Time management is a key component of reducing stress and reaching career and personal goals. Time is not a renewable resource, so it should be utilized wisely! It’s especially important for CRNAs, as they must meet strict deadlines every day. Here’s more about how and why you should improve your time management.
- Accomplish more tasks by dedicating time to each duty. You’ll be more productive when you prioritize tasks, and the most important things are completed first. Create a list and cross things off — the feeling of accomplishment you get as you go through your list increases confidence, satisfaction, and drive to complete more goals.
- Time management encourages making informed, conscious decisions. The duties of a CRNA vary from pre-anesthesia care to anesthesia care and post-anesthesia care. To provide quality care and ensure patient safety, CRNAs must prioritize and spend the proper amount of time with each patient. Careful time management is required to meet the needs of all patients.
- Setting aside time to make decisions helps ensure you’ll make the right one. After all, reckless decisions are made under pressure with little to no research or consideration of the possible consequences. And remember, choosing not to decide is in fact a decision – the worst one you can make.
- Time management leads to reduced stress and increased self-care. CRNAs work in a physically and mentally stressful environment on a day-to-day basis. If you manage your time well, you can make sure a few minutes can be set aside to unwind from an otherwise stressful day. The resulting decrease in stress can improve personal and job satisfaction, provide restorative sleep, and improve mental health. Setting aside time for self-care should be a major priority in a CRNA’s time management plan.
- Time management increases self-discipline – a valuable skill that can be utilized every day. A driving force behind a CRNA’s success is self-discipline. Further, time management requires
discipline to stay on track, meaning you are less likely to procrastinate. Practicing self-discipline not only helps you achieve goals, but also increases the chances you’ll set new ones. Best of all, increased self-discipline results in a great work ethic, which leads to increased opportunities for professional advancement. - Time management helps you stay on top of necessary certifications and educational requirements. Rigorous educational courses and certifications required in this field demand a strictly managed schedule to complete all tasks, assignments, and protocols. These include but are not limited to RN license renewal, CRNA certification renewal, advanced cardio life support (ACLS), PALS, continuing education (Ces), and any/all facility-specific yearly training that may be required. If you work at more than one facility, you then have to submit necessary credential documents to each one (although Allegheny Anesthetists does our best to support you during these steps, and make the process as painless as possible). Keeping a calendar with clearly marked deadlines can help you proactively manage these requirements.
- Time management expands your knowledge base. When time is set aside for each task that needs to be accomplished, more time is left for learning and new experiences. Lifelong learning is a necessity to succeed and advance in a dynamically advancing field.
- For CRNAs who work as independent contractors, time management helps keep your business running smoothly. Independent contractors need to keep track of business expenses for tax purposes, as well as travel logs, receipts and so on. Developing an organized system for documenting these expenses will save you a great deal of time.