There is no denying that healthcare workers earn their annual vacation. More than most professionals, physicians, registered nurses, technicians, and receptionists alike are eager for a well-earned rest when that time of the year finally pulls around. However, the thing about working day-in, day-out in one of the more stressful jobs there is that, sometimes, people have a hard time shifting gears. One of the symptoms of burnout is an inability to truly unwind when you are finally off the clock, your mind and body seemingly stuck in work mode.
If this sounds like you, it’s certainly in your interests to do something about it. We can only benefit from the recuperative effects of time off if we actually make it time off. Stressing about work when you’re not there, or still feeling highly strung and overworked even when you’re not working, is one of the most common problems facing healthcare workers.
Recruiters And Leave Incentives
For those freshly graduated or who are on the job hunt for a new healthcare position, adequate annual vacation is something that should be insisted upon. And, in one sense, it is exactly the right kind of health jobs market in which to do that. Health Jobs, an online healthcare jobs board, say that there are many reasons for the current “job seekers’’ market, which is seeing a surplus of vacancies and recruiters fighting for the top healthcare talent.
This means recruiters are eager to make the positions they are offering seem more attractive. One of the reasons for this has been increased levels of healthcare workers quitting in light of recently reported elevated levels of workplace stress and burnout. So, when it comes to negotiating a contract, this is something every candidate can include in their demands.
Nevertheless, more than just providing adequate annual leave, a healthcare institution’s culture should also be friendly towards time off. This means that time off should be respected, and employees encouraged to make the best use of it. Properly spending time off is essential for working efficiently when you are on the job.
How to Make the Most of Your Vacation
So, with these problems of burnout and work concerns bleeding into time off in mind, here follows some top tips to ensure that your vacation is properly recuperative:
Book As Soon As Possible
Anyone working in healthcare will be fully aware of what a hectic task shift management is. Taking your time off just whenever it is available is a sign of somebody who lives for work. Aim to book the majority of your leave as soon as possible in order to get it when you want it – and thereby when you can also do relaxing things during it.
Spread the Weeks Out Over the Year
This is absolutely essential. If you have all your leave at one time, then you are going to find that the rest of the year will be filled with stress and overwork. Spread the weeks out, but not so much that every individual vacation is too short. Properly unwinding takes time.
Resist The Temptation of Working During Leave
It is incredibly common for healthcare workers to work the odd day during their leave, seeing it as a great way to make some extra money on top of their paid leave. But if you follow this tact, then the process of unwinding will have to go straight back to square one.
Everyone needs time off, but you need to spend it and arrange it properly so that the first day back at work actually feels like the first day back.