Taking Care on the Road

You're a healthcare traveler because you enjoy new places, faces and experiences. But at times it's still tough to maintain a positive attitude and keep your energy level high. After all, you're always the new kid on the block who has to prove yourself, and you're far from your support network of family and friends. Lynn Blissard, an ICU nurse and veteran healthcare traveler, and John-Henry Pfifferling, an expert on the well-being of healthcare professionals, offer tips on how you can take care of yourself emotionally and physically despite the rigors of your profession.


Make Yourself Comfortable
You can't create a permanent "nest" when you're on a temporary assignment, but you can carry items or symbols with you that make you feel at home anywhere. A concrete item, like your favorite bathrobe, could address your nest-building needs while you're away from home. So could colors, tastes or smells, says Pfifferling, director of the Center for Professional Well-Being, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to promoting well-being among healthcare professionals.

Make Connections
Don't be a hermit outside of work. On one of Blissard's assignments, she made friends immediately by visiting the same coffee shop every day her first week. "Because you're in an isolating situation, you have to reach out more," Pfifferling says. Visiting a church, hooking up with your college's alumni association or meeting fellow fans of your favorite sports team will bind you with an "extended family," according to Pfifferling.

Take Advantage of Your Free Time
Don't lose sight of the reason you chose to travel. During her years as a traveler, Blissard has explored South Carolina, Arizona, California and Illinois. Your days off can also be used to cultivate your hobbies. Blissard scuba dives and takes piloting lessons.

Stay Active and Eat Right
The more fit you are, the better able you'll be to handle the stress of your job, Pfifferling says. Exercise regularly, avoid too much caffeine and eat nutritiously. Shift workers should take special care to prepare healthy meals rather than indulge in readily available junk food. Try to eat with others, as people who eat alone are more vulnerable to overeating, Pfifferling says.

Say No
It's easy for healthcare travelers to become run down from overworking. "People want you to overwork -- you don't have to go home to your family so it's expected that you can work a double or triple shift," Pfifferling says. "Be very careful. Sometimes saying 'no' means saying 'yes' to your own health." You should also have realistic expectations -- you won't always be received warmly at new facilities. You must realize that "you are a guest in someone else's home," Blissard says.

Stay in Touch
Call and email your family and friends regularly. Plan to visit or host your loved ones, even if only for a few days. The holidays could be an especially rough time for novice travelers, so plan ahead for them. Pfifferling recommends sending cards, letters and emails well in advance of the holidays, guaranteeing you'll receive more correspondence the week of the actual event. If rituals are important to you, make sure you observe them by decorating or building a shrine, for example. If all else fails to ease your loneliness on a holiday, count your blessings the way Blissard does. "It's been very easy for me to get through it," she explains. "I just think as long as I'm on this side of the critical-care bed I'm OK. What can I complain about?"


by Megan Malugani
Source: Monster.com