Many people expect healthcare professionals to be physically and mentally healthier than those who don’t work in the profession. While working in this sector means having an in-depth knowledge of physical and mental health, does it always mean they will be in better health than other people?
Some advantages
Healthcare professionals are always going to have some advantages as far as knowing how different things can affect their health, and how to make improvements in their lifestyle to reduce these risks or the effects. When studying a range of qualifications; from DNP to PhD you can learn how to take the best care of your body and mental wellbeing. However, people working in healthcare are human too, and knowing what you should do, doesn’t always lead to doing it.
Hectic lives can affect health
Working in healthcare can mean long hours and facing situations that many other people couldn’t deal with. Study and work placements can help you prepare for this. If you choose this profession, you will learn to handle stressful situations better than most. Although, caring for others can lead to neglecting yourself sometimes. So, you should be prepared to make the most of the time you get for yourself. Trying to treat yourself like you would treat a patient can be a good way to check if you’re neglecting your health. If you feel guilty at the idea of taking time to look after yourself, it’s worth remembering, being healthy can put you in a better position to look after others.
It may sound like working in healthcare can leave little time for yourself and lead to poor health, but it doesn’t have to.
Nobody is immune to poor health
Of course, working as a healthcare professional doesn’t make you immune to physical or mental ailments, but one advantage is knowing how to spot the signs. If you spend a lot of time around people with different symptoms, health conditions and various illnesses, you may be able to spot these in yourself and get treatment before they become bigger health problems.
Having the right knowledge and qualifications can help to save your life. Often you will read stories of how healthcare staff have spotted warning signs or realized they might have a health problem before seeking help. There are also several more extreme cases, like a nurse who saved his own life. While this is not the norm, and usually isn’t recommended, having medical knowledge can have benefits for those who work in the profession and their families. It doesn’t grant immunity to physical ailments or poor mental health. These are things we are all prone to, but it can help minimize the impact and even save your life in rarer circumstances.
Many people get into healthcare as a career to help people. So, while it can be challenging to find the time and motivation to practice what they preach to patients, there are advantages to having medical knowledge. These can be life changing.
Leave a Reply