As a nurse, you work to help improve the health and lives of other people, but at the same time, you may be subject to hazards that threaten your own health. Long hours, exposure to disease, and even violence can impact your quality of life, but they don’t have to. Here you’ll find a guide to stopping nursing workplace hazards in their tracks.

Stress is a very real challenge for nurses, and over time, can severely impact your health, leading to mental problems, heart disease, substance abuse, and poor nutrition. With long hours, intense work, and a constant parade of new patients to deal with, it’s no wonder nurses have stress to deal with. Learn how to recognize stress in yourself and learn how to cope with it, whether it’s by taking a few moments to yourself in the bathroom, or blowing off steam with exercise or socialization after your work is done. Take breaks when you need them, develop good relationships with your coworkers, and remember to take care of yourself as you care for patients. You should also work to be insightful enough to know how and when to remove yourself from stressful situations, or to stop stressors from happening in the first place.

As you care for sick people, you may be exposed to illness and diseases yourself. Minimize this risk by following the precautions that your facility recommends. These include proper hand washing gloves, and masks. Additionally, you should be sure that you’re up to date on your vaccines, including influenza. Be sure that you’re eating right, investing in good footwear, and taking necessary breaks.

You may not think of nursing as a profession that is subject to violence, but it happens. As a nurse, there’s always a chance that you will be confronted with a violent situation involving patients or visitors. Elderly patients especially may become confused and strike out. You should work to prevent violence by building good relationships with your patients and their visitors, as well as learning how to predict behaviors, and following safety precautions set by your office or hospital.

Nursing is a difficult job, but if you take the right precautions, it doesn’t have to be a dangerous one. Do your best to stop hazards like stress, disease, and violence in their tracks in order to stay safe while you’re working as a nurse.