2
The best time management tips for future physicians While there are many hectic jobs that require people to have excellent time man- agement skills in order to do everything that must be done throughout the day, few fields require as much time management as health care. Historically, providers have always been crunched for time, and now as they work to implement all the new technology in medicine on the market and comply with health care reform changes, they are more pressed than ever. This is why now is a good time for medical students who are preparing to enter the field to re-exam- ine how they are spending their time, and look for ways in which they could improve. Anyone within the health care sector who does not understand the importance of time management should consider what Christo- pher Frings, Ph.D., a health care consultant and speaker from Alabama, told Advance Healthcare Network. Wasting just 1 hour a day means in 10 years you will have lost 3,650 hours or 152 days of your life. Every hour is important. Frings told the information provider. http://www.clinicalkey.com/info/best-time-management-tips/ | +1 866 416 6697

The best time management tips for future physicians · 2014-10-01 · The best time management tips for future physicians While there are many hectic jobs that require people to have

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    3

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

The best time management tips for future physiciansWhile there are many hectic jobs that require people to have excellent time man-agement skills in order to do everything that must be done throughout the day, few �elds require as much time management as health care.

Historically, providers have always been crunched for time, and now as they work to implement all the new technology in medicine on the market and comply with health care reform changes, they are more pressed than ever. This is why now is a good time for medical students who are preparing to enter the �eld to re-exam-ine how they are spending their time, and look for ways in which they could improve.

Anyone within the health care sector who does not understand the importance of time management should consider what Christo-pher Frings, Ph.D., a health care consultant and speaker from Alabama, told Advance Healthcare Network.

Wasting just 1 hour a day means in 10 years you will have lost 3,650 hours or 152 days of your life. Every hour is important.

”Frings told the information provider.

http://www.clinicalkey.com/info/best-time-management-tips/ | +1 866 416 6697

Learn the art of prioritizingProper prioritizing is the key to time management. This is why Frings recommends making a to-do list each day, and giving each item on it a letter - either A, B, C or D. Things that have been given an "A" should be taken care of immediately, while those with a "D" can be done at the end of the day or even pushed to tomorrow, if necessary. Advance Healthcare Network spoke to Lisa Henderson, a medical technologist now working for a pro�ciency testing provider, who explained how she would use a calendar to keep track of steps that needed to be prioritized on big projects.

"On most of my projects, I evaluate how long it is going to take me to accomplish it," she said. "I put things on my calendars as a reminder. I usually tend to try to have my calendar current for 6 to 12 months out. Normally, I set that up with that frequency and add to it. Therefore, I can evaluate my time. Keep the calendar current most of the time so you don't feel like you're ending up spending a lot of time catching up."

Establish blocksO�en, medical students and physicians will try to do too many di�erent things all at once, which can cause confusion and force them to slow down throughout the course of their day. This is why they should consider establishing blocks of time that are dedicated to just one thing. For example, a physician might designate one block for surgical assisting and another for minor o�ce procedures. Medical students can use the same model to balance their tasks.

Ignore the mythsBJCHealthcare published an article explaining that there are many myths associated with time management that may be keeping people in the health care industry from doing it correctly. For example, many individuals believe that time management involves getting more things done in less time. However, in reality, time management is about learning how to get more important things done each day, and eliminating distractions or other tasks that do not need to be accomplished immediately.

Furthermore, the article pointed out that the whole idea of "time management" can be �awed, since in reality people can never really have total control over each minute of their day - especially in health care. This is important for medical students to keep in mind, so they do not panic if the unexpected pops up and throws their day o� course. They merely have to accept it, handle the situation and move on.

Take advantage of technologyThere is a great deal of new technology in medicine that is designed to help medical students achieve better time management. Students should look into all of the devices and applications on the market that could help them reduce their workload.

http://www.clinicalkey.com/info/best-time-management-tips/ | +1 866 416 6697

Thankfully, many experts have compiled lists of the best tips to help individuals preparing for careers in the health care industry better manage their time. Here are some of the top ideas.