Aren’t these birds stunning? The epitome of Well-being
It just makes sense that the healthier a nurse is, the better the care …
Well-being ranges from … Joy————to———– Despair
Healthy Nurse- “actively focusing on creating and maintaining a balance and synergy of physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, personal, and professional well-being.” The ANA Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation
Non Healthy Nurse – depression, low resilience, job dissatisfaction, unhealthy lifestyle choices – with food, alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, and sedentary activities.
Current trends
- Less than 40% of healthcare organizations have any kind of wellness program
- Wellness program basics include lifestyle practices such as reduced cost gym memberships and health screenings. Meditation and mindfulness programs are becoming more common. Zen rooms or Watson rooms are popping up. Nice
- Wellness programs typically occur outside of work hours
- Employee participation averages between 30 – 42 % and their participation is inconsistent
The Big Questions
- How can leaders impact employees participation in wellbeing programs?
- What programs do nurses want ?
- How can nurse practice wellness while at work?
The ANCC Pathway to Excellence ® folks have been tracking these programs. Here are some pearls.
Best practices
- Nurses need to own their own wellness journey
- Nurses need to help design the well-being programs
- Wellness practices that nurses can engage in during work hours:
- Brief meditations while working using a free smartphone app showed a statistically significant benefit for nurses in
- energy level
- positive approach to the day
- clarity of thought
- Changing the conversations at work to “What matters to you?” vs. “What’s the matter?”
- Brief meditations while working using a free smartphone app showed a statistically significant benefit for nurses in
New directions for nurse leaders
Bringing wellness practices and consciousness into nurses’ lives and work is becoming nurse leaders’ responsibility. How to do this is a mystery because a nurse’s wellness practice is personal and voluntary and cannot be mandated or managed.
What we do know is that how nurse leaders step forward into leading wellness practices for self and others while at work is also personal. If one is promoting wellness practices it has to be authentic, from the heart. While you think about that … know this:
- Leaders promoting well-being practices and programs during work hours has positive impacts on nurses use of the programs
- Leaders having routine conversations with nurses around well-being has positive effects on nurses
Before you get started, this is a good question,
“What matters to you ?”