What is Time Management in Nursing? (PLUS, Importance, How to Improve, & Barriers)

Written By: Darby FaubionDarby Faubion RN, BSN, MBA

Darby Faubion is a nurse and allied health instructor with over 20 years of clinical experience. Darby lives in Louisiana and loves exploring the state’s rich culture and history. Darby has a passion for caring for veterans and a special interest in those affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. In her quest to make a difference for veterans, she founded a non-profit called “Operation Battle Buddy.” Read Full Bio »» RN, BSN, MBA

If you are a nurse, you know days can be hectic and every minute counts. Whether you work in a hospital, doctor’s office, or emergency room, or if you have an administrative position, each day is filled with tasks that must be accomplished, often with no time to spare. Knowing how to prepare for and plan your day to be efficient is essential.

Perhaps you understand the importance of managing time wisely but wonder, “Who can explain how to improve time management in nursing?" In this article, I will explain how you can do so by sharing 15 effective tips to improve time management in nursing. I will tell you why time management is important, the skills you need to manage time effectively and give you some examples of the consequences of poor time management.

What is Time Management in Nursing?

Time management is known as one’s ability to use time efficiently and productively. Time management in nursing involves implementing and managing functions such as organization and control of time by planning daily tasks and completing them within a specific timeframe. Time management is a skill that is learned and honed with continual practice. When you learn effective time management skills, you will find they benefit everyone, including patients, nurses, and other healthcare team members.

7 Reasons Why Time Management is So Important in Nursing

Learning to implement good time management skills in nursing is essential, and understanding why may make implementing needed changes easier. The following are seven top reasons why time management is so important in nursing.

REASON #1: Good Time Management in Nursing Promotes Positive Patient Outcomes

One of the main reasons time management skills in nursing are so important is they promote better patient outcomes. When nurses manage time wisely, patient care is prioritized by need, making it possible for the most pressing needs to be addressed first. Wait times for care are reduced, which also helps prevent worsening of symptoms.

REASON #2: Time Management Results in Greater Productivity

Utilizing good time management helps promote productivity. When you implement time management skills into your daily work, you are more likely to maintain focus and complete tasks rather than become easily distracted and leave work unattended or incomplete. The end result is greater productivity and a sense of accomplishment.

REASON #3: Good Time Management Promotes Patient and Employee Safety

Utilizing good time management skills in nursing benefits patients by promoting patient safety. Nurses who prioritize care and practice effective time management have fewer instances of medication errors and other patient safety events. Additionally, when you manage time wisely in nursing, you are less likely to rush through tasks, which could result in risks to yours or your team members’ safety.

REASON #4: You Will Feel Less Stressed

Managing time efficiently helps reduce stress and anxiety. When you implement time management skills in nursing, you plan your time, set deadlines, and meet those deadlines. By managing your time wisely, you can reduce feelings of being overwhelmed or anxious, which can positively impact your professional and personal life. When you are less stressed, it makes your job more enjoyable, resulting in a happier work experience.

REASON #5: You Will Have More Time Freedom

One thing I learned to appreciate about time management skills in nursing is that when you develop the skills and implement them, you have more time freedom. Good time management skills help you make the most of your time, regardless of what tasks or objectives you need to accomplish. When you learn to manage your time well, you will find that you accomplish tasks easier, which means more free time to do the things you want to do and enjoy. I don’t know about you, but more time to do the things you love sounds like a win-win to me!

REASON #6: Good Time Management Skills Reduce the Risk of Distractions

Distractions can cause a major disruption in productivity at work. Therefore, the fact that good time management skills in nursing reduce the risk of distractions is one of the most important reasons to develop the skills. When you develop effective time management skills, your focus and productivity increase, which limits distractions. With less distraction and better focus, your job performance improves, which makes you an asset to your patients, team, and employer.

REASON #7: Good Time Management Skills in Nursing Improves Facility Operations

Nurses are among the primary providers of patient care in healthcare facilities. When we use good time management strategies in nursing, we impact the efficiency of the daily operations of our facilities. For instance, utilizing good time management helps reduce patient wait times, the use of resources, and the costs of daily operations. As a result, we contribute to how our organizations save money, decrease unnecessary use or waste of supplies and other resources, and increase patient satisfaction rates.

