Nursing Management Tactics to Relax Yourself

As a nurse, you will often feel overwhelmed with your responsibilities, shifts, patients, etc.Nursing is the gentle art of caring. However, no profession is free of stress and nursing is especially susceptible to it. During your nursing education days, you might not feel the same stress level, but as you progress in your career with nursing education programs and your nursing job, you will experience it more.

You will come across many people asking you to keep calm and manage the situation with a leveled head. How about applying proventactics, and not just wasting words?It's true that it's always “easier said than done.”However, you should always try to take a moment to reflect and pull yourself away from feeling overwhelmed.

Dear nurses, and future nurses, its time to relax yourself with the following nursing management tactics:

1.  Sit Back and Catch Your Breath

Tired? Confused about all that is going around you? Relax. First of all, just collect yourself. Take two or three deep breaths. Sit back, catch your breath and plan before you jump onto the next task. You need a 'plan' to proceed. No matter how much time it takes, it won’t take more time than what you will consume stressing yourself to continue with no strategy. Choose the best way.

2.  Set Priorities among Patients’ Needs

Some patients may need less attention and some may need a constant eye. Opt to provide your care to the patient who is the least stable at that moment. Yet again, some patients may exaggerate their situation. However, you have to choose the most critical one. For instance, choose the patient who just had a transplant with a blood pressure of 191/91 instead of a patient who is upset for getting their 4 mg IV morphine 45 minutes late.

3.  Remember that Team Work Always Does the Trick

As a nurse, you can use the human resources around you. Not all tasks are necessarily to be completed by a nurse. For example, you can always delegate the task of getting a patient to the washroom to a CNA. Always think of nursing as a team sport.

4.  Learn the Art of Humility

As a nurse, in the entire period of your study and practice, you will be learning that nursing, as a profession, requires a lot of humility. For instance, you have to humbly apologize to the patients you failed to reach on time. Compassion may be the foremost trait a nurse possesses. Avoid excuses. Don't stress the patient with excuses like 'we are short on staff.' It's not going to help. Ask for any service you can provide instead, after apologizing.

Lastly, all can be managed. Just look at the tasks and form a plan. Regardless of how experienced you are, or if you are on the way to becoming a nurse (by studying international nursing programs), these tactics will always help. You need to remind yourself that frustration will likely lead you nowhere. However, calming yourself down will surely lead you to a more peaceful and enjoyable day!

5 Things That Only Nurses Understand Best

Nurses play a very important role in the healthcare system. They are often referred to as the heart of healthcare. Nursing is a vibrant profession and nurses play so many roles juggled into one. They act as a caregiver, communicator, patient advocate, and teacher. With so many roles and responsibilities, there are a few things that only nurses can truly understand. 

1. Life is Fragile - The average person experiences the tragedy of death only a few times in life. Whereas a nurse deals with death and illness on a regular basis. It isn’t wrong to say that a nurse fully understands how fragile life really is. Nurses hear and see the stories of people who were doing fine and then suddenly found themselves lying sick or on their death bed in the hospital. A nurse’s emotional ups and downs are very different from the ones experienced by other people.
2. Health is Wealth - Nurses treat many patients everyday that are sick from a food-related illness. Therefore, nurses understand very well the importance of a healthy diet and good health. Preaching to patients the importance of proper nutrition and exercise is a common practice among doctors and nurses.
3. Value of Listening - A nurse is an effective listener and knows well the power of listening and showing empathy. Nurses spend more time with patients than doctors do. They always listen to patient stories, problems, and other concerns. Sometimes, even more than medicine, a patient needs someone who listens and shows empathy. This is another way that nurses play a critical role.
4. Seeing the Human Body From a Clinical Perspective - As a nurse, seeing people naked is part of their everyday job. Nurses care for many patients, giving them sponge baths, catheters, and at times, also helping clean waste from their body. Nurses learn to see the human body from a clinical perspective.
5. Joy of Seeing Your Patient Recover - Each job has its own set of rewards. In the field of nursing, seeing patients recover, or leaving the hospital healed, is the most rewarding part of their job. Nurses feel satisfied when they see a patient going home with a big smile. Being part of that healing process makes it even more special.

The life of a nurse is challenging. Nurses are always supposed to be ready for the unexpected. Because of their profession, nurses understand life from a different perspective that regular people aren’t able to fully comprehend. 

Learning is a part of every nurse’s career and nurses do it each day through practical experiences. Continuing education, even after working as a nurse, can take you to even greater heights in your career. With good job prospects, better earnings and growth, continuing education for nurses is always a great decision. To specialize in a field of your choice, INSCOL offers specialized nursing programs for internationally educated nurses. To learn more about the available courses, visit at www.inscol.com.

