Looking for more study tips? Read our 10 Tips for Creating Your Ideal Study Space

Tip 1: Plan Ahead

The first step in developing your time-management skills is to make a plan for what needs to be accomplished and when. Start by creating a list of tasks for the day or week and prioritize the items by level of importance so you’re not overlooking important tasks or upcoming deadlines.

Planning ahead also means knowing when to say “no” in order to stay on task while balancing work, school, and home life. While it may seem limiting at first, mastering the art of saying “no” is an essential step to striking a work-life balance. When new requests or issues come up, ask yourself whether it contributes or detracts from your goal. Then determine if it requires immediate attention or can wait until a later date. If the request requires immediate attention, consider whether it is higher priority that the items on your priority list, and if it is, determine what other items can be pushed to a later date. If you’re juggling a lot of priorities and everything seems to be due at once, break down your list into the most immediate priorities and start with the tasks you can accomplish quickly, then on the heels of your newfound momentum, move to the tasks that require more attention and effort.

Balancing work, life, and school can be tricky, check out our聽Tips for Busy Parents in Nursing School.

Tip 2: Manage Deadlines

Procrastination is often the biggest hurdle many have to jump when trying to manage time and balance work and home life. And when you know you have a deadline looming, it can sometimes worsen the tendency to procrastinate. Good news, self-regulation is something we can learn by breaking聽down tasks into manageable parts.

A simple way to feel less overwhelmed when faced with an impending deadline, is the break down the parts of the task and prioritize what needs to be done when. Once you have the scope of the project in mind, start with your deadline and work backwards to determine when each milestone needs to be completed in order to finish your task by the due date. This is a technique project managers often use when building out complex projects with a lot of moving parts, but it can also apply to your coursework, job duties, and even your home responsibilities.

Let’s put it into practice. If your task is to write a term paper and you’re deadline is in one week, first determine the scope of the task: research the topic, write the outline, gather citations, writing the first draft, and edit the draft. Then, make time each day to accomplish one of these tasks instead of cramming it all in the night before. This will allow you to balance writing your term paper with your other responsibilities, whether it’s completing other coursework, caring for children, or working a job.

If you’re struggling with staying focused, check out our article on 5 Ways to Make Studying Less of a Chore.

Tip 3. Get Organized

To minimize that dreaded sense of urgency, you can leverage organizational skills to build habits that ensure you know when your deadlines are and what is required to reach them.

• Use Organizational Tools
  Having a few tools in your organizational belt can be invaluable to your time-management process. Part of managing your time well is knowing everything you need to do and what your deadlines are. You can keep your tasks and dates organized using a physical day planner or digital calendar app. Set reminders for important dates or deadlines to help you remember when things are due. You can also keep a journal with notes as you’re working through each task so you can pick up where you left off if you have to switch to something else.
• Avoid Distractions
  An important part of completing a task, like studying or homework is to spend quality time focusing on it, but distractions can interfere with your ability to stay on task. If studying at home makes you want to clean the house, go to a coffee shop or tutoring center for quality focus time. Consider other distractions like your phone or tablet, and either leave them at home or shut them off while studying to reduce easy distractions. Another likely distraction can be family. If you’re preparing for an important exam, tell family and friends that you need a few hours of uninterrupted time to focus on your studies. Sometimes a chatty mind can also be a distraction. Find sounds that help your mind relax like soundscapes, binaural beats, classical music, or ambient sounds.
• Ask for Help
  Going to school is hard, especially when you’re balancing your time with other responsibilities. There are so many deadlines and due dates that students can quickly get overwhelmed. At 黑料网最新入口, our Faculty, Student Success Advisors, Tutors, and Staff are committed to helping our students succeed, so if you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed, start by asking for help.

At 黑料网最新入口, our Faculty, Student Success Advisors, Tutors, and Staff are committed to helping our students succeed with effective time management strategies. Whether you’re beginning your healthcare journey with our ASN program, pursuing a 3 year BSN degree or accelerated BSN program, advancing through our RN to BSN program, or reaching higher with an MSN degree, we’ll provide the support you need to balance your educational goals. Discover which nursing pathway aligns with your career goals by exploring our nursing programs.