What are the 7 Essential Time Management Skills Every Nurse Must Have

Learning time management strategies for nurses takes time. Although the skills it takes to manage time wisely are skills you may have used in other jobs or personal roles, you must learn to apply those skills to patient care and other nursing tasks. The following are the seven most essential time management skills every nurse must have to work efficiently.

SKILL #1: Prioritization

The most essential skill in time management strategies for nurses is to prioritize. Prioritizing means deciding in which order you should complete tasks. To manage time effectively, you must determine if tasks are urgent, important, or “stable.” Begin with the most urgent tasks and work your way down the list to the least urgent tasks.

SKILL #2: Goal Setting

By setting goals, you create a measurable way to track your progress. Once you establish a to-do list and prioritize it, you should create a list of specific goals related to each task that needs to be accomplished. Setting goals is a great way to reduce stress while keeping priorities in order.

SKILL #3: Planning

After determining priorities and setting goals, the next time management skill you need to implement is planning. Planning involves creating a realistic schedule, allowing time to complete each task. When you begin planning, consider all the time during the workday.

For example, if you work from 8-5, that is nine hours. However, you probably have 30 minutes to one hour for lunch and at least one morning and afternoon break. The time for those breaks must be subtracted from your “working” hours. By accounting for each hour or 15–30-minute interval, you can have a better idea of how much time you can devote to each task and create a schedule that accommodates your priorities and goals.

SKILL #4: Delegating

Another one of the top time management strategies in nursing is delegation. As a registered nurse, you have the authority to delegate certain tasks to other members of your team. By delegating tasks, multiple tasks can be handled within your team simultaneously. Along with the authority to delegate, keep in mind that you must remain accountable within the scope of your practice by following the Five Rights of Delegation to ensure patient and staff safety.

SKILL #5: Setting Boundaries

I am the type of person who loves to help others. Although being helpful is a good quality, when it comes to managing time, we must know our limits. For me, this was a difficult lesson to learn because I like to believe others ask for help only when they need it, which makes me feel guilty for saying no. One of the most important things you can do to help improve your time management strategies in nursing is to learn when helping is okay and when it is not.

If you are repeatedly asked to take on extra assignments or to assist others, and it interferes with your ability to finish your job or perform your job effectively, you need stricter boundaries. Before allowing things to become a significant problem, talk to your charge nurse or manager to discuss what you feel you can accomplish and ask for guidance in managing time and tasks. Remember, your supervisor's job is to ensure not only good patient outcomes and safety but positive employee outcomes and safety, as well.

SKILL #6: Staying focused

Something many people may not consider a skill is the ability to simply stay focused. Knowing which tasks need to be completed, setting goals and boundaries, and delegating appropriate tasks are time management skills in nursing that are complemented by staying focused. By focusing on one task at a time, you will reduce distractions, improve the quality of the work you complete, and have better outcomes at the end of the day.

SKILL #7: Using Technology

I have been a nurse for many years, and one thing I can tell you that has helped me and other nurses with time management strategies in nursing is technology. When I first began nursing, all our documentation was handwritten. Today, nurses use smartphones and tablets to chart electronically at the patient’s bedside. We used to pull stickers off supplies and put them on a billing sheet with the patient’s name and identification number for billing purposes. Today, nurses scan a patient’s wristband and any supplies they use, and the patient’s bill is automatically updated in the electronic system.

Other types of technology you can utilize if your facility has access are portable blood pressure monitors, automated IV pumps, and wearable devices, such as the Steth IO smartphone stethoscope.

5 Questions You Must Ask Yourself to Evaluate Your Time Management Skills in Nursing

While supervisors and managers may evaluate your ability to manage time, it is important that you know how to assess your skills for yourself. Part of self-improvement is the ability to be honest with yourself about your skills, abilities, and what improvements, if any, you need to make. To evaluate your time management skills in nursing, consider asking yourself the following five questions.

QUESTION #1: How Do I Prioritize Tasks That Need Accomplishing?

Nurses who manage their time well know that prioritizing tasks is essential. The first thing to consider when evaluating your time management skills in nursing is how you prioritize tasks. Good prioritization requires you to decide which tasks are urgent and which are non-urgent, which tasks may be delegated, and how long each task should take to complete. Knowing how to differentiate between tasks is key to effective prioritization.

QUESTION #2: What Tools Are at My Disposal to Help Manage Time Efficiently?

