Difficulties and challenges of being a nurse and how to overcome them?

We have discussed time and again the benefits of having a career as a nurse and nothing can shake that justification whatsoever.

However, the career is only lucrative because it demands a lot from an individual. This career is a challenging one and preparing for them is the best strategy you can use in your favour.

The nursing job can be for long working hours and along with that, it can emotionally exhaust you. Thus, we will be discussing the problems faced by nurses and how you can overcome them to excel in your nursing career.

Read further to learn more!

Challenges faced by nurses

1- Exhaustion due to long working shifts

As a nurse, you would have to work long shifts at different times of the day. For some days, you will have to work from noon to night, in some, you might have to work the whole night or during the day. The shifts are given rotation-wise to all nurses. Adding the time you invest in doing the administrative procedures before entering and leaving the hospital can take even longer. This most of the time results in exhaustion and the only way to deal with it is to take a good amount of rest every day. 

2- Nurses are emotionally invested in their work

In a nursing career, nurses get involved in patient's life so much that it gets hard for them to deal with their own emotions at times. A lot can add up to your emotional baggage from your own exhaustion to what you see every day at work. The only way out in such a scenario is to find someone to share your thoughts with. Making friends a work who know what you go through can help in processing your emotions.

3- The duties of a nurse are very demanding physically

Most tasks of a nurse are performed physically and it can cause a lot of stress on the body. The best way to deal with such physical challenges is to stay fit through regular exercise and asking for help whenever needed. 

4- Nurses are always prone to diseases and hazardous chemicals

As we all know, nurses are appointed to take care of sick people who usually have a high viral and bacterial load. They are highly potent to spread their infections to the nurses and so nurses are always prone to harmful diseases. They also deal with operations in which they have to handle chemicals and other fluids which can be hazardous to them. The best way to stay safe as a nurse is by wearing proper gear as instructed during the nursing course.

5- Improper staffing at hospitals

Many times, hospitals lack staff nurses which can result in more workload and less patient care. So, in such organizations, nurses have to take up more work and that can really cause a lot of stress. You must try to talk to people who work in the hospital before joining to understand what the work culture is like. This will help you in balancing a good work-life balance.

As a nurse, you may face the common problems that we have mentioned above. Here are some solutions:

- Give sleep a high priority to maintain regular sleep patterns. Sleep for seven to nine hours in between shifts.

- Speak with someone if you feel stressed out or burned out. Seek help from family and friends.

- Develop a good diet and lifestyle to improve your energy and help you fight off diseases, such as regular exercise and proper hydration.

- Make routine checkups with your doctor because health screenings for nurses are highly advised.

- If you do not wish to continue the clinical practice, consider other nursing choices such as management, research, and administration.

To train yourself and get proper education for becoming a nurse, join a good nursing course in the best college in India. Sai Nursing College is one of the leading colleges in Dehradun for nursing, enrol in the course and get upskilled under the best educators.