NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours

Strategies to Cope with High Demands from Work and Home (Continued)

People’s resources and capabilities differ, and yours can affect what you have available for work, family, friends, and other interests.

The nurse, the nurse manager, and the employer share in the responsibility of adopting strategies to reduce risks from shift work and long work hours. Therefore, assess both your personal life and work situation to determine areas for improvement.

To assess your work, review Modules 5 and 7 which have suggestions for designing work schedules and organizing the work. Compare that content to what you see in your workplace.

To assess your personal life, review Modules 6 to 11 which give personal strategies for nurses. Compare that content to what you see in your personal life.

2. Diagnose the problem.

Use your assessment to identify areas for improvement at home and/or at work. Write out a list of the problem areas and document where in the training program you found evidence that these can be problems. You might find that write up is helpful as you work toward improvement.

Just a few of the areas that can be identified for improvement include your sleep environment, the way you prepare yourself for sleep, your home responsibilities, the design of your work schedule, breaks during work shift, and other factors at work.