Typically, most New Years’ resolutions fail by the second week of January, at least where those involving exercise and diet are concerned. Other popular resolutions like improved money management, working on relationships, and stress management, tend to last longer. Around 80% of New Year’s resolutions are forgotten about by the end of February. Below we have listed three easily attainable resolutions for locum tenens clinicians!
Get Moving More
Clinicians are often on the move regularly throughout the day. Going to the gym after a long day can be the last thing on your mind, especially if you spent an endless night on call or had a day filled with caring for patients. Exercise isn’t limited to running on the treadmill or lifting weights at the gym. You can quickly get more out of your day by taking the stairs instead of an elevator or parking a little farther away. This helps to break up your exercise into manageable bite-sized pieces without having to spend hours and a bunch of money at a gym. If you’re wanting a way to see how many steps a day you’re doing, try wearing a smartwatch or exercise tracking watch to know the difference when you make these small changes.
Work on Reducing Your Stress
Working in medicine is stressful, regardless of your position. Even more, stress can be added to these positions when you are a locum tenens worker becoming a part of a new team on an assignment. Regardless of where you practice, it is a given that your patients will not act according to textbooks, which will, in turn, up your stress level.
While stress is a given in this profession, daily stress management looks different for everyone. For some people, a visit to the gym, walking around the block at lunch, or climbing stairs helps, while for others, meditation or deep breathing does the trick. Something that can help is a free mobile app called “Take a Break!“. The app guides you through a seven-minute work break or a thirteen-minute stress relief meditation. While this is a great option, and exercise is a great alternative, they both take a bit of time, so a quick alternative would be to take four deep breaths whenever you are feeling overwhelmed.
Improve Your Financial Health
As a locums provider, it’s possible that you’ll be paid more than your colleagues employed by the clinic or hospital. Many of your expenses will be tax-deductible. A good rule of thumb is to take time at the beginning of the year to review your financial health, and whatever goals you might have for the upcoming year.
If you are facing a large amount of debt, try paying off the debt that has the highest interest first. After you pay your monthly obligations, pay yourself. By putting money away in your savings or into your retirement account, you are setting yourself up for financial freedom later in life.
Tips for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolution
First, you will need to be realistic. If you make plans to run a marathon when you have yet to run a mile, it is bound to fail. Instead, make smaller, more attainable goals that you can work on throughout the year.
Share your goals with others; it will help hold you accountable. It only takes 21 days for a new change to be committed to habit, but six months for it to be permanently cemented in your daily routine.
Keep track of your progress, and make sure to reward yourself along the way. Commit to 2020, being the year that you lead your best life and achieving your goals.
Who are we? MedCare Staffing is a small, veteran-owned, family-oriented team. We start every day with gratitude because we LOVE what we do! We are a team on a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of our clients and providers.
What we do: We place Physicians, Dentists & Advanced Practitioners in Locum Tenens, Contract Positions and Permanent Jobs
To contact MedCare Staffing, call 888.474.3380 or visit or website by clicking here!