Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
We sit down with Perrette St. Preux, a nurse, to explore the realities of work-life balance in health care. We discuss the personal and professional challenges that come with maintaining well-being in a demanding field, the importance of setting boundaries, and strategies for avoiding burnout. Perrette shares powerful insights on how health care professionals can create space to recharge, reconnect, and renew themselves to provide better patient care without sacrificing their health.
Perrette St. Preux is a nurse.
She discusses the KevinMD article, “Work-life balance in health care: Is it a need or a necessity?”
Our presenting sponsor is DAX Copilot by Microsoft.
Do you spend more time on administrative tasks like clinical documentation than you do with patients? You’re not alone. Clinicians report spending up to two hours on administrative tasks for each hour of patient care. Microsoft is committed to helping clinicians restore the balance with DAX Copilot, an AI-powered, voice-enabled solution that automates clinical documentation and workflows.
70 percent of physicians who use DAX Copilot say it improves their work-life balance while reducing feelings of burnout and fatigue. Patients love it too! 93 percent of patients say their physician is more personable and conversational, and 75 percent of physicians say it improves patient experiences.
Help restore your work-life balance with DAX Copilot, your AI assistant for automated clinical documentation and workflows.
VISIT SPONSOR → https://aka.ms/kevinmd
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast
RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended
GET CME FOR THIS EPISODE → https://www.kevinmd.com/cme
I’m partnering with Learner+ to offer clinicians access to an AI-powered reflective portfolio that rewards CME/CE credits from meaningful reflections. Find out more: https://www.kevinmd.com/learnerplus
Transcript
Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today, we welcome Perrette St. Preux. She’s a nurse, and today’s KevinMD article is titled “Work-Life Balance in Health Care: Is It a Need or a Necessity?” Perrette, welcome to the show.
Perrette St. Preux: Thank you for having me, Kevin.
Kevin Pho: So let’s start by briefly sharing your story and journey.
Perrette St. Preux: I was born and raised in Haiti, in a family where nobody was in the medical field. But at an early age, I knew I wanted to serve in a meaningful way. I made my way to medical school and graduated from Notre Dame University. Shortly after, I moved to the United States, and later to Canada, where I went back to school to become a registered nurse and earned a master’s degree in public health, specializing in health systems and policy.
Working as a nurse with that background in health systems and policy helped me understand so many things. I saw the suffering of my colleagues, which opened a new path for me. Now, I am also a writer and a life coach, helping health care workers create balance in their lives.
Kevin Pho: All right, and when you say that your colleagues, your fellow nurses, are going through a lot of burnout and that you’re a life coach for nurses, tell me some of the stories you’re hearing from them.
Perrette St. Preux: Actually, I see so many things. For example, I have colleagues who go through burnout repeatedly. They might leave the job for three, four, or six months, but then they come back. You can see the cycle repeating over and over.
What I hear most often is that everybody is tired and wants change. Yet they are anchored to the purpose and passion that brought them to the field. I see them crying, but they can’t let go because, the next day, they’ll return with the same joy and desire to serve. And then, the cycle repeats—burnout, exhaustion, and tears.
What really touches me is seeing this repeated suffering. I manage my own stress well, partly because of my medical background and my approach to life. I realized that I could help others manage their stress and approach their work differently. That’s why I committed to helping as many people as I can understand that our health and well-being are our responsibility. Once we take that responsibility, we can see our jobs differently and manage our lives better.
Kevin Pho: Let’s talk about your KevinMD article, where you delve more into this. It’s titled “Work-Life Balance in Health Care: Is It a Need or a Necessity?” For those who didn’t get a chance to read your article, tell us what it’s about.
Perrette St. Preux: The article is about creating work-life balance. I want to help health care workers—nurses, doctors, and everyone working in health care—understand that wellness and resilience cannot exist without balance. Balance is the vehicle that sustains every effort we make to be well in our lives.
In the article, I share what happened when I was out of balance and the difference I saw in my life and environment once I achieved balance. Sometimes, it takes a major event to make us realize we’re out of balance, but it doesn’t have to come to that. We don’t need to wait for something drastic to happen to understand the importance of balance. For me, the article is a wake-up call—a message I want as many people as possible to hear so we can start acting on it. We’re in a crisis of burnout, and I believe balance is the solution.
Kevin Pho: For those who haven’t read your story, tell us about the event that made you realize your life was out of balance.
Perrette St. Preux: I’m a single mother and was a doctor in my home country. When I came to North America, I faced immense pressure. Should I start over or continue in the medical field? I decided to go back to nursing school, which brought more stress. Then, while working as a nurse, I separated from my husband. Suddenly, I was a single mother in Canada, far from my family, managing everything on my own.
