Introduction
Transition is a complicated period for any employee, and nurses often experience more demanding changes in their work environment since the number of adjustments required is immense. This process is even more challenging for a fresh graduate who barely had any practice in a setting that requires its own way of thinking. While it is expected from a nurse to be ready for challenges, both physical and emotional, reality shock often marks the beginning of one’s journey in this profession (Zerwekh & Garneau, 2017). This essay discusses why time management is a critical skill for a nurse graduate and what strategies can be employed to alleviate the impact of transition from a student to a healthcare worker.
Main body
In nursing, time management creates a challenge for fresh graduates that can lead to quick disappointment in their choice of profession. Over time, new developments in nursing made this profession even more demanding, and the expected workload continues to grow (Chang & Daly, 2019). Nowadays, the pressure from this job is higher than from many others. Wong et al. (2018) state that “the responsibility of a RN is heavier than that of a student nurse because they are accountable for each action and decision” (p. 33). While that does not imply that past experience can not help, the transition will pose a significant challenge to any graduate without a sufficient amount of experience.
Many nurses meet new obstacles that did not present themselves as such in practice. Working conditions are one of the primary reasons for high rates of turnover among fresh nurses (Laschinger et al., 2016). Heavy workload in conjunction with time pressure often leads to the lack of balance between work and life (Laschinger et al., 2016). Even if a nurse achieves high results, without a good sense of time, he or she will more likely fail to reach all the set goals (Nayak, 2018). Moreover, nurse graduates who prioritize results without considering their personal needs will stress themselves out much quicker. The ability to properly manage work schedules comes to all nurses eventually, although a conscious effort speeds up the process significantly.
The issues stemming from improper time management can be alleviated by a proper strategy. A nurse must know how to stay in full mental and physical health despite any pressure from work (Chang & Daly, 2019). Simultaneously, newly graduated nurses must learn how to work more efficiently and complete the tasks in the minimum time possible (Nayak, 2018). These challenges can be resolved by addressing each one of them separately.
To ensure that the job does not replace his or her life, a nurse must learn how to prioritize tasks and distinguish between personal and organizational values. By following the code of ethics, a nurse can differentiate between these two notions and ensure that he or she stays within the scope of required duties (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). It can be beneficial for a nurse to incorporate coping strategies into his or her workflow to prevent getting burned out (Laschinger et al., 2016). Avoiding constant personal involvement can also reduce stress from work.
Often, nurses work overtime or stay at work late due to unfinished tasks. Every opportunity to save time counts, which makes foresight and workload estimation crucial parts of the nursing profession (Talebi, Ahmadi, & Kazemnejad, 2019). For a nurse to preserve time and spend it wisely, cooperation, discipline, and self-regulation are mandatory skills that must be acquired in practice prior to graduation (Talebi et al., 2019). Philips et al. (2015) argue that “a focus on socialization of new graduate nurses is required to support transition to practice” (p. 120). Help from others can be a crucial step for a new nurse who has trouble adjusting his or her work schedule.
One of the strategies that can help a fresh nurse to address issues with time management is prompt feedback. If the work environment causes too much stress and leads to a decrease in productivity, a nurse must not hesitate with expressing his or her concerns (Phillips, Esterman, & Kenny, 2015). For example, this issue can be resolved by asking to be appointed to tasks that are less complex and do not include extensive decision-making processes (Phillips et al., 2015). Feedback can also help with other issues at a workplace that hinder one’s performance, such as toxicity and incivility (Laschinger et al., 2016). While there are times when difficult tasks are unavoidable, asking to be reassigned is not a crime.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this profession requires good time management skills, and fresh nurses who are unable to spend their time in an optimal way tend to get burned out due to stress. While it is up to an organization to establish a supportive environment, nurses who develop healthy relationships with other employees will be able to alleviate pressure from complex tasks by using cooperation and teamwork. Having more autonomy in setting the difficulty of their duties and adjusting their time schedule can also help new nurses with acclimation to the work environment.
References
Chang, E., & Daly, J. (2019). Transitions in nursing eBook: Preparing for professional practice (5th ed.). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
Laschinger, H. K., Cummings, G., Leiter, M., Wong, C., MacPhee, M., Ritchie, J., … Read, E. (2016). Starting out: A time-lagged study of new graduate nurses’ transition to practice. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 57, 82-95.
Nayak, S. G. (2018). Time management in nursing – Hour of need. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 11(3), 1997-2000. Web.
Phillips, C., Esterman, A., & Kenny, A. (2015). The theory of organisational socialisation and its potential for improving transition experiences for new graduate nurses. Nurse Education Today, 35(1), 118-124.
Talebi, M., Ahmadi, F., & Kazemnejad, A. (2019). Dynamic self-regulation as an effective time management strategy for clinical nurses: A qualitative study. Collegian, 26(4), 463-469.
Wong, S. W., Che, W. S., Cheng, M. T., Cheung, C. K., Cheung, T. Y., Lee, K. Y., … Yip, S. L. (2018). Challenges of fresh nursing graduates during their transition period. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 8(6), 30.
Zerwekh, J., & Garneau, A. Z. (2017). Nursing today: Transition and trends (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.