April 11, 2008

Employer Programs Can Teach Nurses to Balance Life at Home and on the Job

Gayle Kerfoot, RN, BSN, Nursing Recruitment and Retention Manager, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

Oncology nursing is a rewarding yet demanding—and at times overwhelming—job. It is an individual’s choice to successfully integrate personal and professional life. Some refer to this as work-life balance. As a recruiter, I believe this starts with selecting the “right” job. It is important to examine one’s values in life and match them up with a position that will allow for fulfillment of both professional and personal goals.  

Today, most oncology nurses are seeking a balanced life. Generous time off, self-scheduling, flexible schedules, shared governance, autonomy, increased educational opportunities, professional growth opportunities, and corporate fitness  are all activities that can contribute to one’s ability to attain harmony in professional and personal lives.

Employers today are offering these benefits and more! Employee assistance programs provide additional resources to achieve such balance. Programs of this magnitude can help nurses to see the bigger picture, focus on responsibilities, improve conflict resolution, develop coping skills, promote team work, set limits, teach delegation skills, and set priorities. The skills are transferrable to nurses’ lives outside of the work environment.

Here are some suggestions to get you started.

• Allow time to nurture yourself each day.
• Use a calendar to plan your week.
• Set aside time to relax, schedule time for exercise, leisure, and entertainment.
• Get friends involved, and support one another.
• Get involved in the community or your local ONS chapter.
• Stay flexible and appreciate what you do, because you are appreciated.

Soon the job becomes the “right one” at work and at home!   

Click here to post a comment.

April 4, 2008

A Music City Medley of Work and Life
Jennifer K. Mitchell, MSN, APRN-BC
President of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society

Work-life balance is a dynamic concept, ever-changing and highly individualized. To maintain balance, a person’s values and priorities should be synchronized with how he or she expends the majority of energy. 

Our chapter has worked toward its own work-life balance by developing chapter activities that match the wide spectrum of values represented within our chapter. For example, the Middle Tennessee Chapter of ONS (MTCONS) in Nashville annually hosts a large meal at a free boarding facility for patients with cancer. Some members prepare a dish and bring the item to a drop-off location on the day of meal. “Food runners” bring the food from the drop-off points to the meal site. A third group arrives after work and is responsible for warming and setting up the meal. This project has high participation rates because it targets members at various points of the work-life spectrum.

Another important concept to consider is that a balance may shift. What is balanced at one stage in our lives may be entirely lopsided at a later stage. For example, a colleague of mine who was heavily involved in chapter activities has been absent over the past several months as she completes her master’s degree.  To synchronize her values with her life activities, she has focused her efforts on education and plans to resume ONS activities later.

By saying “no” to tasks that are misaligned with our values, we give ourselves the freedom to say “yes” to the things that matter most. To achieve a harmonious medley of work and life, we must identify our priorities and order our lives around that.

Click here to post a comment.