Making use of time management tools and medical tech gadgets is an excellent way to improve time management in nursing. Ask yourself what tools are available to you to help manage time more efficiently. Your employer may provide some tools, such as tablets or smartphones, used to document electronically in patient charts. Your facility may also have electronic blood pressure cuffs and other routinely used equipment to help speed routine assessments along.

Some tech gadgets make nursing life easier while improving time management. For example, the Veinlight Vein Finder uses a transilluminator to help you locate the right vein, then anchors the vein to prevent rolling, stretches the skin to raise the vein, and acts as a tourniquet for drawing blood. The Livescribe Echo Smart Pen captures anything you write or draw and saves a digital copy to any computer, tablet, or other electronic device for easy access. The Eko Digital Stethoscope is an FDA-approved medical device that attaches to any single-tube stethoscope, giving it digital recording capability.

QUESTION #3: How Good Am I at Delegating Tasks?

One of the easiest ways to manage time in nursing is to delegate tasks. However, if you are not comfortable doing so or struggle with trying to do everything yourself, you could find time management challenging. If delegating tasks is something you need to work on, consider talking to your manager or supervisor for advice on how they make delegation decisions.

QUESTION #4: Do My Time Management Skills Allow for a Healthy Work-Life Balance?

Nursing is an amazing profession with many benefits, but if we are not careful, we can allow ourselves to become overworked. By practicing good time management strategies in nursing, you can create a healthy balance between work and your personal life. One of the most important questions to ask yourself when evaluating your time management skills is whether you have a healthy work-life balance. If the answer is “no,” chances are, you need to reassess your time management strategies to include time for your personal life.

QUESTION #5: Am I Comfortable Setting Limits or Boundaries?

One of the hardest lessons for me to learn is that, although I love to help others, I must know the limits of what I feel comfortable doing and how much responsibility I am willing to assume. As you evaluate your time management skills, think about whether you are comfortable setting limits for the amount of work you feel you can handle and know when it is time to say "No." As a nurse leader and educator, I can assure you that employers would much prefer working with a nurse who is honest about being overwhelmed or having too many responsibilities than to chance risking patient, staff, or organizational safety because they are uncomfortable speaking up.

How to Improve Time Management in Nursing?

(The following are 15 effective tips to help nurses improve their time management skills.)

TIP #1: Be On Time for Work

About the Tip:

The most important step you can take in implementing time management in nursing is to be on time for work. In fact, I recommend arriving for work at least 15-20 minutes before your shift is scheduled to begin.

How Does it Help:

There is nothing that can make your day feel as rushed as arriving at work just in time before your shift starts, or worse... late! When you put forth effort to get to work early, you have time to get your personal things such as lunch, backpack, or other supplies put away. Most hospitals and nursing homes have end-of-shift reports, where the nurses coming onto their shifts will get reports from nurses leaving their shifts. Arriving at work early means you will be there for this valuable report so you can learn about any changes that occurred with patients during the previous shifts or other pertinent information you need to know to carry out your duties.

TIP #2: Get Organized

About the Tip:

One of the first steps in developing time management skills in nursing is to get organized. Getting organized involves everything from preparing yourself for work the night before your shift to arriving early for the start of your shift, completing a pre-shift review of patients, and prioritizing the order of tasks you need to accomplish.

How Does it Help:

By taking the time to get organized, you have more control over your schedule. You know what needs to be done and can determine when to do it. While there may be times when your schedule is disrupted due to a patient emergency or other unforeseen event, being organized helps you get back on track more easily.

TIP #3: Prioritize Tasks

About the Tip:

I learned early on in my nursing career that one of the first things I should do each day is prioritize patient care. I learned to start my day by determining which patients or tasks needed my immediate attention and which ones could be seen later.

How Does it Help:

Prioritizing your most acute patients is the most appropriate approach to take because acute patients typically require more specialized care. I recommend seeing the most acute patients yourself and delegating non-acute patients to appropriate support staff when possible. Remember, at the end of the day, any tasks you delegate are still your responsibility. So, carefully follow up with any employee to whom you delegate a task to ensure it was completed correctly and documented.

