There are a lot of professions that can take a toll on a person’s mental health. These can still be rewarding, worthwhile professions, but they can nevertheless take a lot out of a person. Nursing is one of these professions.
As it happens, May is National Nurses Month and National Mental Health Awareness Month. This makes it the perfect time to talk about mental health in the healthcare industry, nursing specifically. Nurses put so much of themselves into what they do every day. In many ways, they are the lifeblood of the healthcare industry.
Healthcare can be a demanding industry. Every nurse knows just how demanding it can be. They also know mental health support throughout the industry can vary greatly. One recent trend taking its toll on providers’ mental health is their liability under Good Samaritan laws. Having malpractice insurance nurse practitioner professionals rely on to cover Good Samaritan actions can go a long way to mitigate some level of mental anxiety in the healthcare field.
That said, while malpractice insurance can offer support in certain ways (including on-the-job peace of mind), it’s only one element of support in a much, much larger picture. What can nurses do to better support their mental health? What can organizations do for their nurses? Why should we put mental health in the spotlight?
Recognizing When Support Is Needed
One of the first steps in getting support as a nurse is to recognize when support is needed. Mental health issues can sneak up on you. They can slowly manifest themselves over time. This is how job burnout can occur, as well.
While the signs of mental health issues can be subtle at first, some symptoms can be easier to identify, including:
● lower energy levels
● trouble concentrating or problem-solving
● sudden mood changes or swings
● prone to irritability
● difficulty sleeping
● substance abuse
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it highlights how minuscule some issues can seem. If unaddressed, mental health issues can grow and can turn into more serious health issues later on.
Finding Support as a Nurse—Where to Start
Part of the challenge of addressing mental health concerns in nursing can stem from finding support. Healthcare can be demanding and intense. That’s not to say it isn’t without its many benefits. Nursing can be an incredibly enriching and worthwhile career.
Does your healthcare organization offer any mental healthcare services or coverage options? If so, don’t hesitate to take advantage of those resources when you need them. You may find guiding insight in how to navigate mental health concerns. If your organization lacks support, it may be worth raising your voice to initiate change.
You can also look for ways to ease on-the-job pressure. Stress and tension can come from many different sources. Some can be outside of your control. It can come down to how you respond to issues outside of your control that can make a difference.
If you’re working long hours due to staffing issues, you might carve time for quiet and meditation. It’s not always easy, but mental breaks (the good kind!) can be essential for dealing with things that are outside of your control, even if they're short.
Finding a New Path Forward
That said, there may be things within your control that you can manage more directly. This is one reason many nurses opt to carry their own malpractice insurance for RN, LPN/LVN, or APRN specialties. It can give them more control over their careers (protecting them from potential malpractice suits). They can set the terms and call on the policies when they need them.
Insurance for nursing professionals can go a long way in reducing some of the on-the-job pressure. It comes back to the idea of peace of mind. It’s one less thing to worry about. From there, you can look at other sources of concern.
Take time to list out what may be impacting your mental health. This can help give you perspective and help you tackle each concern individually—rather than all at once (which can be overwhelming). You can identify which concerns are more in your control and others not so much.
And then you can go from there. While this is far from a panacea for the mental health concerns faced by nurses today, it can be, at the very least, a starting point. When it comes to addressing mental health, we can all use a starting point.
Original Source: https://bit.ly/3QkKTBq
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