Categories: Scrubs

10 cures for frazzled nurses: shortcuts for an easier day

Photodisc | Thinkstock + Scrubs

A day simply isn’t long enough to get everything done, right? Or is it?

If you’re stressed out before you even get to work, or if you race through your shift at a frenetic pace and still feel as if you didn’t accomplish everything you were supposed to or wanted to—and subsequently didn’t give as much attention to your patients as you would have liked—then maybe you need to use some shortcuts to make your days more productive and less hectic.

1. Get ready for work ahead of time, no matter how tired or busy you are. Pack your lunch, make sure your uniform or whatever you’ll be wearing is all set to go, get the coffee maker ready (use the timer if it has one) and fill your vehicle with gas. If you’ll be showering before you head out the door, lay out everything that you’ll need in the bathroom. If you make the whole getting-ready-for-work process easier, you’ll be less stressed out when you do arrive, and you’ll be able to focus on your job much quicker.

Next: Make a “to do” list â†’

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Cynthia Dusseault

Cynthia Dusseault is a professional freelance writer with both a health and an education background. A former medical radiation technologist and elementary school teacher, she realized that no matter what she did, she was drawn to any task that involved writing, so she decided, over a decade ago, to write full-time. Since then, she has written for a variety of magazines and websites including Nursing PRN, National Review of Medicine, University Affairs, Your Health, Education Leaders Today, Today's Parent, Children's Playmate, WeightWatchers.ca and many more. She has written about topics such as asthma, genital herpes, circumcision, teleradiology, body art, learning disabilities and exercise trends, and she absolutely adores the fact that writing—particularly doing the research for the articles she writes—makes her a lifelong learner.