What To Do If You Get Sick While on Assignment
No one plans on getting sick, and viruses sure do have a knack for attacking at the most inopportune times. When you are on a travel assignment as a travel nurse, travel CNA or other healthcare professional, you are no exception, especially if you are working in a new environment around potential illness. Since travel assignments are typically scheduled for a few months at a time, it is certainly not ideal to have to call off and leave the team without your help. Not to mention that it’s no comfort to be sick at all, let alone in an unfamiliar city. So, what do you do if you get sick while on assignment? It’s always best to be ready for every situation, so we’ve gathered some tips below to help you prepare and know what to do in case illness strikes.
Have An Emergency Contact List
You can never be over-prepared. Especially when it comes to ensuring that your work assignment goes smoothly. Notifying everyone that you need to when you are not feeling well and are unable to work, is not only responsible but will also alleviate any unnecessary stress. Also, make sure you have emergency contact numbers ready. This includes family members as well as your on-site supervisor, your recruiter and staffing firm, and your doctor.
Know Where the Nearest Pharmacy, Urgent Care and Hospital Are Located
A new city is just that – new! Be sure to have an understanding of where help is located if you ever need it. That includes the nearest pharmacy, urgent care, and hospital. Program the addresses and numbers into your phone so you can contact them easily if needed.
Have a List of Your Medications Ready
If you need to see a doctor while away from home, it’s a great idea to come prepared with a list of your current medications. They will need to know how best to treat you and what methods of treatment might interact with medications you are currently taking. When you are not feeling well, it is best to have your medications and dosages written down so you can hand them to the doctor instead of trying to remember each one.
Notify Your Contacts Immediately
As soon as you notice that you are not feeling well, communication is key. Notify your assignment supervisor when you plan on not being at work as expected. Additionally, the organization where you’re working may need to implement infectious disease protocols right away if it’s determined that there may be an outbreak of illness that could affect vulnerable patients. So, contacting your supervisor right away is critical.
Help Your Team Manage Your Time Off
Since work assignments are temporary in nature, it’s not always best to have to call off of work multiple times in a row. However, if you’re really sick, sometimes it’s not possible to avoid calling off. Make sure you stay in contact with your on-site supervisor, and your recruiter to keep them updated on your progress. They’ll need to work to cover your shifts and need to know as soon as possible when they should reach out to other team members to come into work on your behalf.
Eat Healthy
One of the best ways to ward off illness or to recover quickly when you get sick is to eat healthy meals. Planning your meals while on assignment is a good way to ensure you don’t get overwhelmed after a long shift and end up in the drive-thru line. This will help you stay healthy to begin with and can help your body be prepared to fight off any illness quicker if you do get sick.
Getting Plenty of Rest
Be sure to get enough sleep. According to sleep.org, “Even relatively short bouts of insufficient sleep can decrease your immune response. Insufficient sleep may even reduce the immunity gained from some vaccinations.” When you get plenty of sleep, you not only help ward off illness, but you will also feel better, too!
As a healthcare provider, you are always taking care of others so be sure to heed these tips when heading on a new travel assignment so you can take care of yourself!