An Occupational Therapy Assistant鈥檚 Daily Schedule

Before diving into any career, it鈥檚 important to know what a typical day on the job entails. Doing this gives insight into what you might encounter, and the same goes for a career as an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA). At 黑料网最新入口, our OTA associate鈥檚 program teaches what daily life as an OTA looks like, firsthand, through classroom and fieldwork opportunities.

What do occupational therapy assistants do?

Your OTA daily routine will usually include collaborating with an Occupational Therapist (OT), prep work, meeting with clients, and advising their family members. No two days are identical as an OTA. Before learning the ropes in person, here鈥檚 a typical OTA schedule.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Schedule

6:00 a.m. | Wake Up

Fans of a regular sleep schedule and consistent morning routine, rejoice! A day in the life of an OTA begins in the morning with the majority of the working world. Unlike most healthcare careers, where swing shifts and graveyard hours make nocturnal living unavoidable, the OT industry takes place during regular business hours.

8:00 a.m. | Check In and Get Assignments

OTAs work in a variety of settings, from hospitals to schools to homes and beyond. However, a large majority of OTAs work in specialized OT outpatient clinics, under the supervision of one or more OTs.

When you arrive at work, you鈥檒l typically check in with an OT, review the patients you鈥檒l see that day, and receive a list of assignments. OTA daily tasks can include:

• Training patients on exercises.
• Teaching patients to use adaptive equipment.
• Teaching patients mindfulness and stress management techniques.
• Modifying a patient鈥檚 space to better suit their needs.
• Tracking patient progress and reporting it to a supervising OT.
• Maintaining treatment areas and equipment.
• Planning and executing community activities and outings for patients.
• Collaborating with speech therapists, art therapists, case management or other providers.

8:15 a.m. | Prep for the Day

After checking in at work, you鈥檒l typically have a few minutes to take care of administrative tasks like scheduling, answering emails, or preparing your clients鈥� activities.

9:15 a.m. | Work With Clients

It鈥檚 time to complete those daily tasks you were assigned when you got to work. Most of your OTA daily routine will be spent working with clients to strengthen skills that enable the activities of daily living (ADL). Successful OTAs individualize care for each client and prioritize their preferences when building a treatment plan.

As an OTA, you may also spend the morning at a client鈥檚 home, where they complete many of their ADLs. The opportunity to work in a client鈥檚 home is a unique gift of the OTA profession and builds meaningful relationships with clients. It鈥檚 also a common part of an OTA schedule.

For example, you may work with a client who鈥檚 learning to transfer themself in and out of their wheelchair to their bed, the toilet, the car, or the shower. Their home is the ideal place to practice these activities.

12:30 p.m. | Lunch

Midway through the day, you鈥檒l have a lunch break. OTA work is rewarding, but it can be intense to work up close and personal with clients who are navigating huge challenges. Your lunch break can provide much-needed downtime or an opportunity to connect with your coworkers. Time to recharge helps you be fully present for the rest of the patients you鈥檒l see.

With that being said, you may have to spend some lunch periods training, in meetings, or catching up on administrative tasks.

1:00 p.m. | Work With Clients and Their Families

In the afternoon of a day in your life as an OTA, you鈥檒l work with more clients.

You鈥檒l also write up their status and progress for their patient record. It鈥檚 important to keep clients and their families updated regarding their treatment, status, and progress so that even when they leave the clinic, they can keep practicing the techniques and exercises you鈥檝e taught them. This is also a vital step for insurance to pay for their treatment sessions. Good communication skills make for great OTAs, helping clients continue progressing in the office and at home. In the therapy world, you鈥檒l hear the phrase 鈥淚f you didn鈥檛 document it, it didn鈥檛 happen.鈥�

5:00 p.m. | Prepare for the Next Day

Just like most healthcare professionals, an OTA鈥檚 final daily tasks are recordkeeping and paperwork. You鈥檒l examine the work you did with each patient, make notes for the following day, and make sure everything is squared away and ready to begin again tomorrow.

5:30 p.m. | Return Home

Many OTAs find that at the end of a day, they keep thinking about their clients. That鈥檚 because OT isn鈥檛 a job where you merely punch the clock, do your work, and punch out. As an OTA, you鈥檒l make real connections with your patients, and these connections help them thrive.

Is an OTA Career Right for You?

