Being a patient advocate can be rewarding, but also stressful. You have to deal with complex medical systems, emotional situations, and sometimes conflicting interests. How can you manage stress as a patient advocate and avoid burnout? Here are some tips to help you cope and thrive in your role.
The first step to managing stress is to recognize what triggers it. Is it the lack of time, resources, or support? Is it the uncertainty, complexity, or urgency of the cases? Is it the communication, conflict, or expectations of the patients, families, or providers? By identifying your sources of stress, you can prioritize your tasks, set boundaries, and seek help when needed.
Self-care is not selfish, but essential for your well-being and performance. You need to take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. This means getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising, and taking breaks. It also means finding healthy ways to cope with stress, such as meditation, breathing exercises, hobbies, or counseling. Don't neglect your personal and professional development, either. Learn new skills, seek feedback, and celebrate your achievements.
This is so true, but hard for Moms and nurses! We are so entrenched in caring for everyone else we fail to see that we will provide better care to everyone if we take care of ourselves first! I am focusing on my own self care and personal and professional development and it feels great!
Always remember you can not hive from an empty cup. So fill yourself first. Take breaks when necessary, delegate dome duties, collaborate with other health care professionals and colleagues. You can only care a lot for others when you are healthy and not burn out.
You don't have to do it all alone. You can benefit from the support of others who understand your role and challenges. This can include your colleagues, mentors, supervisors, or peers. You can also join professional associations, online groups, or networks of patient advocates. You can share your experiences, learn from others, and find resources and opportunities. You can also seek support from your friends, family, or community. They can provide you with emotional, practical, or financial assistance.
Collaboration is key for effective delivery of care and the prevention of burn out. Learn to ask for help from colleagues. Engage the family to provide other kind of support like extra emotional support. Proper planning and interprofessional collaboration will aid reduce stress and burn out.
Communication is key to your role as a patient advocate. You need to communicate clearly, respectfully, and empathetically with the patients, families, and providers. You need to listen actively, ask questions, and confirm understanding. You need to educate, inform, and empower the patients and families. You need to negotiate, collaborate, and advocate for the best outcomes. You need to document, report, and follow up on the cases. By communicating effectively, you can reduce misunderstandings, conflicts, and errors.
One of the biggest challenges of being a patient advocate is managing your workload. You may have multiple cases, deadlines, and demands. You may feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or guilty. You need to balance your workload and avoid taking on too much. You need to prioritize your tasks, delegate when possible, and say no when necessary. You need to set realistic goals, plan ahead, and organize your time. You need to monitor your progress, evaluate your results, and adjust your strategies.
Proper planning is important to balance the workload. Setting out priorities and different strategies and approach for each task eases the process. Sticking to the plan can be difficult but doing so is necessary to ensure maximum efficacy.
As a patient advocate, you are constantly learning and improving. You need to seek feedback and improvement from yourself and others. You need to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures, and challenges and opportunities. You need to ask for feedback from the patients, families, and providers. You need to learn from your mistakes, celebrate your wins, and identify your areas of improvement. You need to update your knowledge, skills, and practices according to the best evidence and standards.