Deck 14: Managing Time

Question 1

The nurse manager is significantly behind in the required paperwork for the job. How can the manager rectify this situation?

A) Make stacks of work on the corner of the desk so the work can be seen.
B) Use paper for all communication so a record is kept.
C) Discontinue subscriptions to all journals.
D) Set a goal to work on paperwork for a portion of every day.

Answer 1

Set a goal to work on paperwork for a portion of every day.

Question 2

The nurse manager has decided to work on personal time-management skills. What should this manager do first?

A) Review patterns of time use.
B) Purchase a new notebook system for time management.
C) Identify essential job activities.
D) Set a goal of prioritizing tasks every morning.

Answer 2

Review patterns of time use.

Question 3

Which strategies would decrease the amount of time the nurse manager spends with "drop-in" visitors to the manager's office? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) Set office hours to eliminate those visits.
B) Keep the office door closed.
C) Arrange furniture so the desk faces the door.
D) Stand up to greet the visitor and remain standing.
E) Encourage appointments for routine matters.

Answer 3

Stand up to greet the visitor and remain standing.
Encourage appointments for routine matters.

Question 4

What are reasons that nurses fail to manage time effectively? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) Nurses do tasks they enjoy doing before the ones they do not enjoy.
B) Nurses do things that bring the most immediate closure first.
C) Nurses respond on the basis of who wants something.
D) Nurses do uninteresting jobs before interesting jobs.
E) Nurses work on things in the order of their arrival.

Question 5

The nurse manager has planned a meeting that all staff nurses have to attend. Which method would most efficiently notify the staff members of the meeting time?

A) Email
B) Voice mail
C) Memo
D) Telephone call

Question 6

A nurse frequently has to work late and has no time to do required training while at work. She has to do it on her days off. Choose the work-related time waster that commonly puts nurses in this position.

A) Unscheduled tasks delaying those that are scheduled
B) An overwhelming amount of work to do
C) Taking longer-than-scheduled breaks
D) Volunteering for extra responsibilities

Question 7

A novice nurse manager is devising a schedule to meet the needs of the staff, clients, and other disciplines on the unit. Which is the most important method to counteract wasted time in nursing?

A) Delegate routine activities to concentrate on other tasks.
B) Assign a staff member to attend management meetings.
C) Redesign the position so that the nurse manager works when the unit is not busy.
D) Strictly adhere to a rule that the manager will see only staff members who make appointments.

Question 8

A nurse manager has identified that a major time waster is the amount of time spent on the telephone each day. Which strategy would help reduce this time?

A) Answer the phone, "Hello, how are you?"
B) Send all calls to voice mail.
C) Use email for potentially troublesome issues.
D) Set a specific block of time to return calls.

Question 9

When driving toward a meeting, the nursing supervisor gets a call explaining the meeting is to be delayed for about 30 minutes. Which activity is the best use of this supervisor's waiting time?

A) Listen to music on the radio.
B) Drive to the meeting place and read the minutes from the last meeting.
C) Stop by the closest store and get doughnuts to share with everyone.
D) Use the time to make some personal phone calls.

Question 10

A nurse manager is working on several projects and is stressed most of the time. This manager prefers working at the unit desk instead of in the office to be certain nothing on the unit is missed. Which would be the most effective method to decrease this manager's stress?

A) Keep a structured schedule for "work time" on each project in the office.
B) Elicit assistance from employees to help complete the projects.
C) Allow one project to fall behind while finishing up the others.
D) Take a sick day to work on the projects uninterrupted at home.

Question 11

The nurse manager must attend to several tasks this afternoon. Which tasks would the manager categorize as urgent? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) Waiting for pharmacy to call back about a meeting time
B) Planning a staff meeting for next week
C) Assisting a family whose child is in the emergency department
D) Finding replacements for two staff members on the next shift who called in sick
E) Trying to organize the visitor take-out menus

Question 12

How can a nurse who is consistently falling behind at work improve to become more organized and disciplined?