TIP #4: Delegate Tasks When Appropriate

About the Tip:

A simple yet practical way to manage time wisely in nursing is to delegate tasks to appropriate staff or support personnel. For example, you may delegate the job of taking routine vital signs to the Certified Nursing Assistants working on your team. As a registered nurse, you may delegate tasks such as medication administration and wound dressing changes to a licensed practical nurse. The most important thing to remember when delegating tasks is that the person to whom the task is delegated must be authorized legally to perform the task and have proper training.

How Does it Help:

Delegation is one of the best time management skills in nursing because it encourages teamwork and allows several patient care tasks to be completed simultaneously. Further, nursing shortages and complexities in patient health requiring more hands-on care are a few reasons delegation is useful. When care teams work together to accomplish patient goals, patient outcomes also improve.

TIP #5: Use Time-Management Apps

About the Tip:

We live in a world of ever-changing technology. With apps at our fingertips to create calendars, reminders, and detailed schedules, it is easier now than ever to manage time wisely with less effort. For example, Epocrates is a drug reference app that allows you to search for information about any prescription drug, including its actions, drug interactions, and potential adverse reactions, as well as physicians who are authorized to prescribe the drug. Todoist is a task manager that you can use for work and your personal life. It includes the option to create daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly lists and reminders.

How Does it Help:

Even the simplest efforts to manage time can have a great impact on how well your workday flows. Utilizing common tools such as time-management apps can help you stay on track so that you accomplish tasks on time, which means less stress and frustration at work, better patient satisfaction, and improved patient and organizational outcomes.

TIP #6: Utilize Teamwork

About the Tip:

One thing I love about nursing is being part of a team, and I have learned through my years in nursing that an effective way to save time is to utilize teamwork. Each team member of your nursing team has skills they can contribute to accomplishing tasks.

How Does it Help:

Utilizing the skills and abilities of team members means you can accomplish tasks faster and more efficiently. When work is completed efficiently, patient, professional, and organizational outcomes are improved.

TIP #7: Limit Distractions

About the Tip:

Having worked in several nursing settings, I understand there are many things that can cause you to become distracted. You may have several patients who require attention, other nurses who need help with tasks or patient care, and doctors looking for charts or giving new orders. To be effective, though, you must master one of the best time management strategies in nursing: limiting distractions.

How Does it Help:

Although it takes some practice, limiting distractions can be quite beneficial. By doing so, you can focus on one task at a time, which improves focus and work efficiency. As a result, you will complete tasks in a more timely manner and have better performance outcomes.

TIP #8: Be Flexible

About the Tip:

As early as the first semester of nursing school, students learn the importance of schedules and how a lack of structure can negatively impact our success. So, it is really no surprise that many of us find it challenging to change things up a bit. In nursing, though, successful time management means knowing when to be flexible.

How Does it Help:

Practicing flexibility in nursing is helpful because it allows you to determine what tasks can be combined or rearranged in your schedule to manage time more efficiently. By being flexible and simplifying your schedule, you can find ways to accomplish goals and tasks while also relieving some of the stress of your hectic nursing schedule.

TIP #9: Set Achievable Goals

About the Tip:

In all my years of being a nurse, if I have learned anything about developing time management skills in nursing, I have learned that setting reasonable, achievable goals is essential. The short time it takes to make a list of goals and create a timeline for achieving them can save significant time in the long run.

How Does it Help:

You can apply time management strategies to both short-term and long-term goals to help guide you toward a desired outcome and stay on track for achieving your goals. By setting achievable goals, you create a guide for completing tasks. When you follow your prescribed goals list, you learn to stay focused on tasks, which reduces the chance of becoming distracted and allows you to accomplish your work in a timely manner.

TIP #10: Establish a Routine

About the Tip:

Another excellent time management strategy in nursing is to establish a daily routine. As a nurse, I understand that unexpected events happen, which may lead to needing to adjust your routine. However, establishing a routine is still a great way to know what you need to do and when, and it helps you get back on schedule when the unexpected occurs.

How Does it Help:

By establishing a routine, you reserve a time to begin each task, which helps you stay on track. An established routine allows you to determine a specific amount of time to dedicate to each task. When you schedule your work by establishing a routine, you spend less time and mental energy trying to figure out where to go or what to do next and become more accountable for the time you spend at work.

TIP #11: Use Cognitive Stacking

About the Tip:

Cognitive stacking is a method by which nurses organize and reorganize activities according to changing priorities throughout a work shift. Cognitive stacking is a way of thinking that allows you to restructure the order of accomplishing tasks without deleting necessary tasks from your to-do list. Instead, you simply reorganize based on new priorities.

