Effective time management for new grads involves planning, prioritisation, task clustering, and developing routines that work for you.
Here are some key tips to reduce your stress and nail down your time management.
Pre-Shift Preparation
You may have heard your clinical facilitator say: ‘if you’re on time, you’re late’.
Arrive 10-15 minutes early for your shift. Aside from getting the general vibe about what the previous shift has been like, it provides you with the opportunity to review your allocated patients, start your shift planner, and mentally prepare. A pre-shift routine helps allay anxiety, reduces stress and helps you to start your shift organised.
Prioritisation Techniques
Use frameworks like the A, B, C, D to-do list to categorise tasks:
- A: Must be done immediately
- B: Important but can be done soon
- C: Can wait
- D: Can be delegated
This is a simple but effective tool to keep you on track if you start to feel overwhelmed, particularly on a busy shift. It will help you focus and ensures critical patient needs are done first allowing for those unexpected events.
Task Clustering
Try to group your tasks together as much as is possible during a single patient visit, such as assessments, medication administration and patient education. This reduces multiple visits, helps in your organisation and helps you deliver holistic care.
Documentation
Keep your documentation up to date by charting in real time. The integrated electronic medical record increasingly used in many healthcare facilities now makes this somewhat easier as you’re not having to vie with other members of the healthcare team for patient notes. Delaying writing your notes also increases the risk of errors. Use your healthcare facility’s tool if they have one, until you’re confident.
Communication
Use communication tools like SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) to convey patient information efficiently during handovers or when consulting other members of the healthcare team. This reduces misunderstandings and missed information – and saves time!
Proactive Workflow
Be proactive where you can. Don’t put off what you can do earlier. If time allows complete low-priority tasks to create that buffer for a deteriorating patient, admission from the ED or your colleague going off sick. Start preparations early if your patient is scheduled for discharge later in the day.
Routine and Habits
Often, it’s a system of trial and error before you work out what routines work best for you. Over time, you’ll develop your rhythm and time-management skills that allow you to focus on care delivery and critical decision-making
By integrating these strategies, new nurses can manage their time more effectively, improve patient outcomes, and build confidence in their clinical practice.
What would you like tips on to help you in your practice? Email us at [email protected]