Looking at an OTA schedule is one way to gauge your interest in this career. Another effective tool to decide whether becoming an OTA is right for you is volunteer work. Many clinics, schools, geriatric facilities, and OTA policy organizations have volunteer programs where you can learn if OT is a good fit and even find your preferred specialty.

Joyce鈥檚 OTA program can help you decide where you fit into this rewarding career. With supportive students and faculty, fieldwork opportunities, and a career services organization, Joyce is primed to set you up for success as an OTA.

FAQs 黑料网最新入口 Occupational Therapy Assistants鈥� Daily Routine

What is daily life like for an OTA?

As an OTA, you鈥檒l check in with a supervising OT, work with clients, maintain equipment, keep records, and communicate with clients and their families.

In what employment setting do most OTAs work?

Most OTAs work in outpatient clinics, but there are ample job opportunities for OTAs. As an OTA, you could work in hospitals, schools, summer camps, client homes, geriatric facilities, and pediatric clinics.

Where do OTAs make the most money?

You can make a great salary as an OTA. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the in the United States is $64,250.

Is OTA a low stress job?

Healthcare jobs can be intense. While OTAs often become emotionally invested in their patients, they don鈥檛 have to be on the front line of emergencies like first responders or critical care providers do. This makes OT less stressful than most jobs in the healthcare field.

Do OTAs have a good work/life balance?

OTAs enjoy regular working hours and rarely need to work swing or graveyard shifts, which helps with work/life balance. One barrier to good work/life balance for OTAs is the emotional attachment you can build with your clients, which makes it difficult to separate work from home life.

Are OTAs happy?

A career as an OTA can be physically and emotionally demanding work. However, seeing your patients achieve milestones in their recovery are just some of the reasons why OTAs love their job.

Becoming an OTA is a great career choice for people who want to make a difference every day. Because OTA schedules change a little bit every day, this field can give you a stable job that keeps you on your toes. Begin your OTA career in less than 2 years with 黑料网最新入口鈥檚 OTA program.

To get started, schedule a meeting with admissions today!

Explore Your Healthcare Career Options at 黑料网最新入口

From our renowned OTA program to our nursing pathways鈥攚hether you’re beginning your healthcare journey with our ASN program, pursuing a 3 year BSN degree or accelerated BSN program, advancing through our RN to BSN program, or reaching higher with an MSN degree, discover which healthcare pathway aligns with your career goals by exploring our nursing programs.

There鈥檚 no magic bullet, but here are five techniques to improve your long-term sleeping habits as a nurse.

1. Establish a sleep routine

As humans, we find patterns comforting because we know what鈥檚 coming next; in this case, the end of the line is sleep town. Creating an evening routine is especially helpful for nurses who may have variable schedules and work night shifts.

The activities you choose to include in your routine don鈥檛 have to be closely tied to sleep, like drinking a warm glass of milk, for example. Choose a series of actions that can be done at any time of day. For instance, take a bath, read a book, sketch, listen to music, or feed your cat. The key is to find two or three quiet activities that you find soothing and might look forward to.听, and do it in the same order each evening to set the pattern. Before you know it, you鈥檒l be relaxed and sleeping like a baby in no time!

Related Resource:聽5 Great Things 黑料网最新入口 Night Shift Nurses

2. Exercise before your shift

Regular exercise is always a top tip for staying healthy, and it’s true for sleep health as well. We emphasize this to all our ASN degree and BSN degree students, especially those preparing for their first night shifts. But don’t wait until the evening sets in to hit the gym or go for a bike ride.

• Ride your bike to the clinic, hospital, or bus stop.
• Go for a fast-paced walk during a shift break (even a few minutes can add up).
• Take the stairs, not the elevator.
• Get up 20 minutes early and go for a run or brisk walk.

If you do have time for a workout, planking and calf raises are particularly helpful for nurses. Regular exercise may be the very best way to welcome a good night鈥檚 rest.

Related resource:聽These Are Time Management Skills Every New Nurse Needs

3. Watch your diet

Exercise is a no-brainer, but certain foods can also be a recipe for a restless night.听. Pizza (sorry!) is a big offender. The high acidity of tomato sauce can irritate your stomach and keep you up; that goes for orange juice, too. We know sugary cereal is a great late-night snack, but sadly, sugar affects your sleep, with a glucose spike and subsequent crash. Spicy foods like tacos can also disrupt slumber.

