For a lot of people, working in healthcare is a career path that is really fulfilling. It is often an industry that is associated with a lot of long hours and demanding schedules. But even if that is the case in some instances, having a healthy work and life balance is something that is possible.

Working in a hospital, for example, can make each day unexpected, and there can be a growing demand for things that can’t get done because of lack of budget or lack of team members fulfilling different roles. But setting some boundaries as a healthcare professional will help to make sure that your home life doesn’t suffer.

Here are some tips to help give you some ideas, if you work in healthcare, or are thinking of working in healthcare.

Scheduling and organization

There is no getting away from the fact that you need to keep things scheduled and organized when you work in a busy role, but even more so when you work in a profession like healthcare.

• So having a calendar for the household is a must, as well as having a shared online diary, for instance. Then you can all write in your plans and then you will know what everyone is up to and where everyone needs to be. These kinds of things can be difficult at first, but once these routines are set in place, then they become automatic.

Take a break

With advancing technology, it has made some changes to how people work, and for some of the things, it can lead to some negative actions on a work and life balance.

This kind of thing means that people are always connected, so in many ways, you as a healthcare professional don’t really stop working.

You can check emails, social media, and even electronic files that you can view at home.

• So if you’re not able to set yourself some boundaries, then it can mean that you can’t switch off. So taking a break can be a good idea. You should also think about switching roles, within the healthcare profession. An emergency room nurse will have a bit more of a chaotic life, with longer hours and schedules, compared to a radiologist, for example.

• So it could be a good idea to find a radiology position instead, just because the hours out ‘anytime,’ for example. So it can make a difference.

Avoid time-wasters

Many healthcare workers have been especially vulnerable to things like time-wasters in the workplace. The reason being is that it is an industry that is service oriented job sector. As a healthcare professional, you need to determine what is a need and what is someone time wasting. There are other patients to tend to, as well as various amounts of admin and tasks to get done.

• So make sure that you are polite, but can move on from it quickly.

On a different note, there are a lot of time wasters in life. Social media, for example, could be something that really does waste a lot of your time. TV shows and so on, can also be things that are wasting the precious time that you have.

• So if you find that you always have a lot to do, but waste a lot of time, then it is time to make some changes so that your work and life balance can be much better.

Identify priorities

It is a good idea to take a step back from things from time to time, with the things that really matter. The list of things that are important to one, will differ from what someone else sees as a priority. But when it comes down to balancing work and life in healthcare, then things can start to get pretty busy; life is just that way. It isn’t possible to do everything for everyone, all of the time.

• So the things that aren’t really a priority need to start to fade into the background. For example, you need to start worrying less about having a completely spotless home, that will now allow for more quality time, and family time.
• So being able to delegate things is something that is important, and it is a good idea to spread the workload. 

Having a work-life balance can be really important when you have a work life that is busy, not to mention your home life too. So plan, organize, and make yourself a priority, so that you can thrive at work and in life.

© New To HR