Good time management in nursing supports better patient care and safety, while improving workflow efficiency and reducing stress for nurses. For better nursing time management, try prioritizing tasks using established clinical frameworks like CURE. Plan each shift, document efficiently, and become comfortable delegating tasks as needed.
Time management is a skill that enables individuals to use their time effectively. Time management in nursing is particularly important, as busy registered nurses (RNs) must manage the needs of many patients at once. You can improve your time management skills by using practical strategies that streamline your workflow.
As a nursing student at Concordia University Texas, you can begin refining key soft skills for nurses, such as time management. Concordia Texas’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) track enables you to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as few as 16 months after completing prerequisites. The accelerated timeline necessitates strong time management skills, as you’ll need to complete coursework, attend labs, and participate in clinical rotations.
As you look ahead to transitioning from nursing school to your nursing career, you may find that you need to adjust your time management strategies or implement new ones. First, consider why time management is important in clinical environments and then explore best practices for managing your workflow.
Why Time Management for Nurses Matters for Patient Safety and Workflow
Time management skills are essential for improving both patient safety and outcomes. For example, good time management ensures patients receive medications on time and that changes in health status are noted as soon as possible.
In clinical settings, an efficient workflow depends on effective time management, helping nurses balance a demanding workload with competing priorities. One study published in Acute Critical Care found that nurses who received time management training were better able to prioritize tasks and make timely decisions in critical care environments.
Other skills are also important for nurses, such as emotional intelligence. Learn why emotional intelligence is important in nursing.
Nursing Time Management Tips
Below are suggestions for how nurses can best manage their time:
1. Prioritize Tasks Using Clinical Frameworks
Prioritization is a key time management skill. It enables nurses to meet their patients’ most urgent and important needs first. There are several clinical frameworks nurses can use to prioritize tasks, including:
- ABCs: Consider airway, breathing, and circulation in that order. Check for airway obstruction, vomit in the mouth, and choking sounds before assessing breathing. Lastly, assess circulation by checking the pulse and evaluating for signs of shock, cardiac arrest, and similar acute conditions.
- CURE: Use the CURE hierarchy to determine which patient needs are critical, urgent, routine, or extra, and address needs in that order.
- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: This clinical framework guides nurses in prioritizing tasks from most essential to least essential. The priority levels are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.
As helpful as these clinical frameworks can be for improving time management for nurses, it’s essential to avoid focusing entirely on tasks to the exclusion of the patient’s condition. Keep your focus on responding to your patient’s status, rather than completing task lists.
2. Plan Your Shift Before Patient Care Begins
Arrive early for each shift to allow time for planning. Visit the supply closet to collect the needed supplies for the shift, rather than frequently returning there throughout your shift. Arriving early allows you to review your patient caseload and start prioritizing tasks, while also facilitating an efficient hand-off with other nurses to help prevent gaps in care.
3. Delegate and Communicate Effectively
The nursing profession depends on effective teamwork. If one patient needs pain medicine and another needs help toileting at the same time, you’ll need to delegate the latter task to a nursing assistant while handling the pain management yourself.
Similarly, when another team member is struggling with competing priorities, you can step in to assist them if you have some time to spare. Clear communication and relationship-building are essential for smooth delegation on a nursing team.
4. Document Efficiently Without Falling Behind
To avoid falling behind, document patient care as it’s delivered, either while you’re still in the patient’s room or shortly afterward. This not only improves efficiency but also supports accuracy. Keep your documentation concise and focused, reducing unnecessary words.
Your electronic medical record (EMR) system likely has various shortcuts, such as macros and templates, embedded in it. Take the time to learn the preset shortcuts to reduce your documentation workload later.
5. Build a Workflow That Reduces Stress and Errors
Along with using clinical frameworks like CURE to prioritize tasks, you can establish a consistent workflow to support better time management in nursing. Building a workflow is about establishing effective work habits; once you establish a consistent routine, it will feel less stressful and reduce the potential for errors.
One example of a consistent workflow is performing hourly rounds. Rounding helps reduce gaps in care, as you’ll check on your patients often enough to ensure they are comfortable and doing well.
Another workflow model to consider is cluster care, in which nurses bundle patient care tasks together by room. For example, during a single visit, you will perform tasks such as toileting, repositioning, administering medication, and checking vitals.
Cluster care is highly efficient, as it allows multiple nursing tasks to be completed during a single visit to a patient’s room, rather than going back multiple times to complete tasks separately.
6. Protect Your Energy With Smart Break and Focus Strategies
It’s common for busy nurses to skip breaks in an attempt to stay on top of the workload. Yet, going nonstop without a break can actually be counterproductive. A tired, stressed RN will inevitably have more trouble focusing on providing quality patient care than one who has taken a break.
Your approach to break time also matters. While on break, avoid chatting with other providers about clinical topics or your current patient caseload. Take a mental break from work as well as a physical one. You’re likely to find that you’ll return to work feeling more energized and ready to tackle the next challenge.
Discover some proven strategies for studying in nursing school.
Prepare for a Future in Nursing at Concordia University Texas
Concordia University Texas provides values-based nursing education that prepares students to care for their patients in body, mind, and soul. In addition to teaching essential clinical skills and nursing theories, our nursing instructors help our students develop strong skills, including time management, communication, critical thinking, and decision-making.
Discover if you could be eligible for our ABSN track, which requires a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 non-nursing college credits. Contact an admissions counselor today to learn more.