Habits to Help You Love Your Health Care Job

Do you struggle with loving your job in health care?

Do you love your health care job? Working in health care is not for the weak hearted! It can be challenging physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. First, we have to concentrate on delivering evidence based, appropriate care to a wide variety of clients. Then, we have to follow that up with quick, tedious documentation which can be draining. Struggling with difficult personalities and situations, insurance requirements, and hefty loans to repay can be daunting. Many specialties require that we spend time and money to be certified. Unfortunately, we often find they do not increase our pay and are not transferrable to other positions.

Do you struggle with lack of support with your job in health care?

Additionally, clinicians who are moved up into management positions are frequently not trained in leadership. Having personal experience in health care leadership, I experienced this. I was unfortunately left to fend for myself for my own leadership development. Many clinicians who are promoted are good administrators, but have not been taught productive communication or healthy leadership techniques. As a staff clinician, I have frequently seen underutilized talent and micromanaged, poorly encouraged teammates. It’s no wonder that there is so much turnover in healthcare! I have come to see trends with companies repeatedly posting for jobs not because of new growth, but due to staff regularly leaving.

Is there any hope for health care?

So what are we to do? After 30 years in health care I am sad to share that I don’t think the job situation will change(: But don’t give up hope. Instead of jumping ship, remember all the people that need our help! Take heart, and learn to be proactive and purposefully develop habits that will set yourself up to maintain your love and passion for your work!

Develop habits that will help nurture your love for health care:

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Create a personal annual review for yourself. Develop a “5 year ” and “10 year ” plan. Find ways that your current role can help prepare you. (affiliate link)

Decide which job aspects are the most important to you: Do you need flexible hours, certain pay, want a specific type of clinic, desire to specialize, or move into leadership? Consider types of jobs that will support your goals and provide the opportunities that are most valuable to you.

Be prepared with knowledge of the activities and requirements of the job that you love or dislike the most. Try to find ways to use your strengths to improve your job satisfaction and help the company (love marketing/hate chart review?). Likewise, if there are job duties you dislike, see if there are opportunities to avoid those, or make them more tolerable. 

Bargain at review for what is most important to you. Many health agencies are not able to give raises. Unfortunately, if you have more than 5 years of experience you could already be close to the “salary cap”. Most positions don’t have bonuses, and much of the “extras” are set in place. To offset this, make a list of things that would help you achieve some of your goals. Get creative and try to find ways that your current position could help you. If your goal is to specialize, maybe you could split the cost of a course. Offer to help with committees and tasks that are geared toward your long term goals, if just to gain experience. If you are looking at a future job transition, find someone at your company that you could shadow.

Review your method of reimbursement. As a health care worker, you might be paid by visit, an hourly rate, or a salary. It doesn’t hurt to review this every so often to make sure you are making the most of your position. Consider any changes that have occurred with the amount of visits and documentation requirements, how often you have to attend meetings, or travel to other offices. While your supervisor may not be able to give you a raise, sometimes a change in ‘position’ may provide greater income.

On a regular basis review benefits, vacation time, weekend and holiday requirements. Negotiate flexibility as needed. That is one bonus in health care- there is usually a shortage of employees, and they may be willing to meet your specific needs.

Take the time to be well prepared with educational materials. One of the perks of health care is to know that you have made a positive impact on someone’s well being. You can end up spending hours doing research and developing your own knowledge and materials if your office does not have adequate resources available. If your agency has access to patient education, handouts, or specialized classes that you can participate in, take the time to review them and utilize them for your own development.

Take a class to specialize in an area that you enjoy, or to improve an area that you find challenging. Gather evidence based knowledge for the common diagnoses you will see. Invest in yourself so that you can make a greater impact. You will find greater satisfaction in being more helpful, and may even find more fulfilling roles and improved pay.

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Be a proponent of positive words, and good communication within your group of caregivers. Ask for input from the team for your own personal growth and development: real growth comes from a humble and teachable spirit. Check out this free printable for staff encouragement.

Find resources that will help you continue to love healthcare:

The Non Clinical PT website provides (for a variety of health clinicians) excellent information, encouragement, and ideas for transferring clinical skills to other jobs. This blog is the product of one of their courses: Therapy Blogging 101! Finding this outlet to increase my knowledge and help others has definitely extended my desire to remain in health care!

You may also like 8 Tips for Working Holidays in Health Care, 6 Tips for a Job Search in Healthcare, or Transitioning to a Job in Home Health Care E Book!

I would love to know your thoughts on habits to improve job satisfaction in health care. What has your experience been? What tips would you give to someone considering a job or a job change in this field?

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