Many of us struggle to find and maintain a work-life balance. It can be especially difficult, however, for nurses. Nurses work longer than their scheduled shift length 81 percent of the time; the average amount of time worked over scheduled hours is 49 minutes. Additionally, 19 percent of nurses work two or more jobs for multiple employers, and they only average 6.7 hours of sleep on the days they work.
How do nurses cope with such extreme demands? For one thing, nurses enjoy multiple career options, as they can work in a variety of settings: hospitals, government, NGO, EDU, physician’s offices, home care, nursing care facilities, and employment facilities. Also, nurses can often choose from 12, 10, eight, and four shifts—working longer shifts at once gives nurses the ability to work fewer days in a week. Four hour shifts are actually becoming more prevalent as baby boomers age. The average age of a nurse in the U.S. is 47.3 years.
Nurses may choose to work every weekend at a higher rate of pay. They could even choose to work without benefits at a higher rate of pay. Do you know any nurses? Do they seem happy? Due to very supportive and flexible work environments, 76 percent of nurses are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their jobs. To learn more about how nurses manage to find a work-life balance, check out the infographic below presented by BestNursingMasters.com
Image source: www.bestnursingmasters.com
3quietest