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Coming onto the unit, Celia, the evening charge people measure it (Smith, 1994). It really does not
nurse, already knew that a hectic day was in matter which theory is correct because, for nurses,
progress. Scattered throughout the unit were clues their professional and personal lives are guided
from the past 12 hours. Two patients on emergency by time.
department stretchers had been placed outside obser- How often do you look at your watch during the
vation rooms already occupied by patients who were day? Do you divide your day into blocks of time?
admitted the previous day in critical condition. Do you steal a quick glance at the clock when you
Stationed in the middle of the hall was the code cart, come home after putting in a full day’s work? Do
with its drawers opened and electrocardiograph you mentally calculate the amount of time left to
paper cascading down the sides. Approaching the complete the day’s tasks of grocery shopping, driv-
nurses’ station, Celia found Guillermo buried deep in ing in a car pool, making dinner, and leaving again
paperwork. He glanced at her with a face that had to take a class or attend a meeting? Calendars,
exhaustion written all over it. His first words were, clocks, watches, newspapers, television, and radio
“Three of your RNs called in sick. I called staffing for remind people of their position in time. Perception
additional help, but only one is available. Good of time is important because it affects people’s use
luck!” Celia surveyed the unit, looked at the number of time and their response to time (Box 11-1).
of staff members available, and reviewed the patient Computers complete operations in a fraction of
acuity level of the unit. She decided not to let the sit- a second, and speeds can be measured to the
uation upset her. She would take charge of her own nanosecond. Time clocks that record the minute
time and reallocate the time of her staff. She began to employees enter and leave work are commonplace,
reorganize her staff mentally according to their and few excuses for being late are really considered
capabilities and alter the responsibilities of each acceptable. Timesheets and schedules are part of
member. Having taken steps to handle the problem, most health-caregivers’ lives. Staff members are
Celia felt ready to begin the shift.
Business executives, managers, students, and nurses
know that time is a valuable resource.Time cannot box 11-1
be saved and used later, so it must be used now and Time Perception
wisely. As a new nurse, you may at times find your- Webber (1980) collected a number of interesting tests of
self sinking in the “quicksand”of a time trap, know- people’s perception of time. You may want to try several
ing what needs to be done but just not having the of these:
necessary time to do it (Ferrett, 1996). In today’s • Do you think of time more as a galloping horseman or a
fast-paced health-care environment, time manage- vast motionless ocean?
• Which of these words best describes time to you: sharp,
ment skills are critical to a nurse’s success. Learning
active, empty, soothing, tense, cold, deep, clear, young,
to take charge of your time and to use it effectively or sad?
and efficiently is the key to time management • Is your watch fast or slow? (You can check it with the
(Gonzalez, 1996). Many nurses believe they never radio.)
have enough time to accomplish their tasks. Like • Ask a friend to help you with this test. Go into a quiet
room without any work, reading material, radio, food,
the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, they are
or other distractions. Have your friend call you after
constantly in a rush against time. Time manage- 10–20 minutes have elapsed. Try to guess how long
ment, simply, is organizing and monitoring time so you were in that room.
that patient care tasks can be scheduled and imple- Webber test results interpreted. A person who has a circular
mented in a timely and organized fashion (Bos & concept of time would compare time with a vast ocean.
Vaughn, 1998). A galloping horseman would be characteristic of a linear
conception of time, emphasizing speed and forward
motion. A person oriented to a fast tempo and achievement
The Tyranny of Time would describe time as clear, young, sharp, active,
or tense rather than empty, soothing, sad, cold, or deep.
These same fast-tempo people are likely to have fast
Newton stated that time was absolute and that it
watches and to overestimate the amount of time that they
occurred whether the universe was there or not. sat in a quiet room.
Einstein theorized that time has no independent
Adapted from Webber, R.A. (1980). Time Is Money! Tested Tactics That
existence apart from the order of events by which Conserve Time for Top Executives. New York: Free Press.