As a doctor, work-life balance can appear like an alien concept. After all, it’s not easy to justify some time off with all the patients, referrals, and laboratory results you need to address.
Being a physician is a profession where downtimes are rare – even when you’ve already booked yourself days off, there’s still a good chance that you may get urgent patient calls, receive some lab work to follow up with, or need to cover for a colleague’s shift.
The good news is that achieving a work-life balance is neither as complicated nor as challenging as it sounds. In fact, it’s much easier than you realize. With that said, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Find Your Purpose
Many young doctors lose satisfaction or passion for work because they lose sight of their purpose. To find meaning, you mustn’t forget to consider your personal needs and align them with that of your organization.
Intentionally doing things that will constantly remind you of why you chose the career in the first place will allow you to avoid physician burnout and help you live a happier life.
Manage Your Time Right
Balancing life and work requires excellent skills in time management. It involves short and long-term goals, organizing and planning, and refraining from or limiting time-wasting activities.
Some effective practices include, but aren’t limited, to meeting about the patients before working hours begin and ensuring that all health records are prepared beforehand.
You may also want to consider working as a locum tenens practitioner and avail of the services of a physician recruiter firm. Apart from the opportunity to work in different healthcare facilities and receive better financial rewards, it also offers a level of flexibility in schedule that a traditional career path lacks.
Prioritize What’s Important
Among your responsibilities, it’s crucial to determine what’s most vital. For example, some doctors who prioritize their families usually work fewer hours so they can spend more time with their loved ones.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to settle student loans or are saving up to establish your own practice, you’ll need to put in more hours instead.
Set Boundaries
The reason why many medical professionals suffer from burnout is that they fail to set boundaries. Instead, they take in more work than they can handle. As a result, they end up fatigued and perform poorly.
Don’t make the same mistake, and make sure you establish a clear dividing line on what you can and can’t do. Don’t be afraid to push back work if needed. You’ll avoid working yourself to the bone and, more importantly, steer clear of any potentially costly mistakes.
Conclusion
It’s incredibly important to attain a reasonably good work-life balance, especially for those in the health sector. When you get right down to it, not only will it impact your job satisfaction and happiness, but it’ll also affect your performance. So, make sure that you follow these tips. They’ll allow you to achieve a better equilibrium between your personal and professional life.
