We work strange hours, double shifts, split and rotating shifts. Sleep patterns are gone, and we lose track of dates. Our biorhythms are most likely shot. In emergency we ask every ‘neuro’ case ‘what is the date?’ and they think it’s because we are testing THEM!? Would we actually pass a mini-mental ourselves?
Here we are, advocating health, but how do we appear to the patients, their families, to our colleagues? Are we a picture of health ourselves, enough to inspire those around us into thinking that we practice what we preach? Do You? Does the nurse next to you look healthy? Would you want to look like them?
Or, do you escape down the back stairs for a quick ciggie?! – one of the deadliest of poisons – slow, pervasive, and accumulative. Are you immune to the adverts about dangers of cigarettes, or do you know they are “just propaganda!” ?
Do you drink Coca-Cola and soft drink? ( did you know they are deadlier than the cigarettes?) You may as well be drinking ‘German Beer’ – (see photo 
at right)
There are so many dietary habits that will kill you, slowly, but surely. They will cripple you, and the DNA changes they cause will crucify your children, and send them into genetic Hell! – but still some of us persist, in the false belief that everyone is lying about the effects.
Why is it that I now look after more people younger than me (I’m 57) , yet they all suffer from ‘end-stage’ diseases of the old? Most claim they eat a healthy life, but can’t fathom that their diets, habits, lifestyle (toxin exposures via employment etc) have any dangers.. Why am I so much healthier than most of the nurses who are younger than I am?
How can we as nurses just plod along, and ignore our own personal health and the futures of the health of our family members? Our Image is paramount! Would you let a doctor attend to you if you noted that all the plants in his practice are wilted and dead? If he weighed in at 160kg and was breathing his last, how much would you believe a word he said?
And in that same line of thought, if the patient and family noted you were in a foul mood, moaning, whining, about anything including the rotten day you had, how ‘confident’ will they then feel about how ‘good’ you will look after their issue?
Get your house in order!
What are your thoughts, concerns, advice, and what have you done to promote true health.
Does your work environment happen to be conducive to health?
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True Bernhard, true. Most workplaces especially public facilities are positively hazardous to the health of all those who enter. Vending machines are full of high fat, high sugar junk, microbes have taken over, seating has never heard the word eronomic and staff are pushed in every direction by everyone. Equipment is often unsuitable/antiquated/user unfriendly or just plain lacking.
Nurses are expected to perform like machines without the maintainence that is afforded machines. How many of us grab a piece of toast and jam at 3AM because we are too busy to eat the salad we packed? How many workplaces which might provide a yoga session at lunchtime run the same service out of office hours? How many workplaces ask us if we are fit to drive after 10/12 or more hours at work? Why is it that night staff are given only the same sick leave as day workers when the effects of long term shift work have been recognised by no less august body as the World Health Organisation as detrimental to health?
Sorry Bernhard, I have many questions and the only solution I can offer is to leave the so called health system and make a healthy life of ones own.
Good comment (thanks to IRONMAIDEN)- if you don’t enjoy it, best to get out before the pain sets in. I have a wide base of interests, and so have never felt that nursing is overwhelming. I do work as an agency nurse (90% in ICU & ED) for 60-80 hours many weeks, but also use the time to promote natural health alternatives. I explain health scenarios and options to patients and ‘concerned others’, as well as to nurses, and continue to try and show nurses that there are so many ways to use nursing for the future, to enable a financially better outcome, from running your own agency, to community options in nursing.
Would be nice though if hospitals had the options you mentioned, especially ensuring that after 10/12 hours at work, you really will get home without killing yourself on the road. Read my article on ‘surviving night shift’ re taking ice (as in ‘frozen water’ ) to suck on while driving home. That way you’ll get there alive!