If your stomach won鈥檛 stop grumbling, try foods that are high in protein like hardboiled eggs. Low-fat dairy like cottage cheese is also a good one to keep on hand. Cherries contain natural serotonin, and avocado has essential magnesium. Like exercise, you鈥檒l want to snack at least an hour before bedtime, since eating anything right before bed can keep you up.

Related Resource:聽50 Self-Care Ideas for Nurses to Recharge on Days Off

4. Write it down

Being physically fatigued is one thing, but when your mind is spinning in circles, it can be hard to stop. Anxiety about the day鈥檚 events 鈥� a tense exchange with a coworker or the dreaded, 鈥淒id I forget to do x, y, and z on my rounds?鈥� 鈥� can keep your mind abuzz for hours.

Keep a notebook around to聽. When you write down the things you need to remember, your mind can release them. You can write about things for which you鈥檙e grateful, or ideas you just can鈥檛 get out of your head, also as a means of release.

5. Lighten up

Light levels affect sleep in many ways. In fact, exposure to light stimulates a nerve pathway from the eye to parts of the brain that control hormones, body temperature, and other functions that make us feel sleepy or awake. Good,聽. This is true whether you鈥檙e working a day or night shift 鈥� so you may need to use blackout curtains or put a towel under the door to block out light from other rooms. Even small LEDs put out a lot of light promoting wakefulness, so make sure to cover LED lights like those on a charging cable. And don鈥檛 forget to turn off tv, phone, and tablet screens!

Try different combinations of techniques to prepare your body for sleep, and establish a consistent pattern that is unique to your habits and fits your lifestyle. Remember, it takes 21 days to build a habit, so be gentle and give yourself time to adjust. Soon, you鈥檒l be rising bright-eyed and ready to shine!

How do you get the rest you need? Share your sleep hacks and tips on our聽 page!

First, allow us to say congratulations on deciding to rise to the challenge of going to school while also raising children. That鈥檚 a big undertaking, and we can鈥檛 respect you enough for doing it. We want to empower you to help you meet that challenge, so here are seven tips for balancing school, kids, work, and caring for yourself:

1. Reach Out to Those Close to You

Parenting is tough, and we鈥檒l be honest: Adding school to the mix will make it tougher. Reach out to friends or family to help you as you make your way through classes, parenting, and work. Childcare is probably the most obvious area where friends or family can help, but emotional support is also important. Having lunch or dinner with peers you can talk to about your frustrations and joys is just as important to your health. Communicate your needs to those around you. They鈥檒l help in both logistical and emotional ways. You鈥檙e not alone.

Related resource:聽When is the Right Time to Go Back to School?

2. Apply for Financial Aid

Financial aid is mostly associated with younger students, but it鈥檚 available to nearly everybody. For a single parent with many obligations, financial aid can be a huge help. Joyce offers many financial aid options to incoming students, and a counselor can work with you to find the type that fits your needs. Help is out there. Just ask!

3. Develop a Routine

Routines can be a great source of comfort. Uncertainty, having to make decisions, and constantly altering your daily plans on the fly is immensely stressful. A routine relieves you of all that. Your classes will have a fairly set schedule, and that鈥檚 something you can build a routine around. Hopefully you鈥檒l be able to work with your employer to develop a work routine that meets both of your needs.

But you鈥檒l also need a routine for your child. It鈥檚 important that they comprehend and be comfortable with their own daily plans, whether it鈥檚 going to daycare or knowing that on certain days they鈥檒l be getting rides with certain friends or relatives. That schedule can also include times when they know they鈥檒l be with you, and you鈥檒l be focused on them. Blocking out times for activities will remind them that they鈥檙e still your number one priority, even in the face of all of your academic and professional obligations.

4. Talk to Your Children 黑料网最新入口 Your Plan

Kids are often smarter than we give them credit for, and how you talk to your children can provide a host of benefits. If your children see you studying and ask what you鈥檙e reading, tell them. They might not understand the precise or technical details of what you鈥檙e reading, but they can grasp what a nurse is and the very basics of what they do. You鈥檒l give them something to be proud of. They鈥檒l be able to look up to and understand that their parent is someone who helps other people. That love and pride can make the whole experience all the more rewarding.