A) Use the same system every day to organize client care and required activities such as paperwork.
B) Ask the nurse manager to grant permission for fewer client assignments until more experience with organization is achieved.
C) Ask the unit secretary to do required paperwork to decrease the amount of time required.
D) Practice a shorter client assessment technique to minimize the time required for this activity.

Question 13

A nurse is participating in time-management education. This week's assignment is to compile a list of personal goals. Which of these goals should the nurse include? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) "I will lose 10 pounds by Christmas."
B) "My family will have more fun."
C) "I will read for pleasure for 1 hour every day after work."
D) "I will not be late for work."
E) "We will save $200 monthly for the next 12 months for a car down payment."

Question 14

The nurse manager routinely experiences stress related to deadlines for projects. What should be the nurse's first action to control this stress?

A) Identify the actual stressor and the precipitating factors.
B) Plan activities to minimize time constraints to reduce stress.
C) Set aside a block of time each day for stress reduction.
D) Engage in distraction activities to minimize the stress.

Question 15

A nursing supervisor has a report due and just cannot seem to find the time to get it completed. One day before it is due, the supervisor turns it in. This situation best exemplifies which time waster?

A) The supervisor waited for the deadline pressure to increase the priority.
B) The report was one of the last tasks on the "to-do" list.
C) The supervisor has no interest in the topic of the report.
D) The report format is unfamiliar to the nursing supervisor.

Question 16

A newly appointed nurse manager has just completed education on time-management skills. Which statement would the instructor evaluate as indicating this nurse understands the basic concepts of time management?

A) "My job as a nurse manager is so dynamic that I probably will not be able to attain true time management."
B) "The key to using time management is to respect my time as well as the time of others."
C) "If I am going to be able to manage time, the hospital will need to invest in a computer-based time-management system."
D) "The most important aspect of time management for me is to manage paperwork flow."

Question 17

The nurse manager is writing annual evaluations for each nurse. In order to promote professional development, it is vital for the nurse manager and nurse to become involved in which activity?

A) Personal organization
B) Priority setting
C) Goal setting
D) Limit setting

Question 18

Which activities are similar enough that they could be grouped to better manage time? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) Restocking the medication cart
B) Discussing a diet request with a new client
C) Calling for extra linen from laundry
D) Searching the internet for an unfamiliar client diagnosis
E) Emailing a colleague a question about the schedule

Question 19

A nurse manager's week is filled with handling routine and repetitive issues. Which strategy should the manager employ to make handling these tasks most effective and efficient?

A) Ask those involved to leave voice mail messages about any routine matter.
B) Encourage those involved in routine matters to call between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. each day.
C) Keep the office door open to be accessible to those dealing with these routine tasks.
D) Hold a meeting each week especially for dealing with routine and nonurgent matters.

Question 20

During a job interview, the nurse manager asks, "What are your short-term goals?" Which statement by the applicant addresses this question?

A) "I want to become a nurse anesthetist within 10 years."
B) "I will be available to come in for extra shifts if needed."
C) "My brother and I want to go to on a mission trip in the next year."
D) "I want to get this job so I can move on to the next part of my life."

Question 21

The manager is working on the budget, and time wasters are preventing completion. The manager knows that common time wasters include which of the following items?

A) Failure to delegate
B) Organization and self-discipline
C) Interruptions
D) Inability to say "no"
E) Meetings

Question 22

The nurse manager holds a regular Wednesday meeting with the charge nurses on the unit. There is no new information to discuss this Wednesday. What should the manager do?

A) Hold the meeting so that the charge nurses do not feel that the meetings are not important.
B) Hold the meeting, but only meet for 10 minutes instead of the usual 60 minutes.
C) Reschedule the meeting for Thursday.
D) Cancel the meeting.

Question 23

Which strategies would decrease the amount of time the nurse manager spends answering texts and email messages and interruptions?

