For almost all healthcare workers, getting used to their schedule is a massive struggle. The feeling tends to get inevitable when nurses have to work during the holiday season. For all those residents, hospital workers and technicians who are beginning their careers in the field of medicine, working during holidays can be daunting. However, rest assured all healthcare workers have suffered from this at some point in their careers.
According to John Henning Schumann, the teacher and primary care physician at the University Of Oklahoma mentioned in an article for the NPR, "It's well-known among residency program directors like me that interns, trainees in their first year, enter the doldrums as daylight wanes and they have to come to and leave the hospital in cold darkness." He further added, "For many of our trainees - especially those fresh out of medical school - this will be the first holiday season without time off."
Generally, you will not find healthcare professionals who will be ecstatic when they find out that they are working during a holiday. The feeling of working at a time when others are enjoying their day involves a lot of sacrifice and suffering.
Similarly, the idea of working holidays is an important aspect of your life as a healthcare professionals. For instance, even if you ultimately decide to start your own private practice within limited hours, there is a high probability that you will still find yourself working during the holiday season in some capacity during your career.
As a healthcare professional, the primary benefit of working in the healthcare sector is that the schedule can be flexible. However, the downside of working in the same fraternity is that you will be working on holidays. Generally, full time staff gets vacation or holiday leaves, thereby your job to take care of the hospital while they are away becomes crucial. Thus, the reason why locum tenens assignments are designed is to easily manage the sesaonal fluctuations during the holiday season.
Furthermore, those practitioners and physicians who work during high need seasons which includes holidays are also eligible for certain rewards or benefits.
Reasons to Appreciate Working Holidays
More Job Opportunities
As discussed, during the holiday season, many locum tenens opportunities are available. This makes it a good option for locum tenens workers to make a career by opting for holiday assignments. This not only helps in overcoming the seasonal shortages that occurs in healthcare and hospital facilities.
Get Recognition
According to an article published in Forbes, "If you step up to the plate and offer to work a holiday shift so that others can spend the day with their friends and family, this could be extremely beneficial to your career."
During your locum tenens opportunity, you will get the chance to network with the people in power. If you go an extra mile, you can also bag rewards. Particularly, this can be beneficial if you are looking for a recommendation post your work assignment.
A Comfortable Atmosphere
Those people who work during the holiday season tend to enjoy their tenure as it is less busy. As a healthcare expert, you will get the opportunity to learn more from the seniors as they are free and can share their wisdom, learning and insight. Moreover, the vibe at the hospital is also positive as the family members of patients are also there trying to make it positive and festive for those admitted in healthcare facilities.
Professional Development
Many healthcare professionals who work during the holiday season consider it to be an important aspect of their professional development. It is an integral part of the process of becoming a professional. The working holidays are thus an experience other than daily hospital life. This helps in the career development of physicians.
Helping Others
When you are a healthcare worker, regardless of the shift you work, you are helping others. This fact is further validated during the holiday season, when you are working not only for your patients, but also other colleagues working tirelessly in the healthcare sector. While no one may say this to you, by sacrificing your own holidays and helping your fellows, you are doing a noble deed in a rather stressful time.
Giving Holiday Care to Patients
During the holiday season, hospitals are the last place anyone wants to be at personally. Sadly, in some cases, that's the only place a patient has to be. However, during the festive season, the overall vibe of such places is very positive and happy. All the staff members are kind to each other alongside everyone tries their best to make the patients happy. As doctors, we understand the trauma patients are in and a simple season's greeting can make their day.
All in all, understand that you are doing something noble by working during the holiday season. While it may sound unfair, but the field is all about being selfless.