How Does it Help:

Using cognitive stacking allows you to determine which tasks are the highest priority, which means you can address the most essential patient needs first. This tip is effective in helping improve time management skills for nurses because it helps you stay on track by keeping the most critical or essential tasks at the forefront of the list of things you need to accomplish.

TIP #12: Avoid Multitasking

About the Tip:

While the ability to multitask comes in handy at times, improving time management skills for nurses requires knowing when to multitask and when to avoid it. Multitasking involves trying to handle several tasks at the same time, which can be stressful. Often, it leads to limited productivity and decreased creativity.

How Does it Help:

If you avoid multitasking, you can concentrate on one project or task at a time. By focusing on individual tasks, it is easier to ensure work is completed efficiently and in a timely manner.

TIP #13: Do Not Procrastinate

About the Tip:

I hate to admit it, but there are days when I put things off until what seems like the last minute. I do not know if it is because I am just tired or have other things on my mind, but on those days, it seems like I may never get my work done. One of the worst things you can do when you want to manage time effectively in nursing is to procrastinate.

How Does it Help:

Procrastinating may lead to you being rushed to get work finished near the end of your shift, which can lead to errors. Whether you make errors in charting or patient care, the consequences can be severe. Avoiding procrastination is helpful because it means you are more likely to perform your duties thoroughly and efficiently. Nurses who manage time wisely by avoiding procrastination are less stressed at work, have better professional outcomes, and typically see more positive patient outcomes.

TIP #14: Complete the Most Difficult Tasks First

About the Tip:

It is normal to want to avoid difficult tasks. Whether it is the simple lack of motivation or the dread of tackling difficult jobs, many people tend to focus on easier jobs before addressing challenging tasks. One of the best ways to implement good time management strategies in nursing, however, is to complete the most difficult tasks first.

How Does it Help:

It is helpful to complete difficult tasks first because the earlier it is in your workday, the more likely you are to have more energy and focus. By tackling the challenging jobs, the ones that you prefer not to do, you get the hard stuff out of the way. Then, you can move on to smaller, less difficult tasks to complete your day.

TIP #15: Use Batch Processing When Planning Your Day

About the Tip:

Batch processing, or batching, involves grouping similar jobs or tasks together so you can work on them simultaneously. For example, you may set aside time early in the morning to check and send emails. If you have weekly meetings, you could choose one or two days to set aside for them instead of scheduling them sporadically throughout the week.

How Does it Help:

Batch processing is helpful because it involves building structure and boundaries within your schedule. When you batch tasks by objective or function, you can delve into specific tasks with fewer interruptions and more focus.

3 Main Barriers to Effective Time Management in Nursing and How to Overcome Them

Learning to manage time in nursing is crucial if you want to perform your job well and have less stress. To do so, you must learn to identify and overcome barriers to effective time management. While there are many barriers to effective time management strategies in nursing, the list below reflects three of the top barriers.

BARRIER #1: The Inability to Say “No”

What is it:

One of the biggest barriers to time management in nursing is taking on too many tasks. Having worked in both a clinical role and an administrative role, I understand the need nurses often feel to accomplish as much as possible. I also understand that it is sometimes difficult to say “no” when someone asks us to take on another task. However, because there is only a limited time in the day, the inability to say “no” is one of the main barriers to effective time management.

How to Overcome:

Saying "no" when asked to take on more responsibility is not always a negative thing. In fact, as an administrative nurse, I learned it was important to encourage team members to be honest with me about the type and amount of work they felt they could handle. If you are asked to work extra hours or take on additional responsibilities and feel it is too much or overwhelming, it is best to say "no" to those requests rather than risk being overwhelmed, overworked, and increasing the chance of making errors.

BARRIER #2: Too Many Distractions

What is it:

One of the biggest barriers to effective time management in nursing is having too many distractions. Even minor interruptions can lead to distractions that impact work performance.

How to Overcome:

A few things that may interrupt your workflow are too many phone calls or trying to focus on multiple tasks at once. The first step in overcoming this barrier to good time management is to identify the things that cause distractions or interruptions in your work and try to eliminate them or at least reduce them. Avoid accepting personal phone calls during the workday unless it is an emergency. Also, instead of trying to work on several tasks, which causes stress and often leads to incomplete work, work on one thing at a time to stay focused.

