One of the most difficult things in nursing to learn is time management. When you don’t have any help passing medications, toileting patients, reading their notes, complete flowsheets, writing notes, or reviewing their lab work, and you still have to assist patients with their personal needs, it’s no wonder most nurses can never leave work on time. To alleviate this problem, one of the most important things to remember is to start early!
The first thing I do is to go to work at least 30 minutes early to research my patients. I briefly review their orders, notes, and medications. I make sure I know their names, what they were admitted for, their medical history, and their code status. This way, whenever I get a report from the previous shift nurse, I already know something about each patient. Dale Carnegie said: Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.
After reviewing patient reports, I start with my most difficult and time-consuming patient. Those are the patients that may need cleaning, have multiple wounds, or require numerous medications. They are typically my first medication pass because I was in their room at least 20-30 minutes in advance to do their assessments. If everything goes well, I’m able to give that patient their medications first.
Another technique I found helpful is starting my medication pass as early as possible. For instance, if my medication is at 0900 or 2100, I will start passing my medication at 0800 or 2000. I pull the medication 5-8 minutes ahead of time so I can make it to my patient’s room and start assessing him or her. By the time my assessment is done, I am able to start my medications.
If there is an aide on the floor, delegate tasks to them. These tasks can include obtaining blood sugars, taking vital signs, toileting the patient, or grabbing the patient a snack or drink. This makes one less task for you to do.
Prioritize your time. This is easier said than done, but worth the effort. One of the things that wastes a lot of time is not properly organizing your patients’ requests. When I’m in a patient’s room, I always ask them, “Is there anything you need me to bring you right now?” These questions allow them to request anything they may need before I move on to the next patient. This may include drinks, pain medications, etc.
Of course, this is only what works for me. The most important thing is, once you develop a good system, it gets easier. Developing good time management skills requires a lot of trial and error. Eventually, though, it just comes naturally.
Tip: Arrive at work early and plan which patient you will start with, depending on their diagnosis, medication, or lab work. This information can help you determine the order in which you will see your patients.
