After becoming a nurse in 2011, I quickly realized that the holidays were a big deal in healthcare. There are holiday rotations for major and minor holidays. Some units would allow you to pick your major and minor holidays, while others would assign them in a rotation. There were always nurses swapping holiday shifts and always those flyers on the back of the breakroom door offering incentives for someone to pick up their Christmas or Thanksgiving shift.
Healthcare workers everywhere have to miss many holidays with their families, while some families rearrange their holiday plans so they don’t miss everything. It could be celebrating Christmas a day early, so you don’t have to miss your kids opening their presents, as I have done in years past. It could be celebrating Thanksgiving in the evening, so you could get some sleep after working the night before. Or in travel nursing, it could be being hundreds of miles away from your family and unable to come home for the holidays due to the distance and work schedule. Whatever your circumstances are, holidays are hard in healthcare.
As a new Medsurg/Ortho nurse 9 years ago, I quickly realized that a big rush of patients came in to have surgery at the end of the year. I wondered what the cause of this could be, and I realized that they were coming in to have their surgeries before the new year and the start of a new deductible. OR, PACU, MedSurg, PCU, and ICU units have a huge influx of patients toward the end of the year because of this, they are already struggling with the flood of patients related to cold and flu season. I even saw this trend while working mother/baby. Women would be induced, if able, before the new year to prevent having to start over on their deductible after January 1st. Whatever kind of healthcare worker you are, you know that the holidays are always going to be busy.
Looking at the holidays from the patient’s perspective, the holidays are even more challenging. Being in the 
hospital on possibly your favorite holiday doesn’t have the same luster as being at home celebrating with your family. They could be there for elective surgery or a life-threatening illness that brought them in. Whatever it is, I’m sure they would much rather be at home celebrating the holiday with friends or family. However, healthcare workers do a fantastic job of bringing the holidays to the patients. I’ve seen units be fully decorated for the holiday, and healthcare workers are all decked out in holiday headwear and jewelry, spreading the holiday cheer to everyone they see.
Healthcare workers can become overworked and struggle with their mental health. You must take the time to focus on your physical and mental health during this challenging time. It could be taking time out to get outside and go on a walk, curling up with a cozy blanket and reading a book, or having a healthcare friend to talk to when you are struggling. However it looks for you, you must take the time to pour into yourself to keep your spirits up. If you are needing further assistance with your mental health this holiday season or beyond, Travel Nurses, Inc. offers virtual therapy through Curalinc. This therapy is offered, free of charge, in the comfort of your own home at a time convenient for you.
Healthcare workers choose healthcare for a reason, likely because they desire to help others. Healthcare workers can bring smiles to patients’ faces, uplift their spirits when they are down, and make lasting impressions on patients. Holidays are hard on healthcare workers and patients, but our attitudes can affect patients, coworkers, and our perspectives. Whatever your scheduled holidays are this year, let’s go out there and show the patients and their families the holiday spirit they need to bring a smile to their faces and happiness to their hearts.