BARRIER #3: Failure to Prioritize

What is it:

As nurses, we understand that prioritizing is an essential skill. Failure to prioritize is one of the main barriers to time management skills in nursing. Whether you have several patients who need care, orders that need to be transcribed, or medications to administer, learning to prioritize is one of the best things you can do to help improve your time management skills.

How to Overcome:

The best way to learn to prioritize is to ask yourself questions about the work you need to accomplish. For example, is the task something dealing with an emergency that requires immediate attention? Also, consider how postponing a task will affect your patient or your team. Other things to consider are whether you can delegate some tasks or you can batch tasks to complete your work in a timelier manner.

5 Main Consequences of Lack of Time Management in Nursing

Good time management in nursing is essential, which is why we begin teaching nursing students about time management strategies early in their nursing programs. Without effective time management skills in nursing, patient and professional outcomes suffer, as well as the risk of other consequences. The following are five of the main consequences of lack of time management in nursing.

CONSEQUENCE #1: Poor Patient Outcomes

One of the main consequences of lack of time management in nursing is poor patient outcomes. When we fail to manage time wisely, patient needs may be neglected or postponed, which could be detrimental to their health, well-being, and overall outcomes.

CONSEQUENCE #2: You May Have to Work Overtime

Another main consequence of poor time management skills in nursing is that you could end up being stuck working overtime. As nurses, there are some responsibilities that must be completed each day before leaving work. Therefore, if you lack time management skills and do not complete tasks in a timely manner, you may have to stay later than your scheduled shift to get work done.

CONSEQUENCE #3: Work Anxiety

Poor time management skills in nursing often lead to increased stress and anxiety on the job. Anxiety often results because poor time management leads to incomplete tasks or feeling rushed to get work done before the end of a shift. Reducing the risk of anxiety is one of the reasons prioritizing work is an essential part of time management strategies for nurses.

CONSEQUENCE #4: Poor Performance Reviews

Whether you are a new nurse graduate or a seasoned nursing veteran preparing for a job interview, you can rest assured that one of the questions interviewers will ask you is how well you manage your time. As nursing leaders, it is important for administrators and managers to find job prospects who have good time management skills in nursing and who know how to implement time management strategies to promote efficient, timely work.

Unfortunately, one of the consequences of a lack of time management skills in nursing is that you could receive poor performance reviews. When this happens, it could impact whether you receive a raise or promotion. Also, poor reviews from former employers could negatively impact your chances of getting a new job.

CONSEQUENCE #5: Nurse Burnout

No matter what role you have in nursing, you can expect to have several responsibilities that require effective time management skills. The stress, anxiety, and extra hours nurses may need to work if their time management skills are poor can lead to being increasingly overwhelmed, which can quickly lead to burnout. As you learn time management strategies, be sure to pace yourself and remember that it is okay to ask for help when you need it.

Bonus! 5 Best Tools to Help Nurses Effectively Manage Time

No matter how well you manage time, there is always room for improvement. With several automation and productivity tools available, you can learn to leverage your time wisely. The following are five of the best tools to help nurses effectively manage time.

TOOL #1: Outlook Calendar or Google Calendar

You can download Outlook Calendar or Google Calendar on your tablet, smartphone, or any other electronic device to schedule and keep track of important events quickly and easily. Whether you have a clinical role in nursing or work in an administrative post, using one of these tools is efficient and easy to use and helps you keep up with tasks.

TOOL #2: A Nurse’s Pocket Guide

Of course, you got your nursing license based on what you know and could recall on your licensing exam, but we all need a little help sometimes. I recommend all nurses carry some type of pocket guide with them while working. One example is the Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationales. This handy pocket guide is a quick reference tool to help you select appropriate nursing diagnoses to plan patient care, as well as tips for prioritizing and rationalizing patient care. (You can purchase this book from Amazon for around $44.)

TOOL #3: Electronic Health Records

I know I am giving my age away, but oh, how well I remember the days when everything we did, as far as documenting patient care, taking physicians' orders, and any other communication about patients, was handwritten. One of the most effective tools that promotes time management skills in nursing is the development of Electronic Health Records/Electronic Medical Records (EHR/EMR). Electronic health records give nurses and other members of the healthcare team immediate access to patient information, including patient medical history, medication and allergy lists, previous treatments, test results, and documentation about their current issues. Because electronic records give immediate access to patient information, they make it possible to significantly reduce the time spent finding important patient data and updating new events in your patients’ charts.

