SKILLS & LEARNING
JoAnna Cupp, MS, RDN, LD Assistant Professor, Arkansas State University, USA JoAnna is the Interim Program Director of the Coordinated Program in Dietetics at Arkansas State University. She has obtained a Certificate of Training in Adult Weight Management and is currently working on obtaining a Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) degree from A. T. Still University.
FROM ACROSS THE POND: HOW TO ACHIEVE WORK AND HOME LIFE BALANCE Juggling the responsibilities between work and home life can be a huge challenge for registered dietitians (RDs) and often leads to stress and anxiety, especially for those working in clinical management positions. Balance is required to be successful and move upwards in a professional role. This article, gives us a perspective from the US on achieving a work-life balance.
RDs working in management positions understand that such roles come with challenges, but how they respond to these challenges can greatly affect them and others with whom they work. Also, most RDs make career decisions based on their home lives, not just their professional lives and goals. Career goals and the demands at work and home can cause a major disruption in achieving balance. The journey as a healthcare professionals in management can be made complicated by one’s commitment and sacrifices. Without a doubt, balance is important to limit stress, anxiety and ‘burnout’, a state of physical or emotional exhaustion involving a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. STRESS FACTORS
Limited research has been conducted on RDs in management positions. However, the following US studies shed some light on the kinds of stress that effect dietitians the most. A study published in the American Diabetes Association publication Diabetes Spectrum,1 found that clinicians are often committed to helping others, not themselves, which results in stress, fatigue and burnout. The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics published a study2 that found approximately 89% of dietitians have high levels of emotional intelligence
correlating with job satisfaction and burnout. Another study3 found that dietitians who work in the clinical setting identified the following as common stress factors: lack of respect by other members of the healthcare team, weight status and moral distress. Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage your own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. According to a study published in The Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics,4 57% of dietitians acknowledged emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment were factors leading to burnout. Furthermore, a heavy workload can lead to burnout and its consequences affect employees and organisation.5 A cross-sectional US state-wide survey6 found that dietitians working in larger hospital settings experienced higher levels of burnout, but dietitians between 30 to 40 years old had lower levels of burnout than their older and younger colleagues. It is common sense that work performance is hindered and progress is limited when dietitians are not operating at their best. Effectively managing one’s personal and professional life by controlling stress at work and at home is the best wayto achieve balance