5. When Possible, Study Online

We know a lot of our students have jobs, families, lives, and obligations. That鈥檚 a big reason why all of Joyce’s general education courses are offered online. Online classes offer many benefits, including flexibility with your schedule. You can still be there for your kids while you鈥檙e studying, and you can have the added benefit of being in your own space while you learn. You might still have to be on campus for some classes, but not all of them.

Related resource:聽10 Best Study Space Tips

6. Make Time for Yourself

Given all the demands on a single parent鈥檚 time, this might feel like an impossible task, but it鈥檚 deeply necessary. Healthcare workers devote an immense amount of time and effort to their patients, and parents to their children, but you are also a human being, and you must be cared for as well. Even taking twenty minutes out of each day to read a book, take a bath, or just sit quietly in meditation can improve your wellbeing. By being recharged and refreshed, you鈥檒l be better equipped to carry out your responsibilities. Self-care isn鈥檛 selfish: It鈥檚 necessary.

Related resource:聽How to Succeed in Nursing School

7. Remember Your Goal

Being in school as an adult and a parent is a unique experience. You鈥檒l have your studies, your children, and your job all making demands on your time. Remember, though: This is temporary. Eventually you will complete your studies and get a job in a field you love. Likewise, as kids get older they become more independent. This hectic time in your life is just less than two years where you鈥檙e buckling down and doing the hard work to make a difference for yourself. Remember, there鈥檚 a payoff.

Remember, this hectic time in your life is just a stepping stone to making a difference for yourself and your family. At 黑料网最新入口, whether you’re beginning your healthcare journey with our ASN program, pursuing a 3 year BSN degree or accelerated BSN program, advancing through our RN to BSN program, or reaching higher with an MSN degree, we’ll support you in balancing your education with single parenthood. Discover which nursing program aligns with your family’s future by exploring our nursing school.

Keep Learning on the Job

Even if you were a straight-A student who passed the NCLEX in 75 questions, don鈥檛 expect to know everything on your first day (or week, or month) of work. There鈥檚 a , and you鈥檒l have to listen and keep learning. Don鈥檛 expect to be able to do everything flawlessly in the beginning. Instead, remind yourself that you鈥檙e still new at this.

Also, remember that school and tests can only do so much. Being book smart is important, but there are some things you can only learn on the job. There鈥檚 a good reason why graduating from school is called 鈥渃ommencement.鈥� That experience marks the beginning of something, not the end. Give yourself permission to become a beginner again, and learn accordingly.

Related Resource: Life as a Joyce Graduate

Reach Out to Others

During nursing school, you probably got to know your classmates. You hung out, were able to talk through problems together, and bonded while sharing a difficult experience. In your first year of work, though, you鈥檒l often be on your own, because you鈥檒l have to work by yourself and because you won鈥檛 know anybody yet. There鈥檚 also the well-worn saying that 鈥溾�� Bullying and hazing does, unfortunately, happen among nurses and it鈥檚 the newest ones who bear the brunt of it.

Working on your own and being alone isn鈥檛 necessarily a bad thing. One of the only ways to achieve independence is to get out there and work independently. During your first year on the job, you鈥檒l do well to reach out to your co-workers and make connections. Talk to people. Ask questions. Learn the specifics and quirks of the organization where you work and find a place to fit within your job鈥檚 social structure.

Are people going out for pizza after a shift? Go with them. Is it someone鈥檚 birthday and there鈥檚 cake in the break room? Talk to people and have some cake. Just don鈥檛 try to make too big of a splash. When you come into a new organization, your goal should be to find out how it works and learn what roles you can fill in it.

Related Resource:聽How to Get Your BSN Degree

Keep Setting Goals

Things get easier after your first year on the job. Or, more accurately, you get more accustomed to them. You make connections with your co-workers, settle into a routine, and what was once overwhelming becomes a regular task you can do with ease. When that does happen, you鈥檒l likely want to go further and get your BSN so you can continue your cycle of learning and not get too entrenched in a comfortable routine.

Whether you鈥檙e beginning your nursing career or taking the next steps, Joyce is there for you. Learn more about our nursing and 搁狈鈥揃厂狈 programs.

1. Schedule Study Time

In order to keep yourself from barreling through a night of cooking, cleaning, kids鈥� homework, and more without making time to study, schedule your evenings and weekends out ahead of time. Your workload is important enough to keep a time slot reserved, and it鈥檒l help you really focus in when you鈥檝e made the commitment to do so.

