It can be difficult to achieve the ideal work-life balance for nurses—but it’s one of the keys to a long and successful career in healthcare. Thus, knowing the strategies nurses can use to prevent (and recover from) burnout is important for the future of nursing.

In this guide, our experts weigh in to help you curate a balanced lifestyle. We’ll explore some roadblocks to a healthy work-life balance, offer time management strategies, break down the importance of self-care, and touch on how healthcare institutions themselves can support nurses’ well-being.

If you’re looking for practical work-life balance nursing tips, read on.

Common Barriers to Work-Life Balance for Nurses 

While nursing education programs prepare healthcare professionals with exceptional clinical skills, they don’t always explore the risk of burnout in nursing careers. Why can it be so difficult for nurses to curate the perfect balance between work life and home life?

There are multiple factors at play:¹

• Nurses work long shifts – Many nurses work 10- to 12-hour shifts, and they work these long hours multiple days in a row. These types of schedules can make nurses feel like they don’t have enough downtime to do anything but rest, recover, and prepare for their next shift.
• Nursing can be emotionally taxing – Nurses spend much of their time helping patients in their road to recovery. And when patients don’t recover, it can be easy for nurses to feel like they’re to blame. Not to mention that nurses must interface with struggling patients’ families, navigate bureaucratic red tape, and confront occasional ethical conflicts on the job. All of these challenges can be emotionally and mentally draining for nurses.
• Patient care is demanding work – Nearly everything nurses do for patients is physical—helping patients move around, readjusting their bodies for comfort, bathing them, and visually inspecting patients takes physical effort. Nurses are constantly on their feet, and the job is as physically demanding as it is emotionally challenging.

Time Management Strategies for Busy Nurses 

One of the hallmarks of good work-life balance is optimizing time off the clock—finding room in your schedule for rest and personal enrichment. Ultimately, this comes down to time management. Here are a few tips that can help nurses build optimal home schedules:

• Set aside rest time – Without enough time to sleep or simply relax, you simply won’t have the energy to find personal fulfillment outside of work. Try your best to honor your commitments to rest.
• Schedule socialization – While setting a standing dinner date with friends or your spouse might feel forced at first, it’ll give you a regular opportunity to get the social time you need to thrive.
• Disconnect – Turning off your work notifications whenever possible will help you distance yourself from work and enjoy your home life without distractions.

The Role of Self-Care in Achieving Work-Life Balance 

For nurses, work-life balance and self-care go hand-in-hand.² While you might think primarily of physical self-care—like exercising and taking care of your hygiene—don’t forget about two other key types of nurse self-care when you’re off the clock:

1. Emotional self-care – As a nurse, you’ll likely become an expert in compartmentalizing your emotional responses to stress while you’re on the clock. Eventually, you’ll need an outlet for these feelings—consider scheduling regular appointments with a mental health professional, practicing stream-of-consciousness journaling, or making art to manage your emotions healthily.
2. Mental health care – While we mentioned mental health counseling above, mental health care is just as important as physical health care for nurses. Starting therapy, joining a support group for healthcare providers, or establishing a mindfulness or meditation practice are just a few ways to prioritize your mental health as a nurse.

As a nurse, you give so much of yourself while on the clock, so preventing burnout is contingent upon caring for yourself while off the clock.

Creating a Supportive Work Environment for Work-Life Balance 

If you’re a nursing manager (or you have aspirations of career advancement in nursing), what can you do to foster a workplace that supports healthy work-life balance for nurses? Healthcare organizations can employ numerous tactics to prevent clinical staff burnout:

• Flexible scheduling – By giving nurses more power to make their own schedules, organizations can help them choose shifts that are most compatible with their self-care demands, hobbies, or family obligations.
• Wellness programs – Wellness programs for nurses could include mental health support, affinity or social groups for clinical staff, discounted gym memberships or fitness classes, or other opportunities for nurses to prioritize self-care.
• A supportive workplace culture – By cultivating a workplace where nurses feel empowered to prioritize their work-life balance, healthcare organizations can prevent burnout and ensure that nurses are well-rested and prepared to provide the highest standard of care while on the clock.

Simply put, nurses’ opportunities to control their own schedules and make time for personal care and fulfillment depend largely on their employers’ approach to employee wellness. Understaffing, high patient loads, and overwhelming schedules all contribute to nurse burnout—and these are all within organizations’ control.³

Alliant International University: Your Gateway to a Fulfilling Nursing Career

Maintaining work-life balance for nurses can be challenging, but efforts to protect your mental, physical, and emotional wellness can both support all-around well-being and perform at your best while on the clock.

If you’re looking for a nursing education program that will prepare you for every aspect of your nursing career, turn to Alliant International University. Our nursing programs are designed for both newcomers to the field and current nurses with aspirations in management or healthcare leadership.

Learn more about our educational programs for nurses and apply today.

Sources: 

1. Shah, Megha, et. al. “Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Nurse Burnout in the US.” JAMA Network. February 4, 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7862989/. Accessed March 24, 2024. 
2. Williams, Susan, et. al. “Self-Care in Nurses.” Journal of Radiology Nursing. December 31, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35431686/. Accessed March 24, 2024.
3. Shah, Megha, et. al. “Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Nurse Burnout in the US.” JAMA Network. February 4, 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7862989/. Accessed March 24, 2024. 

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