One night, I was with my son and felt excruciating chest pain. I knew the symptoms and grabbed my phone to call 911. But then I realized I didn’t have anyone nearby to help with my son. With tears in my eyes and shortness of breath, I prayed, “God, please, not now. Please.” Eventually, I fell asleep, and the next morning, I knew something had to change.
I insisted on getting a day shift at work, despite resistance. I spoke to HR and my boss repeatedly until they finally gave me the schedule change I needed. That’s when I began working on myself—reading books, attending webinars, and learning about balance. The difference was life-changing. Now, when I go to work, no matter how tough the day is, my joy is too strong to be overshadowed. I may get frustrated or physically tired, but I’m mentally and emotionally well enough to handle it.
Kevin Pho: You told a story about experiencing excruciating chest pain that made you realize your life was out of balance. When you talk to other health care workers, what symptoms do they share that make you realize their lives are out of balance?
Perrette St. Preux: I often see coworkers hiding in bathrooms to cry or breaking down in elevators. They’ll say things like, “I’m crying all the time. I can’t take this anymore. I need a way out.” Many feel exhausted and desperate. I hear it from friends, family members, and my sisters-in-law, who are also nurses. Every day after work, they say the same thing: “I can’t take this anymore. I need a way out.”
Kevin Pho: After talking to them, what reasons do they give for feeling out of balance? What causes these feelings?
Perrette St. Preux: It’s the workload, lack of support, and lack of understanding. Many don’t have enough time to renew and recharge, which is essential for maintaining balance.
Kevin Pho: When you coach them, what techniques do you recommend to help them regain balance?
Perrette St. Preux: I’ve developed an approach based on three key elements: wellness, resilience, and balance. Wellness involves actions like eating well, exercising, and meditating. But wellness alone isn’t enough. Balance is what sustains wellness.
Balance starts from within. It requires intentional effort. I guide my clients to ask themselves questions like, “What do I want?” and “How am I doing in every aspect of my life?” By assessing work life, personal life, and other areas, they can identify where they’re out of balance and what they need to feel renewed and recharged.
When clients know what they want and how they’re doing, they can begin to identify their limitations and set boundaries. Balance isn’t about perfection; it’s about managing your time, energy, and attention effectively across all areas of life. I explain that there will always be things outside their control, especially in health care, where unpredictability is part of the job. But knowing how to regain balance after disruptions is key.
I also emphasize that balance is a practice. It’s not a one-time fix. By taking small, consistent steps, my clients start to see progress. When they experience the benefits, they become motivated to maintain that balance because they don’t want to lose it.
Kevin Pho: Give us a case study or an example where you helped someone implement these techniques and truly moved the needle in their life.
Perrette St. Preux: I had a coworker who was incredibly compassionate and dedicated—a really great nurse. But she was always giving too much of herself. She never took breaks and constantly pushed herself beyond her limits. I spoke with her one day and said, “If you keep doing this, you’re going to burn yourself out.” She explained why she couldn’t take breaks, listing all the reasons she felt it wasn’t possible. I told her, “Those reasons won’t prevent burnout. Only you can prevent it.”
A few weeks later, I went on vacation. When I returned, she wasn’t at work. I received a text message from her saying, “Perrette, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m on sick leave. I just couldn’t take it anymore.” She told me her doctor had diagnosed her with personal and professional burnout. She also said she had started reading my book, Give and Receive: How to Serve in Health Care Without Neglecting Yourself, and listening to some podcasts I had done. She told me, “Everything you’ve been saying is exactly why I’m in burnout right now.”
I offered to coach her for free, which she accepted. Over the next three months, we worked together. I met her where she was emotionally and guided her through the process of regaining balance. Seeing her progress was incredible. She went back to work as a nurse and is now doing well, though she’s still exploring other career paths. I’m so proud of her. Helping her—and others like her—reminds me that I’m making a difference in people’s lives, especially through the health care workers I help.
Kevin Pho: We’re talking to Perrette St. Preux. She’s a nurse, and today’s KevinMD article is titled “Work-Life Balance in Health Care: Is It a Need or a Necessity?” Perrette, let’s end with some take-home messages you want to leave with the KevinMD audience.
Perrette St. Preux: What I want every health care worker to know is this: our health and well-being are our responsibility. We hear a lot about wellness and resilience, but we can’t build those without balance. Balance isn’t about perfection; it’s about intentionally distributing your time, energy, and attention across all aspects of your life.
Unfortunately, balance isn’t something someone else can give you. It’s something you must act on proactively. Now is the best time to start. Patients need us. Families need us. Communities need us. But to keep serving with purpose and passion, we must stay strong. By building resilience and prioritizing our well-being, we can sustain ourselves and continue making a difference. You can do it—you have the power to create balance in your life.
Kevin Pho: Perrette, thank you so much for sharing your perspective, insight, and wisdom. Thanks again for coming on the show.
Perrette St. Preux: Thank you for having me, Kevin.
