Work-life balance in orthopaedics

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Jeanes and Thompson (2008) recently asked the question: “How do we have a full life and still do your job?” Work-life balance is becoming progressively more important if we are to maintain a healthy and motivated work force. Pressure to boost the nursing work force numbers in particular is urgent, as our older population increases and puts greater demands on health care systems. These pressures inevitably adversely affect our working lives as we cram more and more into the same, or increasing, hours per day. Anecdotal evidence suggests that we are now compressing the 40 years worth of work, of the average working life, into 30 years. Perhaps this is why many health care professionals are choosing to retire 10 years early, if they can. We also tend to die younger than many professionals, both of which only make the work force problems more acute.

One possible answer for orthopaedic surgeons is to appoint a physician’s assistant (PA) to help reduce daily workload. Jeanes and Thompson (2008) demonstrate that this can be a wonderful answer for the busy surgeon. Unfortunately, this may create further problems as PAs are usually orthopaedic nurses so it just puts more pressure on other parts of the health care work force.

There can be little doubt that we need to balance our lives if we are to provide the quality of care our patients deserve. To overcome nursing work force shortages the UK were recently suggesting that all nurses work until 70 years of age. Little imagination is needed to picture these nurses with ageing backs and joints trying to care for and mobilise less mobile (confused, demented and obese) patients.

Nurses and doctors are not exempt from becoming ill or infirmed themselves, physically and mentally. Indeed the demands of our work make this more probable. New ways of working and family friendly policies should be constantly sought. However, the individual needs to take control of their own work-life balance. Everyone is different and ultimately solutions are different. This is more easily said than done for the busy orthopaedic nurse but the costs of not paying attention to ourselves are too great to contemplate. Care should extend to ourselves and colleagues, as well as patients.

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References 

1. Jeanes, D., Thompson, D., 2008. A fine balance. Canadian Orthopaedic Association Bulletin Summer 8–9.
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