13/09/2012

Personal & Professional Development …

TIME MANAGEMENT IN THE

CLINCIAL ENVIRONMENT
RUTH CREIGHTON
PAEDIATRIC REGIONAL PLACEMENT
FACILITATOR
MAY 2010

Where did the idea that we need to look at

Learning Objectives for this Session:
time management come from?
• By the end of this session we will have • "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the
same number of hours per day that were given to Helen
– Introduced the concept of time management Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da
Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
– Explored some common issues in respect of time (H. Jackson Brown)
management • "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the
– Looked at some simple strategies for optimizing pilot."
(Michael Altshuler)
time management
• "A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do
– Considered how influencing our students time the same thing; only at different times."
management will impact on our own .. (Baltasar Gracian)

Challenges of Clincial Teaching: … Looking at Time Management,

• Time Pressures • Psychological Barriers
• Competing demands – clinical, administrative,
• Often opportunistic – makes planning more difficult
• We often feel resistance to external
• Increasing numbers of students judgments of our personality or habits. It is
• Fewer patients, shorter stays, refusals much easier to accept a change if we discover
• Under-resourced (training) things for ourselves, if the judgment is our
• Environment not “teaching friendly” own.
• Rewards and recognition for teaching is poor 1

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…. Personal Development,
• Time Management ….Skills • Presentation Skills
• Skill consists in the ability to bring about some
• Stress Management…. Skills • Negotiation Skills
• Project Management …Skills • Customer Care Skills end result with maximum certainty and
• Communication Skills • Leadership Skills minimum outlay of energy, or time and energy
• Conflict resolution …Skills • Teaching Skills
(Guthrie, 1972)
• Assertiveness Skills
• Team Working
• Change Management …Skills

Time Management is probably the number one

tool for managing stress at its sources….
• Do you have the skills necessary to succeed in • On the one hand, good time management is a
today's work place? Good communication, critical element of effective stress
time management and writing skills are management.
essential. One must also be assertive and • Time management is probably the number
organized. Public speaking skills and computer one tool for managing stress at its sources.
literacy may also be necessary…… (teaching • If you get organized, plan ahead, stop
skill ..) procrastinating, clarify your priorities, and
delegate effectively you are much less likely to
be overwhelmed by the pre-deadline stress.

… Stress Management is an essential

Typical Time Problems,
component of Effective Time Management.
• On the other hand, stress management is an • Task • People
essential component of effective time – Work piling up – Constant interruptions from
– Trying to do too much at once callers
management. – Getting involved in too much – Constant telephone
• Many people cannot completely avoid the detail interruptions
– Postponing unpleasant tasks – Too much time spent in
sources of their stress, and an overwhelming conversation
– Insufficient time to think
stress can block their ability to think and – Students
perform.
• In such situations stress management
techniques, including relaxation techniques,
can be critical for getting unstuck and staying
effective.

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Typical Time Problems, Typical Time Wasters,

• Paperwork • Meetings • The drop in visitor • Ineffective communication
– Too much incoming paper – Too much time spent in • Telephones • Procrastination
– Too many letters / notes to (inefficient) meetings
• Paperwork – reading and • Ineffective delegation
write
reports (e mail) • The cluttered desk
– Paperwork piling up • Travelling
– Lost papers • Paperwork – letters and • Personal dis-organization
– Too much time spent on
travel 2 memos • Lack of self-discipline
• Travel
• Meetings

Activity…List the 5 major time wasters that you experience in a

typical week at work, which wastes the most time? …
Know how you spend your time

1. • Keep a time log during some time interval, like

2. a week, and then analyze it to see where your
3. time goes. For example, what percentage of
time you spend on urgent and on important
4. activities, what people you devote most time
5. to. You are likely to be surprised, and you will
see much better if you could use more time
management tips.

…time log, Prioritising,

• Time • “time is a paradox, we never
seem to have enough time, yet
• Activities we have all the time there is, no
matter how much we do, there
• Scheduled are always alternatives for
spending time … focus on the
• Interrupted most important things first,
realizing that there is always
• Urgent enough time for the really
essential matters”
• People (involved)

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Activity … a simple way of PRIORITISING is to make a

Pareto’s Law… list of the tasks to be completed and give them a score,
1- most important, 2-, 3-,
• the 80-20 Rule. 80 percent of the reward comes from 20 1. • Some criteria for
percent of the effort. 2. prioritizing…
• The trick to prioritizing is to isolate and identify that valuable – Closeness of deadline
3.
20 percent. – Level of resources involved
4.
– Customer involvement /
• Once identified, prioritize time to concentrate your work on 5. satisfaction
those items with the greatest reward.
– Potential impact / benefit
• Prioritize by color, number or letter — whichever method – Cost / consequences of non-
makes the most sense to you. and /or -
completion
• Flagging items with a deadline is another idea to help stick to ABCD rating of your priorities.
priorities.

