April is Stress Awareness Month and for most people stress has become a part of the average twenty-first-century life. 

April is Stress Awareness Month and for most people stress has become a part of the average twenty-first-century life. This has become even more evident through the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to 

 of 1,501 U.S. adult workers, 79% of workers reported having work-related stress with 3 in 5 employees reporting negative impacts from work-related stress. Healthcare workers have experienced a uniquely hard past couple of years as frontline workers during the pandemic. A 

 study reported that more than 70% of healthcare workers experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression with 38% showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. So, how do we learn to destress?

Everyone has experienced stress in their lives however chronic stress, or “a consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time,” according to Yale Medicine, can become a health concern. Over time, chronic stress can lead to more serious health problems so it is important to try to identify potential stressors in your life. Here is a list of common workplace stressors:

Additional stressors may include the death of a loved one, divorce, financial problems, chronic illness/injury, or unexpected life events.

Stress can manifest in the body in different ways. Stress hormones can wear down your body causing increased aging and illness. Other physical signs may be headaches, fatigue, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, upset stomach, and irritability.

Self-care is any intentional activity to provide ourselves with physical and mental well-being and is important in learning how to handle stress. Learning how to manage your stress levels is hard and will look different for each person. Choosing what works best for you is based on your goals, motivation, and lifestyle. Self-care is important for everyone but especially for healthcare workers who spend all day caring for others. Reducing stress levels through self-care can help a nurse provide compassion, improve the quality of care, and is even recommended by the American Nurses Association in its Code of Ethics.

It is often hardest to practice self-care when you need it most. You may not feel like it is a priority but it is crucial to maintain personal physical and mental health. As healthcare providers, it is important that you look after your needs so that you can continue to take care of others. While all healthcare providers face stress and uncertainty we each have our own realities and experiences so it is important that you do not compare your self-care to others.

When life gets stressful, sometimes you need more than self-care. If you are feeling like you may need some extra help, here are some resources to look into.

As a healthcare worker, you may be exposed to additional and unique forms of stress. Once you recognize that you are feeling stressed, consider what actions you can take to cope with the situation. Remember that even small acts of self-care can make big differences in your life. Working on ways to address stress and combat them can help you live your best life. At Nomad, we want our clinicians to lead healthy and happy lives so this April, let’s focus on how we can better all of our lives through stress management.

How  Do You Deal With Stress?

Health care facilities prepare to follow state vaccination mandates after an additional 84,500 Covid-19 deaths in August and September. Facilities are faced with forcing nurses to resign if they do not agree to receive full vaccinations. 

Health care facilities prepare to follow state vaccination mandates after an additional 

. This comes as states like New York face 

 still not fully vaccinated. Facilities are faced with forcing nurses to resign if they do not agree to receive full vaccinations. These requirements are expected to further current medical staffing shortages, even for hospitals with high vaccination rates.

New York Implements Vaccine Mandate and Brings in the National Guard

Monday, Sept. 27, New York State required all healthcare workers to be vaccinated following the state's vaccination mandate. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a 

 and called on the National Guard to fill staffing shortages across the state.

Of the state's 650,000 hospital and nursing home workers, 92% have received at least one dose of a vaccine according to state officials. The mandate does not allow for weekly testing in place of vaccination or religious exemptions, although those who have applied for religious exemptions are permitted to work until Oct. 12. 

The state of emergency also entails a crisis operations center for health care facilities and waived licensing requirements. This allows workers from outside of the state to work in New York and waives the registration fee to speed up the process. The mandate does not apply to medical professionals who work in state agencies that care for inmates or disabled and mentally ill patients.

The days before the vaccination deadline, New York saw some of the highest rates of vaccination among health care workers nationally. However, lawsuits and angry protests against the mandates in New York serve as a reminder of health care workers who are likely to resign as a result of the mandate.

Other states have imposed similar requirements for vaccinations. In Houston at Methodist Hospital, 

 following a vaccine requirement. In Detroit, Henry Ford Health System reached a 

 after implementing a mandate. California, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are also implementing mandates for healthcare workers. For a full list of health care vaccine mandates by state 

Nurses have shared that while they aren't convinced they should get vaccinated, they don't want to lose their jobs. This is a positive sign for Biden's planned federal vaccination mandate for health care workers. President Joe Biden signed an executive order compelling about 100 million Americans to meet vaccine requirements. The Biden administration will also require more than 

 at hospitals and facilities that partake in Medicare, Medicaid, social programs, and programs for disabled and older Americans to get vaccinations.

While some nurses have left their jobs in protest of vaccine mandates many others have left due to exhaustion.

For information and resources addressing burnout and work-related stress read our recent 

 that staffing shortages are due to systemic problems in the healthcare industry that have only been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Facing staffing shortages, many facilities have had to activate emergency staffing plans, call in volunteers, and move personnel to cover shifts. It has also brought additional strain to health care workers who are asked to take on a larger workload in response to facility staffing shortages.

To learn more about state-level Covid-19 mandates and health care requirements check 

What Vaccine Mandates Mean For Health Care Providers 

Not feeling your best lately? Dealing with the stress of everyday life and life in the healthcare industry can be a tall order. As healthcare providers are pushed to new limits and stressful workplaces become more common, "burnout" has become widespread and tricky to handle.

