Managing a Nursing Career Within Daily Life, Essay Example

To my mind entering into the nursing profession demands that I be prepared to face challenges other careers don’t present. There will be unusual and sometimes lengthy duty shifts, as well as supply and staffing issues typically not problems in other professions. These, however, don’t concern me as a danger in terms of keeping my own motivation strong; they are challenges but they are not exceptionally off-putting.

For me, it’s the personal and vitally important nature of the work itself that I feel I must be prepared to integrate into my life. Nursing is so serious that, if I’m to successfully manage my career and my own life, I must foresee that stress levels may make this difficult. I believe that this view and this potential issue dealt with, the other considerations will fall into place.

For one thing, I intend to maintain a respect for what I do. I think it’s essential for a nurse to never lose sight of how critical the work is because this serves to provide an emotional foundation. Even when things aren’t going well or a long shift has me exhausted, I will always know that what I do matters far more than the average job or career.

Also, keeping myself as healthy as possible will help to keep my motivation stable and reliable. My plan is to set up a fitness regimen I can work into my changing schedule. As I see it, the mental and psychological advantages to this are as valuable as the physical ones; my stress will be better managed simply because I am stronger, which will in fact translate to an over-all lessening of stress to begin with.

I plan as well to schedule “relaxation shifts” for myself, probably on a weekly basis. Knowing I have one evening ahead in which I can set aside all pressures of my career and my daily life, even for a few hours, will be like recharging my batteries. This, along with my fitness plan, will be an enormous help in managing my career and in making me a better nurse.