For Filipino Nurses, Here are Some Tips to Avoid Back Injury

It’s inevitable that the nursing profession requires much heavy lifting and bending throughout the day. As a result, they become prone to musculature disorders (MSDs), such as back injuries. For a Filipino nurse, it becomes important for them as well to take good care of themselves while providing care to others. To minimize the chances of back injury while you work, here are some of the tips for you. 

Start with Strengthening Your Back

When you’re in good shape, you’re less likely to suffer an injury. Thus, start doing some exercise regularly to strengthen your back and the muscles. It’s better to consult your doctor before doing any such as they might aggravate any existing health conditions.

Evaluate the Circumstances

Well, think about what it will take to get a patient from one place to another. Is the patient small and light, or big and heavy? If the patient wants to use the bedpan, or if there is a need to transfer to another room? Are there any obstructions on the floor that must be removed to avoid accidents? These things will help you avoid any untoward situation of suffering from an injury.

It’s Always Better to Seek Help from Co-Workers

It’s not that you have to do all the lifting and bending on your own. Call your co-workers or assist staff to help you in such a situation. If you can estimate the weight that you are capable of carrying, it will help you to avoid any additional strain.

Try Using Lifting Equipment As Much As Possible

Even for a nurse with good strength, there’s still a good chance of being injured when you regularly lift 200 to 300-pound patients. If there is any equipment available for lifting, use it whenever you can. Luckily, thanks to greater mindfulness harms in the nursing profession, patient lifts are becoming increasingly common in healthcare facilities.

Frequent Breaks Can Help To Relax

If you have been lifting patients frequently all through the day, it will easily take a toll on your body. Therefore, take a break between lifts to give yourself time to recover your strength. By doing this and pacing yourself, you ensure that your energy levels last throughout the day.

In a profession like nursing, injuries happen to most and that too due to neglecting the right measures and safety. To enjoy continuous years of nursing career in a good shape, it’s imperative to avoid such situations. In the end, you’ll be thankful for making the best choice.

If you are a nurse and want to make a career abroad, INSCOL is your best bet. INSCOL in collaboration with leading Universities/Colleges in Canada/UK/USA/AUS/NZ offers a wide range of exclusive Nursing Programs for International Nurses in Emergency Care, Critical Care, Palliative Care, Coronary Care, Acute Complex Care, Mental Health, Leadership & Management, Gerontology & Chronic Illness, Healthcare & Rehabilitation and B.Sc./M.Sc. Nursing. Find more details at http://www.inscol.com/philippines/.

Take it Easy Nurse! Here is How You Can Solve the Patient Care Problems – Part II

While in the previous section of this blog, we have discussed about the identity crisis and the confusion caused to the patients, there is certainly a lot more to be added yet. You may know how most of the problems need solutions. However, did you know that sometimes only maturity helps in outgrowing them?

Problem Caused Because of Language Barrier

The most common of all, is the language related barrier. On one hand, you try to communicate effectively and make the patient a part of the conversation. However, are you still using medical jargon? How a patient with non-medical background and zero experience in the medical field will understand those heavy terms that you include?

For instance, many of us do not know what 'vitals' mean. When a nurse utters the need to examine the vitals, a patient, in most of the cases, is left perplexed. How would you feel if someone grabs your arm to examine your blood pressure with no warning? With no doubt, you'll be frightened.

The solution: Certain phrases are understood only by health care professionals. Make sure you use simpler terms and phrases in front of the patients.

Problems Caused Because of the Constant Interruptions 

Hospitals are known for their 24*7 activities. No one can think of comfortably resting in the premises of a hospital. You must have noticed how the hospital staff keeps on moving here and there, taking care of a million things. This, however, tends to interrupt the patient's sleep.

Sure, the hospital's staff tries to balance the equation by minimizing the interruptions in the night hours. However, think of a patient who hasn’t slept at night because of pain. The patient will certainly be irritated because of the constant interruptions during daytime when he'll try to compensate the sleeping hours.

The solution: Communicate with your peers. Take out 15 minutes in the beginning of the day in order to divide tasks. Make sure you do not have to enter a patient ward more than twice, until an emergency. While on a round, just ask the patients for their future needs. For instance, does anyone need food? Does anyone need medicine? Does anyone need to go to the bathroom? This way you become pro-active and take care of the things ahead of time. This saves you from the double or triple rounds a day.