You could schedule your studies in multiple hour chunks during your kids鈥� sports practices or music lessons. On the other hand, it might suit your lifestyle best to aim for short 15-minute bursts of studying every hour while focusing on a few other projects in tandem. Only you know what scheduling practice will work just right for you, but you鈥檙e much more likely to聽聽when you have specific times in mind.

2. Set Rewards Often

Depending on the age of your child, they might not be ready to grasp why mom or dad needs to sit quietly in a pile of books, notes, and a laptop for hours on end. As all parents know, it鈥檚 easier to set boundaries and get an allotted amount of uninterrupted time when your kids know something great is at the other end of all that waiting. Plus,聽reward systems help students聽just as much as they help their children cope with study time.

Let your kids know that you won鈥檛 be studying until the end of foreseeable time, and give them a fun treat or activity to look forward to once you鈥檙e done. This can even be a great way to start new traditions, such as reading a favorite story on certain nights of the week or going for a quick pre-dinner stroll through the park.

Related Resource:聽How to Balance Nursing School With Work and Family Life

3. Give Your Kids a Project

You never know all the ways you inspire your kids. Tell them about why you鈥檙e studying to become a nurse, and all the ways in which nurses help make the world a better place. You might lay the foundation for some fun inquiries into your children鈥檚 hopes and dreams for their own future careers. If they have some background information on why you鈥檙e paying attention to your work, it can be fun for them to have their own kid-friendly 鈥渟tudying鈥� session.

Arrange for your study time to be their hobby time. It might give your kids a chance to pursue a new interest, like reading up on animal facts, breaking out the arts and crafts, or building model ships or airplanes. Getting your kids involved in a structured project of their own in the same聽study space can help聽both parties get some focused time.

4. Buddy Up With Fellow Nursing Program Parents

Remember: As a nursing student with kids, you鈥檙e not alone. Reach out to your classmates to see if any of them are also looking for creative ways to balance study time and childcare. Study groups are beneficial in a number of ways. They help you stay accountable to your educational goals, keep procrastination from creeping in, and make studying a fun, social activity.

聽with your fellow nursing school parents so you can all bring your kids along. This will help you build a sense of community in your program as well. You might be willing to host the group at your house, or trade off locations from week to week with other members. When you look to your fellow nurses-to-be for inspiration and support, you might find putting your heads together on the issue results in a wonderful solution that fits everyone鈥檚 schedules.

A career in nursing can be uniquely rewarding for anyone raising kids, but it does come with unique challenges. If you鈥檙e a parent in nursing school or starting your nursing career, consider these seven pieces of practical advice.

1. Establish Priorities From Day 1

When you鈥檙e a nurse raising kids, you usually have a lot of lives depending on you鈥攁t home and at work. Neither your patients nor your children can be prioritized over the other. You have to show up for every nursing shift fully present, and you have to raise your kids, attending to their physical and emotional needs. It can be difficult because nurses are notoriously busy, but it鈥檚 easier for everyone when you set clear parameters and priorities from the start.

Be open when you talk with your family and supervisors.听You may not be able to attend every soccer game or piano recital, but you can commit to some, and you can聽show your kids聽your efforts to secure the best shifts for them. Coworkers, too, will occasionally ask you to swap shifts or to talk with them after work, and sometimes you should, but not at the expense of a family priority.

2. Simplify Your Life

As you鈥檙e establishing聽priorities, you may find yourself unable to drive or arrange carpools for every activity your kids鈥攐r you鈥攚ant to do. Life can become very complicated very quickly, and juggling your work schedule plus a dozen other responsibilities is almost impossible for anyone, but it鈥檚 harder for nurses who lack the set schedule of a 9-5 day job. Create plans to simplify meal planning, housework, and your kids鈥� schedules.听Just like a cluttered workspace inhibits productivity, a cluttered and complicated schedule will impede your work-life balance.

