162 unit 2 | Working Within the Organization
Long-Term Planning Systems
At the beginning of the semester, students are told
the examination dates and when papers will be due.
Many students find it helpful to enter the dates on
a semester-long calendar so they can be seen at a
glance. Then the students can see when clusters of
assignments are due at the same time. This allows
for advance planning or perhaps requests to change
dates or get extensions.
Personal digital assistants (PDAs), or hand-held
organizers, have become quite popular. These
devices allow both short-term and long-term
scheduling. PDAs permit storing of personal notes
and reminders, contact data, Internet access, and
other program files. Hand-held devices permit syn-
chronization with personal computers and
Internet-based calendars.
Schedules and Blocks of Time
Without some type of schedule, you are more likely
to drift through a day or bounce from one activity to
another in a disorganized fashion. Assignment
sheets, worksheets, flow sheets, and critical pathways
are all designed to help you plan patient care and
schedule your time effectively. The critical pathway
is a guide to recommended treatments and optimal
patient outcomes (see Chapter 10).Assignment sheets
indicate the patients for whom each staff member is
responsible.Worksheetsare then created to organize
the daily care that must be given to the assigned
patients (see Chapter 9 for examples of worksheets).
Flow sheetsare lists of items that must be recorded
for each patient.
Effective worksheets and flow sheets schedule
and organize the day by providing reminders of
various tasks and when they need to be done. The
danger in using them, however, is that the more
they divide the day into discrete segments, the
more they fragment the work and discourage a
holistic approach. If a worksheet becomes the focus
of attention, the perspective of the whole and of the
individuals who are your patients may be lost.
Some activities must be done at a certain time.
These activities structure the day or week to a great
extent, and their timing may be out of your control.
However, in every job there are tasks that can be
done whenever you want to do them, as long as
they are done.
In certain nursing jobs, reports and presenta-
tions are often required. For these activities, you
may need to set aside blocks of time during which
you can concentrate on the task. Trying to create
and complete a report in 5- or 10-minute blocks of
time is unrealistic. By the time you reorient yourself
to the project, the time allotted is over, and nothing
has been accomplished. Setting aside large blocks
of time to do complex tasks is much more efficient.
Consider energy levels when beginning a big
task. Start when levels are high and not at, say, 4:00
in the afternoon if that is when you find yourself
winding down (Baldwin, 2002). For example, if you
are a morning person, plan your demanding work
in the morning. If you get energy spurts later in the
morning or early afternoon, plan to work on larger
or heavier tasks at that time. Nursing shifts may be
designed in 8-, 10-, or 12-hour blocks. Many nurses
working the night shifts (11 p.m. to 7 a.m. or
7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) find they have more energy a
little later into their shift rather than at the begin-
ning, whereas nurses working the day shifts (7 a.m.
to 3 p.m. or 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) find they have the
most energy at the beginning of their shift. Also,
learn to delegate tasks that do not require profes-
sional nursing skills.
Some people go to work early to have a block of
uninterrupted time. Others take work home with
them for the same reason. This extends the work-
day and cuts into leisure time. The higher your
stress level, the less effective you will be on the
job—do not bring your work home with you. You
need some time off to recharge your batteries
(Turkington, 1996).Filing Systems
Filing systems are helpful for keeping track of
important papers. All professionals need to main-
tain copies of licenses, certifications, continuing
education credits, and current information about
their specialty area. Keeping these organized in an
easily retrievable system saves time and energy
when you need to refer to them. Using color-codedbox 11-3
Determining How to Maximze Your Time- Set goals.
- Make a schedule.
- Write a to-do list.
- Revise and modify the to-do list; do not throw it out.
- Identify time-wasting behaviors.