A) Turn the phone's notification feature off.
B) Discourage people from sending unwanted emails.
C) Enable filter to send texts and email messages to a spam folder.
D) Post available office hours on the office door.
E) Check email once a day.

Question 24

As part of a new time management initiative, the nurse manager is creating a "to-do" list. How should the manager structure this list? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) Focus on the events that are planned for each day.
B) Focus on the activities the manager expects for the day.
C) Block out time for the unexpected.
D) Be certain the list is flexible.
E) Do not create a "to-do" list for more than one day at a time.

Question 25

For the last several weeks, the nurse manager has felt as if there is not enough time in the day to accomplish all the required tasks. The manager goes home exhausted and does not look forward to going to work in the morning. What strategy may help alleviate some of this stress?

A) Do tasks as quickly as possible.
B) Hurry through work, hoping someone else will catch any mistakes that are made.
C) Do not start any new tasks after lunch.
D) Pick a simple task and complete it just before going home each day.

Question 26

A nursing supervisor warns the nurse manager, "Having access to electronic communication is not always a blessing." How should the manager interpret this warning? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) Electronic communication wastes more time than it saves.
B) The manager does not have to be physically present in the facility for communication to take place.
C) If not used effectively, electronic communication can prevent the manager from getting rest.
D) Along with a flatter organization and easy access, the nurse manager's job responsibilities have increased.
E) In today's healthcare environment, there is pressure to do more with less.

Question 27

A colleague frequently forwards funny emails to everyone on her contact list. The nurse manager does not have time to look at the emails and is aggravated when they appear. How should the manager handle this situation? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) Set the email filter to divert the messages to a spam folder.
B) Tell the sender that the manager is not allowed to get personal emails at work.
C) Forward the emails back to the sender.
D) Send the colleague an email that reads, "Stop wasting my time with these emails."
E) Delete the messages without opening them.

Question 28

The nurse manager has several tasks that need to be accomplished. Which task is the manager likely to do first?

A) A large job that holds little interest to the manager
B) A difficult task that is going to require several days to complete
C) A task that has been assigned by the supervisor instead of a task that the manager thinks will benefit the unit
D) A task that will have little impact on the unit

Question 29

Which statements indicate that a nurse manager is using time reactively? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) "We were so busy yesterday that I did not get the schedule completed."
B) "I knew that we would be busy over the holiday, so I ordered extra supplies."
C) "We have so many new graduates on our unit that our work is never caught up."
D) "I am putting a summary of a research article on the board each week since I realize many of the nurses do not read journals."
E) "I am really concerned about what the nursing supervisor said about our unit. I can't get it off my mind."

Question 30

A staff nurse frequently interrupts the nurse manager with problems that the staff nurse could solve. What should the manager say to correct this behavior? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) "I am no longer going to interrupt my work for you."
B) "Let me see what I can do about the problem you are having."
C) "Is this a problem you can handle yourself?"
D) "You have the skills to solve this issue."
E) "I trust you to solve this problem."

Question 31

A nurse manager must place a telephone call to a colleague who always wants to chat socially for several minutes. The manager does not have time for a social call. What is the best time for the manager to make this call?

A) At 9:00 a.m., after physician rounds are complete
B) A few minutes before the colleague usually goes to lunch
C) In the middle of the afternoon
D) First thing in the morning, just after shift report

Question 32

A nurse manager has felt overwhelmed by work the last few months. After putting in many hours of unpaid overtime, the workload is beginning to stabilize. The nursing supervisor asks the manager to take on a new task that is exciting and stimulating. What should the manager do? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply.

A) Consider how much work will be added to the current workload.
B) Tell the supervisor no.
C) Talk with the supervisor about decreasing another work responsibility if this project is accepted.
D) Accept the assignment and plan to continue to work very hard until it is completed.
E) Accept the assignment, but only if additional salary is offered.