When was the last time you did something fun? Something that is in no way related to your job. Are you happy with your work-life balance? Have you recently had enough time to spend with the people you love? Do you feel this is a conversation we need to have? In my opinion, the answers to these questions provide incontrovertible truths as to why we should. Did you know that negative quality of work is among the top five reasons for massive turn over within the nursing profession Follow this link for more information https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a68a/55f550c75d14f7d4dca30a1d7b3b7c433940.pdfWork-life balance also referred to as quality of work is defined as a compilation of several aspects that dictates an employee's emotion with respect to work. Some of these aspects include;
- A clearly-stated job description
- Fair and adequate compensation
- Career advancement chances
- Duty discretion
- Occupational health and safety
- Employment security
- Organizational and personal relations
- Work-life stability
Please follow the link to read more on this https://www.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/2017/5181676/
Due to the undergoing brain drain of nurses within Africa, more people are recognizing the need to conduct more research on the above factors as a way of trying to improve on care delivery. However, the conduction and implementation of the recommendations are time-consuming and at times not always taken into consideration. This then calls for us to make personal changes as a way that may attempt to enhance our quality of work. Here are a few suggestions that I recently came across.
1. Consider joining a recognized trade union
A trade union is an organization made up of members who are workers and their main aims are to protect and advance the interests of its members in the workplace. Most trade unions are independent of any employer but the unions try to develop close working relationships with employers.
Effective unions should aim to
- Negotiate agreements with employers on pay and conditions.
- Discuss major changes to the workplace such as large scale redundancy.
- Discuss members' concerns with employers.
- Accompany members in disciplinary and grievance meetings.
- Provide members with legal and financial advice.
- Provide education facilities and certain consumer benefits such as discounted insurance.
Before joining any trade union ensure that it is recognized by the Ministry of labor and social protection. Secondly. investigate the said union to see if it will meet your needs. Please follow the link for more information https://labour.go.ke/department-of-trade-unions/
2. Obtain indemnity insurance
3. Be proactive
It is rare to find a job that can meet all your needs unless of course, you work for some key organizations such as Microsoft or Google. Having said that, this should not limit us to aspire to enrich ourselves. We should seek opportunities to advance our careers maybe through academic opportunities or taking up more responsibilities by applying for better roles when available. In this way, we give ourselves an opportunity for growth. and with growth then we develop more bargaining power in the workplace.4. Prioritize
At any point in time seek to ensure that your work-life balance does not affect your health. Studies have shown that poor work-life balance may result in work-family conflicts, non-communicable diseases and at times may put patients at risk due to excessive fatigue of the caregiver. To read more on this click here https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/9/2038/htm
In conclusion, a lot more can be done within our profession as a way to try to create a positive work-life balance. One way to achieve this is through collaborative interactions among nursing departments and human resource departments primarily through research. In an economy where the majority of young people are unemployed, we should always ensure that we value our work as it helps us meet our daily needs but still ensure we try striking a balance so as not make us lose on having a life outside work for
Do you wish to be taken seriously in your profession? What have you done about it? Do people enjoy interacting with you at a professional level? These are some key questions that we should all ask ourselves this year. The year of the nurse and the midwife is upon us and the whole world is watching and listening to us. What will you do to take advantage of this opportunity?
Professionalism is a term meaning the competence or skill expected of personnel who have undergone a subscribed formal training. So again back to my question. Do you wish to be taken seriously in your nursing profession? I always do because then how can I justify the need for better pay, improved working conditions and be respected by the public and all other professionals. What encompasses professionalism? From the definition, we see that it entails competency or expected skillset after training. Competency-based training often involves three key things : 
You will only be taken as seriously as you take yourself. Choose your words wisely when addressing people in all avenues. Take an extra minute to look presentable before interacting with people. If you are working in a clinical set up before starting to handle your patient ensure you are prepared. Create precedence to being organized. Be sure of what you are about to do. If unsure consult from all the resources available. If that is not an option work on hiding your truest fears and distaste that may be displayed through your non-verbal cues. Going in for an interview prepare well in advance, ask questions on health benefits, work injury accounts and process, studying availability options, etc. Do not be quick to accept what is dished out immediately. I am learning there is more than just remuneration. I chose to make it known that is is my own personal opinion.
Nursing is an evidence-based practice. Build a culture of being inquisitive especially on ways in which we can enhance the practice. This will then give opportunities to contribute to the field.
Professional bodies in nursing are critical for generating the energy, flow of ideas, and proactive work needed to maintain a healthy profession that advocates for the needs of its clients and nurses, and the trust of society. In Kenya, for example, we have an example of The National Nurses Association Of Kenya (NNAK). In the past couple of years, they have been actively trying to achieve the above by holding different symposiums countrywide. Kindly visit their webpage and see all upcoming events also make sure to register. 
A 'culture of safety' describes the core values and behaviors that come about when there is a collective and continuous commitment by organizational leadership, managers and health care workers to emphasize safety over competing goals. With the current change of trends in healthcare, this is a very key component. Some of the things involved in the a culture of safety include.
This year marks the last year to the Nursing now challenge. The year 2020 is the Nightingale Challenge," the purpose of the challenge is to help develop the next generation of young nurses and midwives as leaders, practitioners, and advocates in health, and to demonstrate that nursing and midwifery are exciting and rewarding careers." Now, what do you plan to do about it? Visit the webpages to read on it if you wish to participate in it do so now before time runs out. If you are within Mombasa kindly contact any NNAK committee member. The future lies in your hands.