Not feeling your best lately? Dealing with the stress of everyday life and life in the healthcare industry can be a tall order. As healthcare providers are pushed to new limits and stressful workplaces become more common, "burnout" has become widespread and tricky to handle. In this article, we discuss what burnout is and the symptoms to help you identify it. We also cover a few strategies to help you prevent and fight burnout in your own life.

, burnout is a syndrome caused by chronic workplace stress resulting from exhaustion, mental distance from one's job, and a sense of ineffectiveness.

Nurses fulfill many roles including caretaker, interpreter, educator, and emotional support leading many to become prone to mental, physical, and emotional strain. With the increased reliance on nurses as a result of the COVID-19 virus, nurses are facing enormous mental health pressures.

 reports that the proportion of nurses reporting mental health distress has risen from 60% to 80% since the first wave of the pandemic.

Common physical symptoms of burnout include:

Common emotional and behavioral symptoms include:

Most of us experience days when we feel overwhelmed and exhausted, you know the days when you really don't want to get out of bed? There is no shame in needing rest however if you are having more days like these than normal you may be burnt out. Experiencing burnout happens gradually over time and the warning signs may be subtle at first. Here are some red flags to look out for that often lead to worker burnout.

Long hours and irregular shifts can be harmful to both nurses and patients. Nurses working consistent 12-hour shifts are at risk for burnout and poor performance.

Poor work environments such as management issues and lack of teamwork can burden nurses and contribute heavily to burnout.

Balancing patient care with administrative responsibilities in the face of a global pandemic and increased nursing demand can result in greater workloads for each individual nurse. As nurse workloads increase it can become frustrating to maintain high levels of care as nurses are faced with increased hours and overtime to solve staff shortages and high rates of turnover.

Taking care of patients day-in and day-out means experiencing death and sickness as part of the job. This exposure over time can become overwhelming and lead to burnout across all nursing specialties.

What You Can Do To Prevent and Help Burnout

Nurses and medical professionals are nothing short of superstars. Today's healthcare industry can be grueling, especially to face on your own. Here are some of the best ways to help prevent burnout by practicing self-care and mindfulness. You got this!

Creating strong support systems with co-workers and others outside of work play a crucial role in balancing personal and professional pressures. These relationships with human resources, supervisors, co-workers, friends, and family help nurses deal with high-stress situations and provided the necessary emotional support needed to feel present and prepared.

Managing boundaries between work and personal life is another key to ensure a healthy work-life balance. By focusing on time spent outside of work and activities that you enjoy you can remain more present and mindful throughout the day.

While nursing schedules are demanding, the importance of good sleep for nursing professionals is crucial to improving alertness, concentration, motivation, and mood. It is recommended that medical professionals fit in at least 8 hours of sleep each night or day. Working an overnight shift? Check out our tips and tricks for surviving your night shift 

To help with sleep and stress management nurses should also try to maintain a regular exercise routine. Making time to focus on physical health and diet helps refresh your body and take a mental break from work-related stress.

Lastly, you can explore your human resources department to see if they offer therapeutic or counseling services. These resources can help provide mental health tools and emotional support outlets. Nomad wants to ensure nurses feel safe and appreciated at work and provides all nurses with 24/7 counseling services with unlimited, confidential telephone consultation, and in-person or telemedicine mental health session options. Additionally, legal and financial assistance is available to anyone experiencing difficult times.

For more mental health resources check these out:

Nursing Burnout Reality and How To Deal With It 

On March 18, 2020, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a regulation that will soon allow clinicians to practice across state lines.

On March 18, 2020, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a 

 that will soon allow clinicians to practice across state lines. This means, a medical professional who carries an active license from any state in the United States can use that license to practice in any other state.

HOWEVER, due to the recency of this announcement, it will take time to go into effect.

 This is a very exciting and welcome change from the government that will enable all clinicians to go where their services are needed most. We are actively speaking with our hospital partners and as soon as they say they will start to accept applications, we will let you know. 

Please read the job details on each Nomad job page before applying to see if that job is accepting out-of-state applications to prevent your application from being automatically closed. 

The main reason why this regulation cannot be immediately enacted nationwide is that 

each state must individually apply for and opt-in to enact this policy.

, states must request and apply directly with the CMS for a licensure waiver to enact this regulation. State governors will be able to submit a 1135 waiver that permits out-of-state providers to render services within their state without the need for a license from that state.

This waiver may also include the ability to temporarily suspend certain provider enrollment and revalidation requirements, allow providers to provide care in alternative settings, and waive prior authorization requirements, among other flexibilities.

Currently 48 states have been granted Section 1135 approval letters by the CMS. Letters will be posted 

 We highly recommend referencing that document for any questions you have about state licensing as NCSBN keeps that document up to date (just refresh!). 

States with Section 1135 Approval (as of 4/15/2020):

We will continue to update this list as more states are approved. Please keep in mind, it will take time for each state to apply for and be approved by the CMS. It will also take additional time for each facility to begin accepting applications from out-of-state providers. 

We will update our job postings when we have confirmation from each of our hospital partners that they are accepting out-of-state applications. 

 which already allows nurses with compact licenses to practice in participating states. 

There are also a number of states allowing for temporary licenses.

 These are licenses that any nurse can apply for that are usually granted within a few days. Please contact the corresponding 

For any questions or further support, reach out to your Nomad Navigators or call 866-OK-NOMAD.

COVID-19

How Do You Deal With Stress?

What Vaccine Mandates Mean For Health Care Providers

Nursing Burnout Reality and How To Deal With It

COVID-19: Update to Licensing Regulations

Get our app