Related Resource:聽Try These De-Stress Techniques During Nursing School

3. Use, But Don鈥檛 Rely, On Your Training

Kids get sick, and nurses raising kids have a unique ability to spot symptoms right away. It鈥檚 a great asset for you and your family to be able to bandage wounds and assess your children鈥檚 health, but don鈥檛 forget they need regular medical care just like any other kid. Being a parent who鈥檚 a nurse can save you doctor visits聽if you don鈥檛 like the sound of that cough, but don鈥檛 always rely on your nursing experience. Providers who aren鈥檛 family members can provide a more empirical assessment.

4. Depend On Your Support Network

Whether it鈥檚 your spouse, parents, siblings, or neighbors, there are people who love you and your children, and it鈥檚 okay to depend on that support network sometimes. Nurses can do a lot, but they can鈥檛 do everything鈥攍ike be in two places at the same time. When you have a 12-hour shift, especially, it鈥檚 okay to look to loved ones to be with your kids after school and make sure they鈥檙e fed.

Related Resource:聽What You Should Know 黑料网最新入口 Mental Health and Nursing

5. Bring Your Experiences Home With You

A work-life balance doesn鈥檛 mean pretending your work life doesn鈥檛 exist when you鈥檙e home, or vice versa. As a nurse raising kids, you鈥檙e going to experience moments of humor, wonder, and tragedy that parents with a desk job never do. Your children can benefit from the stories and lessons you bring home with you, so don鈥檛 totally close them off from that other world.

6. Remember Your Children Aren鈥檛 Your Patients

That said, remember that your patients aren鈥檛 your children. Angry, disagreeable patients can frustrate you, and your kids will sometimes do the same, but this is when a work-life balance is essential. Learn to separate your emotions so it doesn鈥檛 negatively affect how you treat your patients or influence your patience level with your聽children.

Making this distinction can also help you deal with loss, especially when you work聽in pediatrics, or had a patient whose laugh reminded you of your daughter. Those comparisons and associations can make the grief especially devastating, but never forget your patients are still your patients, not your children. Facing the reality of mortality can be terrifying, for parents more than anyone, but it鈥檚 also a reminder that life is precious.

Related Resource:聽How to Cope with Loss As a Nurse

7. Find Some Time for Yourself

That may sound impossible to聽any parent, much less a nurse raising kids, but it鈥檚 a critical part of avoiding burnout. Your work and your home life both require a lot of physical, mental, and emotional energy, and if you only give and give and give, eventually you鈥檒l be drained. Carving out a little time for yourself, whether it鈥檚 15 minutes with your coffee before your kids get up or聽a matinee once a month, can refresh you. Even consciously making your commute time聽your聽time can prove beneficial. Try to push away all of the thoughts about what you鈥檒l have to do as soon as you get home or begin rounds and devote that time to yourself.

Related Resource:聽Nursing Burnout Is Real, and Here鈥檚 How to Fight It

At Joyce, we understand the challenges of being parents and nurses. We鈥檝e juggled those roles ourselves, and we want to help our nursing students who are parents succeed in school and their careers. Learn more about our nursing faculty and programs in Draper, Utah.

At 黑料网最新入口, we understand the challenges of being parents and nurses. Our experienced nursing faculty has juggled these roles themselves. Whether you’re beginning your healthcare journey with our ASN program, pursuing a 3 year BSN degree or accelerated BSN program, advancing through our RN to BSN program, or reaching higher with an MSN degree, we’ll support you in balancing your education with family life. Discover which nursing program aligns with your career goals by exploring our nursing school.

Great nurses don鈥檛 appear overnight, but there are tricks to time management that new nurses can learn. Effectively managing your time and tasks will ease the transition from feeling overwhelmed to being in control.

I think where most of us struggle is when we attempt to attain somebody else鈥檚 state of balance.

Think about it- your colleague works full time. She also has three children and is in school for her doctorate degree. And every year, she trains for and runs two marathons. Yikes! I am getting tired just thinking about this woman!!

And that is her 鈥渘ormal鈥�. That is her state of balance.

Rather than compare to other people, think about what you can realistically do- and even more importantly- enjoy.

Quit comparing yourself to others and realize that balance is something each person is always aiming for. I think I actually really love the term balance because it is something that tells me that I do not have to be perfect all of the time.

And if you are still stressing about all of this work-life balance talk, let鈥檚 go through a few practical strategies to support the work-school-life-family-whatever-is-important-to-you-balance conundrum.