Terms of Time The Important / Urgent grid,

• Short – days, weeks
• Short / Medium – weeks, months
• Medium – months, a few years
• Medium / Long – a few years, 5 or more years
• Long – 5 years or more

• “doing the right thing is more important than

doing things right.”
• Doing the right thing is effectiveness; doing
things right is efficiency.
• Focus first on effectiveness (identifying what is
the right thing to do), then concentrate on
efficiency (doing it right). 3

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The Important / Urgent Grid Procrastination

• is putting off the things that you • Associated with
should be doing now. – Underdeveloped decision making
Urgent Non Urgent – Waiting for the right mood skills
Important A B – Waiting for the right time – Fear of failure or fear of success
– Lack of clear goals – Perfectionism
– Underestimating the difficulty of
Not Important C D the tasks
– Underestimating the time
required to complete the tasks
– Unclear standards for the task
outcomes
– Feeling as the tasks are imposed
on you from outside
– Too ambiguous tasks

Myths About Time Management Myths About Time Management

• Myth: My life is completely controlled by external events. • Myth: I should meet everyone’s expectations.
• Fact: You can have some control over many aspects of your • Fact: The needs and demands of others may be inappropriate
life, but you and you alone are responsible for initiating that
control. Learn to recognize what you can and can’t control for you and your lifestyle. They may be poorly timed, highly
before making your choices. Anticipate the future and clarify questionable, or simply unattainable. They may be of a
the external demands that must be faced. From there, it is different priority than your own. By trying to meet the
easier to determine what can be done, and within what time expectations of others, you may be shortchanging yourself
frame, despite the demands.
and your needs. First become clear about what your needs
are and then you consider what others expect of you.

Myths About Time Management Proactive or Reactive?

• Myth: I should have no limits. • Pro-activity is about • Reactivity is about
• Fact: We all have limits . . . failure to acknowledge this may – Planning, anticipation, – Responding, surprise, fire-
cause you to become perfectionistic in your expectations. forecasting, preventing fighting, crisis management

• Being Proactive requires • Being Reactive for too much

Perfectionists are especially prone to procrastination because
time for of the time invites pressure
the perfection they demand is impossible.
– Exploration, planning, …and thus creates stress
communication, designing
preventive measures.

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Further approaches to time

Scott’s Time Traps…4
management
• Urgencies, crises, panics • Use your biological rhythms to your advantage.
• Optimize your work environment.
• Fire fighting is fun • Safeguard blocks of work time.
• Post adrenaline dip • Communicate clearly.
• Fire fighters get promoted • Arrange your work area. Sort out your desk clutter!
• Close your door.
• Comfortable, familiar, easy tasks • Find and use a special space.
• Immediate reward • Unplug your phone … rack your bleep.

What is Planning and why you need to Plan? …

• Work with deadlines • Planning is one of the most important project

• Delegation management and time management
• Set goals techniques.
• Say “No” !! • Planning is preparing a sequence of action
steps to achieve some specific goal.
• The danger of perfectionism
• If you do it effectively, you can reduce much of
the necessary time and effort of achieving the
goal.

“Failing to Plan is in effect, Planning to

Decision Making Skills …
Fail….” 5
• A plan is like a map. When following a plan, • selecting one course of action from several possible
alternatives. Decision making skills are also a key component
you can always see how much you have of time management skills.
progressed towards your project goal and how – The difficult part is to pick one solution
far you are from your destination. – Where the positive outcome can outweigh possible losses.
– Avoiding decisions often seems easier.
• Knowing where you are is essential for making – Yet, making your own decisions and accepting the consequences is the
good decisions on where to go or what to do only way to stay in control of your time, your success, and your life

next.

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Time Management Conflicts in Clincial

Placement Sites …
• Delegating is one of the most
talked about, yet underutilized
time management tips.
• Delegating effectively is an
important time management skill
that does two things.
• First it frees up your time for
more important tasks.
• Second, when delegating is done
well, it develops the skills and
potential of the people you work
with.

Time Management and Clinical

Clnicial Placement Block = “Project”
Teaching …
• Most clinical teaching takes • A project is generally is a one-off piece of work
place in the context of a with a fixed time frame.
busy practice, with time at a
premium. • 4 / 5 / 6 week blocks.
• Block out time to • What “value” do you place on your role as PE?
accommodate teaching
• Make conscious decisions about realistic time
allocation to teaching.
• Some degree of preparation / planning for
teaching is usually essential even in very
familiar territory.

Planning for Placement … Foundations

Students …
…
• As students are learning, most things will take
longer to do than they would a qualified
practitioner.
• Student caseloads are adjusted to account for
this, particularly during early placements
• It is important for students to learn to
prioritise with multiple needs in mind.

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Adult Learning … Myth: Learning by Osmosis

• Teachers may not feel at ease using a method • Your student does not automatically learn
that places responsibility upon the student. what he or she needs to know when observing
• Students may not be happy with a method you working with clients.
that makes them take responsibility for their
own progress.
• Delegating (responsibility for learning)
effectively can build the skills of the people
around you

Teaching … Learning episodes …

• “Administrator” or • Time Manage for “Learning Episodes”
“Facilitator” of learning

Be explicit with your students about

the competing demands for your time Strategies …
…
• I can committ …. to my Practice Educator • Necessary skills
priorities today … • Necessary planning
• I have a busy clinic this afternoon, it is not a • Clear objectives
good teaching / learning environment for you • Realistic timeframes
at the moment … in week 5 I will bring you to • Necessary communication
the clinic … you will have a foundation then • Delegation
that will allow you to participate … • Timetables

• Set times / timetables … then “teach when

you have committed to teaching” …

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To summarise … Questions ???????

• An overview of Time Management / Time
Management Strategies …
• The Clinical Environment …
• During Clinical Placement …

“Teaching on the run tips” – series from MJA

(2004) … & a few resources in your pack ..
• Planning a teaching episode
• Teaching with patients
• Teaching a skill
• Determining competence
• Effective use of questions
• Assessment and appraisal
• Giving feedback
• Preventing problems