The medical profession is not an easy feat. That’s probably why we have a shortage of doctors today. The career is time-demanding and hectic. Doctors deal with lots of patients and do tons of paperwork every shift, and they even remain on-call for medical emergencies during time-offs. A medical career is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Many doctors dedicate their whole lives to their jobs and barely have enough time for personal endeavors. With this hectic lifestyle, it’s still important to have a good sense of time management to cope with the demands of the profession. Here are tips on how doctors can manage their time and workload better.
Invest in practice management tools
Doctors have a lot on their plate. They need to study patient records, write reports about the patient’s condition, check on the people under their care, and continuously widen their knowledge about the medical field. Some tasks that doctors have to accomplish are merely administrative and repetitive. But no matter how simple, they can take up precious time.
Investing in practice management tools and coordination platforms like Julota can help increase productivity and efficiency. By automating administrative tasks and assisting doctors to stay organized, these tools can save serious time and energy. In turn, doctors can spend most of their time on more crucial matters.
Make to-do lists
Because of the volume of work, meetings, and appointments, doctors tend to multi-task. This might seem like a sensible way to meet deadlines. But it’s counter-productive if you think about it. Doing everything at once will not lead to good results.
It’s ideal to work on each task properly and accomplish things one at a time. Compose to-do lists and spread out everything you need to do—from paperwork to meetings—in a day. By doing this, you will have a clear account of all your tasks for the day. Strictly follow your schedule so that you don’t spend more than enough time on certain tasks.
Prioritize ergonomics
A factor that could be hindering your productivity is your office set-up. Because of the amount of paperwork you have to do, you’re spending hours sitting and typing on your computer and then occasionally running to different rooms to attend to your patients.
To maximize your time spent working, you need to have a comfortable environment. Reduce neck, back, and other body pain by ergonomically optimizing your workstation. Invest in chairs that offer good support and maintain a good working posture for the entire duration of your work. Doing this will help boost your productivity and reduce pain and fatigue.
Take breaks
It might not seem proper for doctors to lounge around and do nothing. There are several things to work on and a lot of patients to attend to. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t take a breather. For every one hour of work, do your best to take a five-minute break. You could simply grab a coffee or snack, take a short walk around the clinic, etc. This five-minute pause will help refresh your mind and body, so you can restore your energy for the day.
Doctors have a very demanding and tiring profession. But being able to help people makes it worth it. Even so, they should not neglect their own mental, physical, and emotional health. Take these tips and allow yourself to manage your time and workload better.