"In my current role, I oversee and mentor my staff, liaise between patients, family, physicians, and staff, oversee admissions and discharges, and more, so I'm used to working in a fast-paced and demanding environment. I have found ways to effectively manage my time by organizing my day and week ahead of time. I plan my calendar as best I can, knowing that things can change rapidly in healthcare, so being adaptable and flexible also helps me adjust and regroup with my priorities. If there are tasks I can delegate to other nurses that will help with the admin side of things, I'm happy to train or mentor them so they can assist and grow their skills. Providing patient care comes first, so if we have call-offs, I may need to work the floor, and my admin tasks take a lesser priority. I'm not afraid to ask for help when needed or work extra time after my shift as needed to catch up."

"I have strong organizational skills and can effectively time-manage and prioritize tasks. I typically plan my week by laying out my highest priorities and blocking time off my calendar to designate time for that task. For example, if I need to do an audit or mock survey prep, I will put it on my calendar when there are no anticipated conflicts or meetings and where I foresee few disruptions. If there are admin tasks that I can delegate, I will assign those and make sure I have plenty of time for patient care or family meetings as necessary.

I have worked in management for many years, and I know that there are days when you are pulled in a thousand different directions. One of the most important things that I think I do is stay organized. I keep an up-to-date calendar that has meetings and supervisory obligations that I must attend. At the end of each workday the last thing I do is write a to do list for the next day. I find that I am much more productive in all aspects of my role when I stay organized. I stay flexible as well knowing that things change every day. I prioritize patient safety and delegate when it's appropriate. I also try to pay attention to times of day that are "quieter" and attempt to do the administrative work when I am less likely needed on the floor.