School Nurse Time Management: Not for Sissies
Copyrighted By Gerri Harvey
School Nurse Perspectives: http://snp.homestead.com
The world now offers us a plethora of books on time management. I confess, I have bought more than a few of them, hoping that there is some magical formula for finally getting it together at work. But, many books and failed attempts later, I have a theory: traditional strategies do not work for us, and I think we need our own book. Someday, when I am retired from school nursing, maybe I will have time to write this ground-breaking tome. Meanwhile, allow me to share the top three time management rules offered in the popular books, and what happened when I tried to implement them as a school nurse:
1. Start each day with a plan and stick to it
2. Close your door for a specific time period each day and refuse all interruptions
3. Utilize your breaks to refresh and rejuvenate.
1. Start each day with a written plan and then stick to it.
A list-maker at heart I love this one, and I actually haven't given up on the possibilities inherent in making those To Do lists and numbering each item by priority. Once, I made it to number three of 25 priorities and now strive to beat my own record. But it's hard. Every day it's something different. Suppose it happens to be a day that the school store gets in their new supply of gel pens? Kiss that plan goodbye! The pen-chewers are going to show up in droves, exploded pen in hand and mouth agape. Lips, teeth and tongue will sport surrealistic colors in glittery or pearly hues that rival those new hair gels (you know, the ones that have totally changed my ideas about bad hair days) Those kids will need rinses, teeth and tongue brushing and reassurances that the ink is not fatal, just brilliant. Murphy's Law will ensure that only the most sensitive children will bite that pen just right resulting in this particular alteration in body image, so it's very possible that one or two pens can derail your best laid plans for the day.
Or just suppose you decide to go in a few minutes early, with the idea you are going to enjoy 15 minutes of contemplative solitude in your office while you sip tea and write said plan. As you enter the building, you hear yourself being paged, a whole 45 minutes before you are even contractually obligated to be there. So, you call the office and find out that 6 classes are leaving for a field trip 2 states away in 15 minutes, and the teachers forgot to tell you and of course they need meds, inhalers, Epi-Pens and first aide kits right away. So much for planning to write a plan.
2. Close your door for a specific time period each day and refuse all interruptions
This idea is too funny: refuse interruptions?? OK, I admit I have tried this one. I gave a 20 minute presentation to the staff about how closing my office for 30 minutes once a day will better serve their needs. I likened this time to teacher planning periods. The idea was that I was sure there was a lot I could accomplish in 30 uninterrupted minutes but which I just couldn't manage in 30 one-minute blocks spread over the entire day.
I let them help me identify the time when they would be least likely to have to send a child to the nurse. I assured them they could still send kids for emergencies. I defined emergencies. I made a cute sign for my door, which explained exactly under what circumstances they were allowed to knock. I got a curtain for the window on my door, so the sight of me sitting at my desk "doing nothing" would not elicit an urgent need to tell me about a symptom that was too minor to bother conveying to the parent who was still asleep when they left home that morning, but which became most urgent the moment they stepped off the school bus. I bought a desk lamp, so I could turn off my office light on the same principle we have in mind when we turn off the porch light on Halloween after we run out of candy. I prepped the school secretary. I reminded staff in the written daily notices and had it announced over the PA so the kids would know that for a mere 30 minutes each day, my open arms and open door was "Blood, vomit or fevers over 104 only" time. Basically, I spent the equivalent of more than 2 week's worth of my anticipated uninterrupted time preparing my school to survive without me for 30 minutes a day.
The end result of my attempt is worthy a PhD study. You have heard of Carl Jung, right? He is the guy who proposed the concept of the collective unconscious, an invisible layer of subconscious thought that connects us to one another and into which we can all tap, since it hovers over us like a layer of the stratosphere. It might sound a little far-fetched, but I tell you it is real. Telemarketers tap into it in order to call just as your family is sitting down to supper. But they don't even come close to the energy forces generated when an entire school focuses on the 30 minutes that they are expected to do without their school nurse; so close, yet so unavailable.
Hang nails, old scabs and noses will suddenly begin to bleed profusely. Kids who daily consume Oreos, Fruit Roll-ups and chips for breakfast without complaint will suddenly become nauseous enough to start a trash can brigade destined for your closed door. Teachers will suddenly become acutely attuned to nuances in facial expressions and voice inflections and will "know" that a child has a high fever or is about to vomit before the child even realizes he doesn't feel good. Parents you have suspected do not really exist will suddenly return phone calls you made weeks ago, insisting they speak with you immediately. The principal will suddenly realize that a fire drill is way, way overdue.
3. Utilize breaks to refresh and rejuvenate.
Every time management book emphasizes using those breaks. They are talking about coffee breaks, lunch breaks and bathroom breaks. With the possible exception of school nurses, people expect these and even get them! The books provide delicious ideas about ways to rejuvenate and de-stress during one of your two daily 15 minute coffee breaks, or your one hour lunch break . The experts assure us we will be more productive for the rest of the day if we try these. Their suggestions sound good in theory. Go for walks in the park. Fit in an exercise class. Meditate or do yoga. Make personal phone calls. Go out for a manicure or facial. This is after you have taken a leisurely 15 minutes to eat a salad and whole wheat roll, perfectly satisfying because you have sipped 16 ounces of bottled water throughout the morning. Oh brother.
I tried that water sipping idea once and I had to call a colleague from across the hall to come over NOW to cover the nine students in my office so I could go to the bathroom. I barely made it and by the time I came out 2 minutes later, there was an APB out for me, called in by a teacher who saw said colleague with head between knees because a student had vomited all over my office floor.
As for lunch breaks, well, YOU know. It's a miracle if we get to eat lunch before the dismissal bell, right? However, one time, determined and sure of myself (I double-checked my contract first), I did try the go-for-a-walk idea. Aiming for the park seemed kind of drastic, so I decided to try for going out the side door by my office and coming back in the front door of building. I figured this would give me a 2-3 minute change of scenery, a nice shot of vitamin D and a short aerobic burst of fresh air at the very least.
I went down to the office and signed out, just like the teachers do. I let the secretary know I would be out of the building for 2-3 minutes. At her request, I agreed to take the office pager in case an unexpected emergency should arise while I was out of range of the phone and overhead PA. I went back to my office to get my coat. I took care of the six students who were camped by my door wondering where I was. I responded to the page initiated by a teacher whose child had gone back to class reporting that the nurse was nowhere to be found. I headed for the door. I stopped and went back to get a safety pin for the kid who popped a button at lunch and who was in a sliding pants crisis. I answered the phone while I was there because the secretary had obviously sent the call through for a reason. It was the secretary asking me if I enjoyed my walk, and was I back yet, since it had been 15 minutes and she had 4 phone messages for me. I told her the walk was great, in theory anyway.
Yes, someday, I am going to write that book on time management for school nurses. But in all fairness, I probably should try the other 20 or so strategies that work for everyone else. The next one I plan to try next is Concentrate on the one task at a time and forget about everything else until that task is completed. I will let you know how it goes.
