the workplace. NPs may lose passion for their work because they no longer find meaning. It is imperative that NPs go back to their original “why.” Their “why” for becoming an NP and how they wanted to make a difference in patients’ lives.

Once an NP can focus on their “why,” they feel more motivated and less burned out; NPs are typically leaders in the workplace. so their enthusiasm and ambition can be contagious.

Conclusion

Creating and implementing work-life balance for nurse practitioners is fundamental in preventing burnout. The first step would be for the NP to decompress and spend time outside work to be physically active or engage in their hobbies. The next step is to enforce time management and set boundaries at home and work. Finally, practicing in a healthcare setting with a positive work culture is essential in counteracting burnout. By following these steps, the NP can equally enjoy their time working and personal lives.

Sophia Khawly, MSN

Writer

Sophia Khawly is a traveling nurse practitioner from Miami, Florida. She has been a nurse for 14 years and has worked in nine different states. She likes to travel in her spare time and has visited over 40 countries.

Being a traveling nurse practitioner allows her to combine her love of learning, travel, and serving others. Learn more about Sophia at www.travelingNP.com.