Career Advice >> Browse Articles >> Best Practices
Career Advice >> Browse Articles >> Healthy Living
Career Advice >> Browse Articles >> Work-Life Balance
10 Reasons Why Nurses Get Sick
Featured Author:
Scrubs Magazine
More articles from this author:
Sean Dent | Scrubs Magazine
We clean everything we can get our hands on. While this can be great for fighting off those nasty bugs that can wreak havoc on your immune system, there really is some truth to the saying, “Too much of a good thing is bad.”
Here are the top ten reasons why we get sick despite all that cleaning.
Not Washing Our Hands
We sure don’t practice what we preach all the time do we? C’mon admit it. Do you wash your hands every single time you go in and out of every patient room? Before and after every contact?
Also, are you washing your hands after each contact with a patients chart? How about the bedside glucometer?
Not Enough Sleep
Research has proven that sleep deprivation will lower your immune system. But, even without research on my side, think about how you and your body felt after not sleeping well for just one night! How about a whole string of nights during the week?
Quiz: Are You at Risk for Burnout?
Too Much Work
Go right ahead and work those extra shifts. While your paycheck is inflating, your energy reserve is deflating. Guess what happens to your immune system when you get run down? Hey, don’t get me wrong, I like the overtime as much as the next nurse, but there has to be a balance between the extra shifts and taking care of yourself.
Not Drinking Enough Fluids
Who has time to drink? Well, non of us do, but can you say Urinary Tract Infection? I don’t know about you, but when your body is made up of more water than any other molecule (upwards of 65% water), that means something don’t you think?
Not Cleaning Our Stethoscope
This goes hand-in-hand with the hand washing, yes that was an intentional pun. Think about all the times you use your stethoscope and not clean it in between each patient use. Ever let someone else borrow your stethoscope? Where do you think their hands were? Did they clean the stethoscope? Did they wash their hands?