Here鈥檚 3 Tips to Living a More 鈥淏alanced鈥� Life

1. Say 鈥淣o鈥� More Often

Yup, I started out with the most difficult one first.

As nurses, we have a hard time saying 鈥渘o鈥�. There are so many reasons why this is, but I think that one of the biggest ones is our desire to help out.

Nurses are caring, giving people. If someone comes up to us and says, 鈥淗ey, can you鈥︹�� most often our quick response (sometimes, without even thinking) is 鈥淪ure!鈥�

We need to think before we speak! Saying 鈥測es鈥� to everyone else is saying 鈥渘o鈥� to us. It鈥檚 true. Think about it. When we are busy helping everybody else around us, we are often hurting ourselves. We wind up taking on too much and then working ourselves into the ground.

Want to say 鈥測es鈥� to someone? How about yourself!? When you say 鈥渘o鈥� to another person, you are actually saying 鈥測es鈥� to you, protecting your own time and space.

Now, we aren鈥檛 saying that you can鈥檛 be a team player. No way! You have to balance (no pun intended) your 鈥測es鈥� and 鈥渘o鈥� responses.

Maybe say 鈥測es鈥� to the overtime request this week鈥� and next week, think before you speak, and say 鈥測es鈥� to yourself, turning down the overtime the following time it is offered.

2. Use a Bucketed Calendar System

Sometimes, it helps to be visual.

Think about your life in terms of buckets. You will have different ones than I do, but here are a few to get you started.

I have my work bucket, business bucket, family bucket, me-time/hobbies bucket, exercise bucket, and friend bucket. Then I have my calendar. Each week, before the rat race begins, I sit down and bucket my time out- ensuring that each area of my life receives at least some attention.

Now, if I have a big project that is due at work during a particular week, then that bucket may receive more time and attention. On the calendar, I may have a lot of items that pertain to that work project.

However, the following week and once the large project is over, I will ensure that my calendar gives more time and attention to my hobbies, exercise, or friend buckets.

So, first you need to think about your life. What buckets do you currently have? And how can you ensure that you calendar in time for each of these buckets over the course of a month?

If you鈥檙e current calendar is all work and no play- then, well鈥� maybe just maybe you may need to revise. However, remember balance is highly individualized. So, your amount of time spent in work may be more than mine鈥� and that is perfectly OK!

3. Enlist Help!

Yes, that is right. Ask for help. Another topic that does not always come easy for us nurses.

People come to us. We put on the brave face, never show weakness. Heck, I even got an email from a nurse just last week telling me how guilty he felt for having to leave work with a stomach virus.

Guess what鈥� we are NOT superheroes! We are human beings. And human beings need help from time-to-time.

It is perfectly normal, even necessary, to ask for support.

And there are several ways to get help. You can pay for it- hiring people to do things around the house that you may not have time or desire for. You can delegate it- there you go, use those nursing skills. And you can work in teams- even around the house, asking family members to pitch in with items that you just don鈥檛 have time for.

One way I like to look at it is to separate my activities out into yes/no/maybe. Yes- I love doing it. No- I cannot stand it. Or maybe- I could leave it or take it.

Then, you look at each item and the no/maybe column you think about how you might seek out help for these tasks or activities.

Think about it in the workplace. During a code, do you do every single thing yourself? No way, that would be insane! A person could die if you tried to do it all alone. Can you think about the other tasks or activities in your life with just as much significance as that? It may seem silly, but it does not hurt to try.

黑料网最新入口 the Author: Keynote speaker and bestselling author, , partners with hospitals, nursing schools, and nurse associations to transform the field of nursing from the inside out. As the host of the Nurse鈥檚 Week 鈥樷�� program, Elizabeth guides nurses and nursing students to a change in perspective, helping them make the inner shift needed to better maneuver the sometimes-challenging realities of being a caregiver.

Elizabeth received her dual master鈥檚 degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is also a certified coach and Reiki Master Teacher. Elizabeth lives in Maryland with her supportive husband and a playful pit bull.

Begin Your Balanced Journey at 黑料网最新入口

Whether you’re beginning your healthcare journey with our ASN program, pursuing a 3 year BSN degree or accelerated BSN program, advancing through our RN to BSN program, or reaching higher with an MSN degree, we’ll help you maintain balance while achieving your goals. Start your well-balanced nursing education at our nursing school today.