It takes about two months—66 days, to be exact—to form a new habit. This applies to both good and bad habits. Being a nurse is one of the hardest jobs in the world, and sometimes, the demands of this fast and intense role can lead to bad habits.
What are some examples of bad habits that nurses can develop?
First, they may neglect to take care of themselves. A.K.A, forgetting to eat well, exercise, or establish a good work-life balance. Other bad habits can appear in the workplace, such as failing to recall basic hygiene protocols that keep both nurses and patients safe.
Luckily, there are simple solutions to fixing these everyday bad habits before they spiral into long-term and more serious issues. Below are five habits nurses can develop and how to solve them quickly.
1. Neglecting self-care
If you are a registered nurse (RN) or certified nursing assistant (CNA), you spend hours on your feet, caring for patients. If you are studying to become a nurse, you spend most of your hours studying.
When it comes to self-care, the bad habits of nursing students and nurses are the same. You grab a quick but unhealthy snack between studying or during your breaks at work. Plus, you’re loading up on coffee and can’t recall the last time you made it to a yoga, gym, or fitness session. You feel tired and lack energy throughout the day.
Solution
Good nutrition and daily exercise are the keys to staying light on your feet and energetic as a nurse. In fact, studies show that nurses who exercise and eat right are less stressed in general. Makes sense, right?
So, how can nurses get back on track with good habits?
The key is to start by setting small goals. Start by incorporating exercises for nurses into your daily routine. Then, replace unhealthy snacks with nutritious meals and snacks to bring to work or munch on while you study. Research also suggests that setting small goals—sometimes called micro habits- is easier to attain when you break them down into smaller, more achievable ones.
2. Forgetting basic hygiene practices
You know how vital it is to wash your hands as a nursing student or a nurse. However, due to a busy schedule or pulling all-nighters while studying, you have skipped this crucial practice more than you would like to admit. It’s not uncommon, but it doesn’t make it okay.
A study found that nurses tend to stick to hand hygiene practices less frequently due to high workloads. This neglect has obvious consequences: the spread of infection that can threaten both nurse and patient safety.
Solution
Nurse managers can help nurses develop important hygiene habits by making sure there is a designated hand-washing station at work. Managers may want to put up posters and letter boards to attract attention to these stations. They should be equipped with soap, disinfectant, and other obvious hygiene products.
Nurses can also do their part by setting alarms on their phones or wearable technology to remind them to wash their hands before they take care of patients. These little tweaks can improve safety and hygiene and lead to cleanliness and accountability in the workplace.
3. Bypassing patient documentation
The hospital you work out requires that you do a thorough assessment and handoff of patient information before signing off from your shift. Skipping this step or failing to provide adequate documentation leads to incomplete or missed documentation.
This is a huge liability to a hospital, putting both your job and patient care at risk. Bypassing patient documentation can also lead to legal consequences.
Solution
If you are a nurse or nursing student, set aside enough time to complete patient documentation before your shift ends. Set a reminder on your phone or on your wearable technology. Check your documentation twice before handing it in. Brush up on how to fill out patient assessment forms by reviewing online templates for making nursing notes.
There are plenty of technology systems that also facilitate the transfer of information during hand-offs, such as electronic medical records (EMRs). Nurse managers can vouch for these technology systems to be integrated into everyday workflow. Managers can also offer regular training sessions to keep nurses up to date on how to fill out these forms efficiently.
4. Not actualizing certifications of education
You are already a registered nurse and working in the field. However, it’s been years since you considered updating certifications or attending a continuing education course for nurses. You find yourself lagging behind your nurse colleagues in terms of exceptional patient care.
You also have a limited understanding of advancements in technology in the industry. You feel frustrated and may even experience symptoms of “imposter syndrome” and lack confidence in your role as a nurse. What may be going on is that you need to update your nursing skills.
Solution
Research shows that nurses with advanced certification in nursing specialties can increase overall nursing professionalism. These specialty certifications—which are often achieved through continuing education—make nurses more proficient at handling specific patient populations.
Continuing and higher education options for nurses are vast. There are literally hundreds of online courses, tools, and resources for nurses to advance and stay current in their field.
If you find yourself lagging in your work, update your certifications or attend an educational course. This may help refresh your memory on evidence-based best practices for clinical care.
5. Working long shifts and overtime, always
You keep telling yourself this will be the last time you will commit to working four consecutive 12-hour shifts in a row. But the money is good, so you keep going. Your feet ache, and you’re fatigued, but hey, that’s the sacrifice of working as a nurse, right?
It shouldn’t be. More and more nurses are experiencing burnout, exhaustion, and even mental repercussions from working too many hours. These bad habits of nurses working beyond their physical and mental capacity can have grave consequences.
Solution
Forming and establishing good habits as a nurse requires an excellent work-life balance. Today, nurses are finding a remedy to working long hours by picking up shifts as a per diem nurse.
Working per diem means nurses can pick up shifts at one or several healthcare facilities depending on the facility’s coverage needs. This allows you, as a nurse, to build a schedule around your life and not the other way around.
See how per diem nursing is offering ample scheduling freedom to nurses while helping facilities deal with staffing gaps.
Overcoming bad habits
Overcoming bad habits as a nurse takes time. Forming good habits starts by taking accountability for your poor habits and making small changes in your routine.
For instance, you can start by replacing one unhealthy snack you usually reach for a day with a better one. Then, incorporate easy exercises before or after your nursing shifts begin.
Keeping abreast of healthcare trends and continuing your nursing education can also keep you sharp in the industry. Finally, finding a good work-life balance by working shifts that don’t leave you feeling drained can reinforce the positive habits you are working towards establishing.
Looking for a little work-life balance?
With Nursa, you can take control of your schedule and pick up as few or as many per diem nursing shifts as you want.
Sources:
- Science Direct: Exercise, diet, and sleep habits of nurses working full-time during the COVID-19 pandemic: An Observational Study
- Harvard Business Review: To Achieve Big Goals, Start with Small Habits
- Wiley: Online Library: Progressing toward specialty certification as the National Standard for Nursing
- Science Direct: Nurse: patient ratios and infection control practices: A cross-sectional study
