Working as a nurse in a hospital, you have better odds
of going on an excursion to the moon than you do not working on a holiday. You may be lucky enough to get some holidays
off, as this often depends on seniority, or covering every other holiday. Whatever the case may be for your medical
facility, you are going to work some holidays, so you may as well have an idea
of what to expect.
Expect the Unexpected
You may as well not even spend a lot of time trying to
expect what may happen, because as soon as you think you know, you are proven
wrong. Holidays in general can create a
tremendous amount of turmoil in people’s lives, and it often ends up in a
hospital visit. Elective surgeries are rarely scheduled around the actual
holiday, so most hospitalized patients are there due to an emergency, or a
recovery situation.
Holidays seem to bring out bizarre behaviors in some
people, so if you are scheduled for a holiday, just be sure to eat a nutritious
meal ahead of time, as it could be a while before you can have a meal
break. Go to work with an open mind that
whatever happens, you will deal with it, and everything will be ok.
Patients Suffering from Depression
During the months of November and December, more people
suffer from depression than any other times during the year. For many people that do not have families or
close friends, the holidays can be a very lonely time. Combine that with being hospitalized, and you
may find a patient that is experiencing the height of loneliness and
depression. As the patient lies in their
room, and hears holiday celebrations in the halls of the hospital, it does not
cheer them up.
Since holidays are not usually as busy on hospital
floors, and there are less patients, perhaps it’s possible to spend a little
extra time with the patients that are noticeably depressed. You don’t even need to mention the holiday,
just visiting and sharing a friendly conversation may be enough to lessen their
feelings of being all alone. Do what you
can to make your patients comfortable and at ease, however also accept the fact
that some people always experience depression during holidays, and it may be
something that the patient deals with often.
They’re very well may be nothing you can do besides being there for your
patient when they need you. Always alert
the attending physician if the patient appears to be severely depressed, or
refuses to eat, they may need a medication adjustment.
Expect Some Holiday Cheer
When you work a holiday, especially over Christmas, you
may have some special holiday celebrations on the floor that you are
covering. Some families that have loved
ones hospitalized may bring snacks or other foods for the medical staff, mainly
to show their appreciation for the care of their loved one. So, in these instances, you may decide
working on a holiday is not so bad after all.
People are usually more generous during the holiday season, and that can
mean with their time as well. You may
see more volunteers than usual, and some even come on the holiday itself to
offer Christmas cheer, or similar, depending on the holiday itself.
More Relaxed Atmosphere
The one thing hospitals have in common on an actual
holiday is a more relaxed atmosphere. Of
course, this does not necessarily apply to an emergency department; however on
other floors things can be much quieter than normal. You may have time to catch up on work
projects that are behind. Once work
projects are caught up and you are between patient visits, it can be a nice
time to interact with coworkers. Things
are often so busy it’s difficult to get to know coworkers, even though you work
with them daily. A holiday brings out
the socialization in most people, and will allow you to converse with others
that you don’t normally have a chance to.
Appreciation from Supervisor
It’s not always easy to arrange coverage for holidays,
even in a hospital. It's pretty common
that many people request holidays off, and are not very happy about it when
they don’t get it. So if you volunteer
to work a holiday, your supervisor is certainly going to appreciate you
offering, and the fact that there is one less open position to fill. There are some benefits to working a holiday,
often holiday pay is applicable, and of course the quieter surroundings make
for an easier and less hectic shift that you are accustomed to. If a time comes that you need a day off, your
supervisor is likely to remember you covered a holiday shift, and have proven
to be a valuable and cooperative employee.
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Naturally, one of the benefits of working a holiday is
that you can be there for your patients.
As the nurse, you may be one of the only people that the patient has
contact with. You will be able to provide
the routine care, and perhaps spend a few minutes visiting and getting to know
each patient, something you would not have time for on a regular working
shift. A holiday is what you make of it,
and in most cases, you can acknowledge and celebrate a holiday a day early, a
day late, or a different time of the day itself, depending on when your shift
is. When you accept a position as a
nurse, it’s an automatic assumption that holiday work will be involved, so it’s
not a surprise to learn you will be working a holiday. Try to make the best of it, sometimes a
cheerful mood can be contagious to others that are not pleased to be at
work.
If you are working the emergency department on a
holiday, you may encounter a busier shift than usual. Between holiday lights, new toys, and
fireplaces going at full speed, the Christmas holiday in general can generate
some emergency room visits. The
following are some statistics of common incidents during holidays in emergency
departments.
- Each year, there is an estimated average of 60 electrocutions associated with consumer products. The three most common product categories associated with electrocutions are small appliance, power tool, and lighting equipment.
- Every year in the U.S., more than 2,600 people are killed in home fires.
- In the U.S., injury is the leading cause of death among children and young adults, and nearly half of these accidents occur in the home, and the toll rises during the Christmas holiday season. According to the National Safety Council.
- Worldwide, accidental injury kills more than 2,000 children each and every day. New go karts, bicycles, skateboards, all common Christmas gifts can bring catastrophe to an entire family.
- On average, 184 people die each year from non-fire, carbon monoxide poisoning associated with consumer products. The two most common product categories associated with non-fire carbon monoxide deaths are engine-driven tools (38%) and heating systems (38%).
- In 2004-2008, an estimated 1,170 home fires per year began with decorations, excluding Christmas trees. These fires caused an annual average of 8 deaths, 54 injuries, and $19.1 million in property damage.
- Christmas tree and holiday decoration fires result in twice the injuries and 5 times more fatalities per fire than the average winter holiday fire.
- On average, 260 home fires begin with Christmas trees each year, resulting in 12 deaths, 24 injuries and $16.4 million in property damage.
- An additional 150 home fires per year begin with holiday lights and other decorative lighting, causing another 8 deaths, 16 injuries, and $8.9 million in property damage each year.
- Candles started 45% of home decoration fires.
- December is the peak time of year for candle fires.
- Christmas, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Day are the top 3 days of the year for candle fires.
- Roughly 5,800 people per year were treated in hospital emergency rooms for falls associated with holiday decorations. More than half of these injuries were caused by falls from ladders or roofs while decorating outdoors.
- CPSC estimates that each year, about 4,000 injuries associated with electric extension cords are treated in hospital emergency rooms. 50% of these injuries involve fractures, lacerations, contusions, or sprains from people tripping over extension cords. 13% of these injuries involve children less than five years of age; electrical burns to the mouth accounted for 50% of the injuries to young children.
Depending on what department you work
in, your holidays at work may be uneventful.
Of course as a nurse, you know to always expect the unexpected, since
it's part of being a great nurse.
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