6 Ways to Have More Fun at Your Nursing Job
By Alana Luna, contributor
Finding fun nursing jobs may seem impossible to healthcare professionals who've spent their careers embedded in fast-pace environments and high-stress situations, but fun and professionalism don't have to be mutually exclusive. These ideas for injecting a little levity and enjoyment into your shift can help increase nurse job satisfaction and ease emotional and mental strain for all involved.
1. Make work a happy place
A whopping 53% of Americans say they're not happy at work. That's more than half the population struggling to smile or find any pleasure in the place they spend an average of 40 hours per week. You can help change that dynamic by making an effort to show your colleagues, supervisors and patients how easy it is to turn their frowns upside down.
- Compliment people on the little things, like a new hairdo or the delicious brownies they brought in to share.
- Make a habit of posting a silly "Dad joke" in the nurse's station at the start of your shift.
- Smile first — they really are contagious!
2. Run contests to get people motivated
Boredom is exhausting. Sometimes the monotony of yet another day of the status quo can be just as deflating as a day where everything goes wrong. Contests give participants something to look forward to other than the end of a shift. Perhaps you could create a bingo grid with spaces for key tasks and common occurrences such as missed breaks, misplacing your stethoscope, emptying three bed pans or making fresh coffee in the lounge for your coworkers. A simpler idea involves a jar filled with IV clips; everyone submits a guess as to how many clips are in the jar and the winner gets a gift card to the cafeteria or coffee cart.
3. Build in time for socialization
Downtime is essential if you want people to find joy even while hard at work. Plan social activities that bring your nurses and other team members together for a few laughs and maybe some delicious grub. This could be as simple as a Friday mid-shift pizza party, or you could schedule a monthly karaoke get-together at a popular place off-site. Whatever you decide, ensure there's a way for all shifts to participate — you may need to pick a "morale officer" for each shift to help shoulder the burden of planning, boost the brainstorming and encourage staff involvement.
4. Feed the crew
Food brings people together, especially in a profession like nursing, where mealtimes are often little more than vending machine snacks gobbled down while completing charts.
- Bring in a caterer for breakfast or lunch (whatever time that happens to be at for each shift).
- Throw together a potluck with a different theme each month — Mexican and Italian are usually popular, or you can pick a seasonal theme such as Thanksgiving or summer BBQ.
- Ask everyone to contribute a few dollars to a "stock the pantry" fund so you can bulk buy tasty treats for the nurse's lounge.
5. Invite a touch of home into the workplace
Designate one bulletin board (preferably one not fully in a public space, so perhaps in a break room or on the inside wall of the nurse's station) for family photos, postcards from vacationing staffers and so on. It's a way to remind everyone why they're working so hard and what awaits them once they clock out. Plus it's hard not to feel your spirits raise when you look at a snapshot of your friend's sweet baby or adorable pugs.
6. Try out fun nursing jobs on the road
Travel nursing is an opportunity to visit new places and have an impact on communities you might otherwise never get to interact with. When you're not at work, you can explore the sights, try out the local cuisine and make memories ticking off activities that may not be available back home. Head from the mountains to the ocean, hit the desert when everyone in your native state is getting peppered with snowstorms or create new Christmas traditions in a different city famed for its parades and festive displays.
If you're feeling burnt out the second you put on your scrubs, it may be time to rethink your job — or find a new one altogether. Explore your options for travel nursing and see whether a change of location could be just what you need to up the fun factor.
RELATED: Travel Nursing FAQs: 7 Things Nurses Want to Know