Do you want to work your magic and become a global nurse? Sure, you can! The mission of INSCOL is to transform Indian nurses to global nurses. A successful and bright career awaits! Don't miss a chance to grab more details. For more information about Specialized Nursing Programs, you can visit -http://www.inscol.com.

Take it Easy Nurse! Here is How You Can Solve the Patient Care Problems – Part I

We know, as a nurse you must be having some of the greatest advices for your patients. There are, however, some problems that patients face and yet are left unnoticed. This results in lack of patient care and thereby irritable patients.

Not only nurses find satisfaction in taking care of their patients, above all, it's also a nurse's responsibility to make patients feel comfortable in the hospital premises or wherever the nurses intend to provide health care. Is it difficult? - Not at all. Is it worth it? - Sure it is.

'Who is Who' Problem of the Patients

Unidentifiable scrubs or color of the uniforms of the health care professionals and the other staff confuses the patients. Patients get to meet many of the members of the hospital staff. The nursing staff, the doctor, the cleaning staff and the list may go on and on.

The solution: Do patients know them? - No. In fact, patients suffer from an identity crisis. Unfamiliarity brings chaos. Name tags along with the designation and colored scrubs for different staffs, however, lead to familiarity. In addition, you can try to introduce yourself, and even the other staff who enters, so that the patient knows whom he/she is meeting. This may also remind the other staff about the need of introduction.

Understandably Lost and Confused Patients

Patients may often feel left out of the hospital's staff conversations. Mostly, they are out of the loop of the various procedures, processes, and information about their health in general and thus left confused. Isn't it apparent that not knowing what's going around you will leave you perplexed? Somehow, even patients feel frightened when they are unaware of the plans concerning them.

How to solve this problem? Who does not know how nurses are notoriously multitasking human beings! You can certainly use this trait while treating your patients. Enter the room with full information about the patient's health condition and make them know. Also, if the patient is to be taken for a test, make sure you're able to explain him/her how the process goes.

For more tips related to the patient's care, stay tuned. Until then, remember - Sometimes, the solution lies in the problem itself, all we need is a little maturity. 

Nurses! Here are Some Useful Tips for Preventing Burnout

Nursing profession is driven by a desire to care for others though this profession is rewarding but is extremely exhausting. Every nurse is at a substantial risk of experiencing nurse burnout, this is a serious issue facing healthcare industry but it can be prevented.

What Exactly is a Nurse Burnout?

Studies reveal that a nurse's level of burnout is directly correlated to lower patient satisfaction. Nurse burnout can be defined as a feeling of prolonged sickness, stress, and fatigue accompanied with unhappiness. Moreover, external factors like time limitation, challenging shifts, physical and emotional demands results in an extremely stressful environment which can affect an individual's performance at work and their mental stability. 

Here are Few Symptoms of Burnout -

• Prolonged sleeping disorder and eating difficulty
• Experiencing high anxiety
• Suffering from physical ailments like chronic pains and restlessness
• A feeling of emotional numbness
• Developing an indifferent attitude towards relationships
• Withdrawn from job Responsibilities
• Feeling burdened & trapped by job responsibilities
• Feeling physically and mentally drained
• Lack of professional enthusiasm

Once you find these signs, the first step to heal the burnout is stop it an early stage by preventing the buildup of stress. Here are some tips to overcome burnout:

• Regular Breaks - Working ceaselessly throughout the day can be exhausting. Taking small breaks in between is essential as it refuels the body and mind.
• Maintaining a work/life balance - Time management is required to effectively balance your work & life. Make sure you get some time for your personal life, to pursue your hobbies be it yoga, biking or music and to socialize with your friends & family. So, when you manage to take out some time for self-care, you can certainly go a long way in fighting nurse burnout.
• Collaboration and communication at the workplace - Nurses work individually however importance of team work cannot be ruled out. Thus, it is essential to maintain lines of communication with the co-workers so that workload is managed efficiently. Moreover, having a social support system at workplace is important that helps you to sail through the tough times smoothly.

These tips will help you fight the burnout however, if burnout seems inevitable, it is good to take a break from work. Use your sick leaves and go on a vacation, recharge your batteries and join back with a fresh perspective and zeal to work.

INSCOL in collaboration with BPP University, London and Seneca College, Canada offers Nursing Leadership & Management programs at world class hospitals to help nurses progress their careers and take up managerial roles in healthcare settings!

For more information visit at: 

http://www.inscol.com/philippines/academic-courses/

http://inscol.com/philippines/academic-courses/post-graduate-certificate-in-nursing-leadership-management/