TOOL #4: Trello

Trello is an online workspace that allows you to organize to-do lists for yourself or assign tasks if you work collaboratively with your nursing team. Although the app was not designed specifically for nurses, the design is user-friendly, making it a top choice for nurses who want to get organized and stay that way so they can manage time more efficiently. With the Trello app, you can keep track of tasks, make comments for yourself or others to review, upload attachments, set due dates, create checklists, and sync your data across all your devices.

TOOL #5: Nursegrid

Nursegrid is a calendar app developed by nurses for nurses. With Nursegrid, you can sync your work schedule and colleague contacts and collaborate with peers and coworkers. Additionally, the app allows you to upload photos of your licenses and certifications and create expiration date reminders, making it easier for you to manage credentials and make sure you stay up to date!

My Final Thoughts

As nurses, we realize the importance of doing a thorough job in a timely manner. If you struggle with getting things done or feel like there are not enough hours in the day, you may ask, “Can someone tell me how to improve time management in nursing?” In this article, I answered that question by sharing 15 effective tips to improve time management in nursing. By implementing these tips, you can make the most of your day, reduce stress on the job, and see better patient and professional outcomes. Although time management skills take some time to develop, the more you work at it, the easier it becomes!

Frequently Asked Questions Answered by Our Expert

1. As A Practicing Nurse, Is It Hard To Manage Time?

Some days are easier than others for nurses when it comes to managing time. However, by implementing proven time management strategies, you can make your days and job go more smoothly.

2. What Is The Best Tip To Enhance Time Management For New Nurses?

I believe the best tip to enhance time management skills in nursing for new nurses is to prioritize. If you take the time to make a list and prioritize everything you need to accomplish each day, it can help you stay on track and manage time more efficiently.

3. Is It Hard To Manage Time With Nursing School And A Full-Time Job?

Managing time while in nursing school and working a full-time job can be challenging, but it is possible. To succeed, it is crucial that you create a balance between school and work, dedicating sufficient time to each. Prioritizing and delegating tasks at home can help take some of the pressure off while you are studying and working, as well.

4. Which Type Of Nurse Requires Optimum Time Management?

The type of setting where you work and the patient population you serve may determine which time management skills you utilize most. However, all nurses require optimum time management skills.

5. Does Enhanced Time Management Skills In Nursing Improve Patient Outcomes?

Enhanced time management skills in nursing are key to providing high-quality patient care, which can help improve patient outcomes. When nurses manage time effectively, patients have shorter wait times for service, tasks are completed in a timely manner, and nurses feel less stress.

6. How Long Does It Take To Improve Time Management Skills In Nursing?

It usually takes one to two years for nurses to develop good time management skills. New technologies and ways to manage time more effectively are developed daily, which means you can continually build your skills and learn more effective ways of managing your time.

7. Does Time Management Look Good On My Nursing Resume?

Yes! Time management skills in nursing look great on a resume! Whether you apply for an entry-level clinical role or an administrative position, employers want to know you can set objectives, prioritize activities, and know how and when to delegate work.

8. How To List Time Management Skills On My Nursing Resume?

You can incorporate your time management skills in different places throughout your resume. You may choose to mention some time management skills in your professional resume summary. Some people include time management skills in the “skills” section of the resume. When listing skills, they should be specific and relatable to something in your work or volunteer experience.

9. Do Nursing Schools Teach Time Management?

Nursing school not only teaches the fundamentals of time management and how to implement the skills into clinical practice, but you will also learn to effectively manage time as you juggle a busy classroom, clinical, and personal or work schedule.

10. Are Nurses With Good Time Management Skills Happier?

Good time management skills in nursing are typically associated with less stress and easier workdays. Therefore, nurses with good time management skills are usually happier and more satisfied with their jobs.

11. What Are The 3 Ps Of Time Management In Nursing?

The three Ps of time management in nursing are Planning, Prioritizing, and Performing. By spending as little as 15 minutes planning your day, you can have a clear sense of what tasks need to be completed and avoid distractions. Prioritizing is simply the act of determining the order in which tasks should be completed, according to urgency or need. Performing is putting your plan into action.