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Staying Healthy as a Medical Professional

Staying Healthy as a Medical Professional is a very rewarding and efficient way to create goals for yourself. Many healthcare professionals entered the field because they wanted to encourage themselves to have better health goals. 

With the demands of work, the combination of our home and personal lives, it can be hard to manage our own health. It feels like there’s no time to manage our health when life becomes really busy.

Burnout as a Medical Professional

 

There are many studies that show that medical professionals aren’t doing a good job of maintaining good physical health. There are multiple studies that show doctors and nurses with chronic or ongoing conditions. 

These studies also show burnout in doctors and nurses. Burnout is the number one cause for bad physical health. It causes you to slow down, and make you exhausted enough to not take care of your health. 

In addition to these findings, they also create a huge risk for our healthcare workers and the future of the medical industry. Here is a guide to how doctors, nurses and practitioners can better take care of their health for the future of the healthcare industry, and their own future.

Choosing Healthier Options as a Medical Professional

 

The best way to change an old habit is to start with a small change. Once you start with the small change, you can repeat it until it becomes a healthier choice. It’s hard to change the stresses of work, but it is easier to change your diet so you can better operate in your job position. If you are going too fast and skip breakfast getting ready for work, try setting aside time to eat breakfast. 

Introducing more nutrient dense foods will make you feel much happier while you’re at work. If you regularly go out to lunch, try packing a lunch and cutting back on fast food. You’ll be able to save money and feel better when you return to work. It’s a little crazy how we tell our patients this information but do not do the same for ourselves.

Physical Activity

 

There are many hospitals and medical facilities that provide employees access to their gyms. You could try and slip in a short weight routine while you’re on your break. While you may not want to take up more time on your break, walking is a great way to get exercise in during your work day. 

Even on your off time and off days, it’s very important to take breaks. Taking a break is also good for your mental health. Being able to take even 15-30 minutes breaks during the day will significantly improve your health. 

Wearing something like a fitbit or an apple watch can significantly increase your awareness of your physical health. There are apps that track everything. Your weight, miles or steps you’ve taken, even food and diet. There are also meditation apps that you can utilize in your day when you take breaks. Make sure to take advantage of these tools. It will help you reduce or completely eliminate burnout.

Alcohol and Smoking

 

There’s still a large influx of doctors and nurses who smoke and drink extraneously. These things can be hard to overcome. Fortunately, there are things they can do through your Human Resources department that can help. Human Resources can also help you if you are struggling with nicotine or alcohol consumption. Since you work for a healthcare organization, they already work very hard to put these practices in place. 

One way to improve your physical health would be to work less. You could consider working per diem or change to a medical practice or somewhere with a slower pace. Make sure to be taking care of your mental health just as much as your physical health.