Thriving in Your Nursing Job: How to Cope with Short Staffing Periods

As a nurse, your job duties might seem endless. You are expected to complete daily tasks in conjunction with patient safety. This might become overwhelming when your healthcare facility is short-staffed. Let’s take a look at ways you can still thrive in your nursing job during short-staffing periods.

High Nursing Demands, Mean Short Nursing Staffs

If you ever wondered what it meant when people say that jobs are in high demand, you should ask a nurse. Nursing is a career path in very high demand, and this number is only expected to grow. Experts suggest that nursing careers will increase by 10-15% before 2026. So, what does this mean for current nursing staff? It often looks like working long hours, overnight shifts, weekends, and holidays. 

If you are working in an understaffed healthcare setting, you can be expected to pick up the slack. This can affect your job satisfaction and make you question your career choice. Studies have also proven that staffing ratios affect patient care. There is no simple fix. Until your healthcare facility finds qualified nurses, here are some ways to improve the circumstances.

Organize and Prioritize

Having excellent organizational skills will save you time and energy. Organize your reports and maintain a routine when meeting with patients or completing procedures. It’s even better if you can prioritize activities based on critical assessments. You should handle the high-level assignments first then move on to less urgent care. 

Delegate

Once you have assessed your projects, you can often get the patient’s family members involved in low-level care. For example, ask the patient’s family or friends nicely to assist during dinner time. Make sure to always thank them for their assistance. If you can delegate tasks, you will save yourself time and energy. 

Work As A Team

An understaffed medical environment must band together to keep its stations afloat. Once you complete your job duties, help other nurses with theirs. Then they will help you when you need assistance. In a medical setting, communication and relationships are very important whether the facility is understaffed or not. Studies prove that working closely with the nursing staff and physicians leads to better patient care. Work on bonding with your co-workers.

Ask For Help

Before falling victim to a nursing crisis, speak to the medical staff administration team to acquire help. They might find volunteers or travel nurses to fulfill nursing vacancies. This will release pressure on your staff and not jeopardize the care of your patients. The administration might also be able to shut down time-consuming requests that are not urgent to your patient’s care.

Remain Positive

Unfortunately, you are very likely to run into a staffing issue in nursing jobs. As the demand for nurses increases, hopefully, the desire to become a nurse will. Don’t let the prospect of working in an understaffed medical facility scare you away. Staffing issues can arise at any job. You must remain positive and know that the situation will get better.

Ensure that you are practicing a self-care routine to avoid nurse burnout or other mental health conditions. Step away from your role as a caregiver as often as you can. Make sleep, exercise, your relationships, and pastimes a priority.

When you maintain a positive outlook, you set an example within your medical staff. This will bring morale to your work environment. 

Final Words 

In brief, jobs for nurses are in very high demand. This means that current nursing jobs might be feeling understaffed. Hopefully, you can overcome this period by reading through these tips.

If you are interested in helping understaffed healthcare facilities by pursuing a nursing career, Cynamed has prepared nursing resources to help you along the way. Start an exciting career with job security today!