{"id":4938,"date":"2024-05-03T13:30:24","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T17:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=4938"},"modified":"2024-05-06T16:02:35","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T20:02:35","slug":"clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-42-no-4\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Clara Shamatanga: Balancing union, family, and work"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Clara
Clara Shamatanga, third from left in the back row, participated in PEF’s recent Nurse Lobby Day in Albany.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

May 7, 2024 —<\/em> In honor of Nurses Month, we spoke to Statewide Nurses Committee (SWNC) member Clara Shamatanga about why she chose to become a nurse and her involvement in the union.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clara is an RN who works as a psychiatric nurse educator at Bronx Psychiatric Center (PC). She began her state service with the Office of Mental Health in 2018 as a charge nurse at Queens Children Psychiatric Center, before applying for a higher position as a Nurse III (nurse educator) at Bronx PC a year later. She has been there ever since.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI chose nursing because I wanted to help people in a meaningful way,\u201d Clara said. \u201cI enjoy the direct patient care aspect of nursing, which allows me to help patients through difficult times. I also appreciate the opportunity to work with other medical professionals to ensure patients receive the best possible education and care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe caregiving aspect of the profession is what drew me in,\u201d she added. \u201cI find it rewarding to make a difference in people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A six-year PEF member, Clara is the Region 10 coordinator representative for the SWNC and she sees real value in union membership.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI became active in the union for several reasons,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a union member, I can represent the collective interests of workers. Being in a union provides a voice to protect workers in terms of job security, wages, and working conditions. Active union members can advocate for changes in the workplace, such as improved safety measures, better benefits, or fairer pay.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing active in a union also fosters a sense of community and solidarity,\u201d Clara said. \u201cI became active by regularly attending and participating in union meetings and educating my colleagues about the benefits of union membership and the issues the union is fighting for.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To best serve her fellow PEF members, Clara said it\u2019s important to balance union, work, and family obligations. It isn\u2019t always easy!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a union representative is rewarding, but also challenging,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of the challenges include negotiation, conflict resolution, representation, legal knowledge, time management, political pressure, and getting time off work to attend union meetings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to have a deep understanding of the issues at hand, strong communication skills, a good understanding of labor laws and regulations, and excellent time management skills,” Clara continued. \u201cBalancing the responsibilities of family, work, and union representative duties can indeed be a daunting task. However, with proper planning and prioritization, it is certainly achievable.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clara shared some of her keys to success.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first step is setting clear boundaries,\u201d she said. \u201cDefining your responsibilities in each role and allocating specific hours for each. It\u2019s crucial to avoid mixing roles, such as doing union work during family time. Not all tasks hold the same level of importance and it\u2019s essential to identify the most critical tasks in each role and prioritize them.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a nurse, Clara understands the importance of health in order to support an active lifestyle like hers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSelf-care is an often overlooked but vital part of maintaining balance,\u201d she said. \u201cTaking care of physical and mental health through regular exercise, a healthy diet, and adequate sleep can boost productivity and stress management.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She also highlighted using a planner or digital calendar to keep things in order, and knowing how to delegate when needed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt work, tasks can be delegated to team members, and as a union representative, if I cannot make it to a meeting, I let the team know, and I follow up with the meeting discussion and minutes taken.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The support of family and friends, union and non-union, is the final piece of the success puzzle.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeeking support from family, colleagues, and union members can be immensely helpful,\u201d Clara said. \u201cThey can provide emotional support, share tasks, or offer advice. It\u2019s important to remember that balance doesn\u2019t mean equal time for all roles. It\u2019s about fulfilling responsibilities in each role without feeling overwhelmed.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 7, 2024 — In honor of Nurses Month, we spoke to Statewide Nurses Committee (SWNC) member Clara Shamatanga about why she chose to become a nurse and her involvement…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"division":[],"allowed_regions":[],"allowed_divisions":[],"class_list":["post-4938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-volume-42-no-4"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClara Shamatanga: Balancing union, family, and work - PEF Communicator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-42-no-4\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clara Shamatanga: Balancing union, family, and work\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"May 7, 2024 — In honor of Nurses Month, we spoke to Statewide Nurses Committee (SWNC) member Clara Shamatanga about why she chose to become a nurse and her involvement...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-42-no-4\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PEF Communicator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-03T17:30:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-06T20:02:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/C-WEb.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ksheehan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ksheehan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-4\\\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-4\\\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ksheehan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b56382350a9a958e03dcd60443bfbf7e\"},\"headline\":\"Clara Shamatanga: Balancing union, family, and work\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-03T17:30:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-06T20:02:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-4\\\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":694,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-4\\\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/C-WEb.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-4\\\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-4\\\/clara-shamatanga-balancing-union-family-and-work\\\/\",\"name\":\"Clara Shamatanga: Balancing union, family, and work - 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