Deck 25: Managing Time: the Path to High Self-Performance

Question 1

A student nurse assigned to work with the charge nurse finds the work to be satisfying and receives several compliments from management and the nursing instructor for several creative suggestions.The student nurse enjoys the project and attention and begins to prolong the conclusion of the project.This behavior is indicative of what time management obstacle?

A) Need for perfection
B) Fear of losing creativity
C) Unclear project goals
D) Fear of completion

Answer 1

Fear of completion

Question 2

What action is appropriate when deciding whether and when a task should be completed?

A) Completing all tasks as they are received
B) Arranging according to the tasks' time requirements
C) Asking,"What will happen if I don't complete the task now?"
D) Viewing large projects holistically and not as many small pieces

Answer 2

Asking,"What will happen if I don't complete the task now?"

Question 3

What principle should a nurse apply to assure effective daily planning?

A) Delay planning until the "first task of the morning" has been completed.
B) Recognize that rewarding oneself has a negative consequence.
C) Rotate between several tasks to stimulate creativity.
D) Remember that most tasks take longer than anticipated to complete.

Answer 3

Remember that most tasks take longer than anticipated to complete.

Question 4

A nurse is having difficulty keeping up with the six assigned patients and serving on the ethics committee.To take charge of both personal and work life,what activities should the nurse focuses on improving physical energy? (Select all that apply. )

A) Telling himself/herself,"I provide safe quality care and will provide this level of care to all my patients"
B) Taking a deep breath and remaining calm to develop patience
C) Keeping a bottle of water available to consume a minimum of 24 ounces each shift
D) Going into the nurse's break room every 90 minutes to eat a healthy snack and prioritize remaining care
E) Enrolling in the hospital-sponsored fitness program

Question 5

A nurse hopes to improve time management skills using the ABC prioritization approach.Which tasks would be prioritized as "B"? (Select all that apply. )

A) Turn in time sheet due in 3 days.
B) Review dress code policy to give feedback before appointment in the morning.
C) Perform blood glucose test on a patient admitted with Kussmaul respirations and change in level of consciousness.
D) Complete patient teaching prior to discharge in 2 hours.
E) Review procedure for inserting a PIC line to assist with procedure later this morning.

Question 6

When using the ABC system of managing time,which event should be coded A?

A) Calling the pharmacy to see whether a drug insert is available for a patient
B) Checking to see why a ventilator is alarming
C) Organizing the medication cart
D) Writing memos to remind everyone to contribute to the boss's birthday gift

Question 7

The first task assigned by the time management coach is for the nurse to list all external distractors that prevent organization and completion of tasks.What would the nurse include on this list? (Select all that apply. )

A) Waiting for oncoming shift to start walking rounds
B) Failing to delegate tasks to the team members but instead,completing task herself
C) Talking with a patient's family member who is also a personal friend
D) Spending time thinking about the vacation to the beach
E) Using the Internet to read about a new drug that will be administered

Question 8

An inexperienced nurse feels that all tasks must be performed faultlessly,which leads to his/her inability to complete all assigned tasks.This nurse would benefit from the seminar focusing on what potential obstacle to efficiency?

A) Creativity
B) Perfectionism
C) Failure
D) Downtime

Question 9

What tactic is the inexperienced novice nurse using when prioritizing a client's bed bath before the need to insert a nasogastric tube (NG)into a client vomiting coffee ground emesis?

A) Energy management
B) Priority setting
C) Procrastination
D) Introspection

Question 10

A nurse is having difficulty managing assignments at work,which results in a feeling of "failure" and tasks that are not completed or that are not completed satisfactorily.The mentor should suggest what tips for time management? (Select all that apply. )

A) Focusing on activities to be completed,rather than on objectives
B) Planning today for tomorrow's activities and needs
C) Making certain that the last hours are the most productive in tying up loose ends
D) Maintaining a log of how the nurse spends time
E) Picking five major objectives for the day and not stopping until they are achieved

Question 11

A nurse takes a day to travel to a state park where she/he can sit by the river alone to reflect over recent events and put things into perspective.Time is spent recalling the time he/she was complimented for the ability to deal with a difficult patient and another time when he/she was criticized for lack of teamwork.This nurse is improving which source of energy?

A) Emotional
B) Spiritual
C) Physical
D) Mental

Question 12

After keeping a log of activities designed to improve time management,the nurse divides the distractions into internal and external sources.The nurse would classify which distraction as internal?

A) Responding to recurring crises at work or in one's personal life
B) Unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the unit manager
C) Talking with potential faculty candidates
D) Being given unclear job responsibilities

Question 13

The nurse should consider delegating the task to which person?

A) The one needing to develop related skills
B) The one who is up for promotion
C) The one who has failed with similar tasks
D) The one deserving of a reward

Question 14

When deciding whether to say no to a request that involves a time commitment,the professional nurse must consider what initially?

A) The cost-benefit ratio
B) The time commitment of coworkers
C) Ways to buffer saying no
D) Personal preference

Question 15

To conduct a productive meeting,the nurse should focus on what?

A) Providing each person all the time needed to discuss desired topics
B) Covering all emotional topics first
C) Creating an agenda with specific times allotted for each agenda item
D) Waiting for latecomers before starting the work of the meeting

Question 16

As part of a quality assurance project,a nurse is to round on every patient daily for 1 month to ensure the intravenous tubing is labeled with date hung and nurse's initials.The nurse is hoping to be promoted to a full-time position within the quality department,and success on this project is very important to receiving the position.The nurse retains all other assignments,and is often interrupted to help other staff or answer call lights.The nurse discusses these concerns with the manager,who frees him/her for 1 hour each day to make rounds.During this 1 hour each day the nurse will organize herself/himself and environment by practicing what organizational method?

A) Art of "no detourism"
B) Reducing stacked-desk syndrome
C) Art of "wastebasketry"
D) Managing e-mail and memo mania

Question 17

A nurse is unable to concentrate on any one task or issue and is unable to view the health care milieu sensibly.Which source of energy is missing in this nurse?

A) Physical
B) Mental
C) Spiritual
D) Emotional

Question 18

A nurse realizes that much time is wasted during shift report when coworkers discuss personal items such as recent movies or department store sales.Which statement would help with time management during this critical interaction?

A) "Let's talk only about only one movie you recently watched."
B) "I like to know about department store sales,but we need to get through this report,so let's talk about sales as we walk between patient rooms."
C) "I know your shift has been busy.What went wrong?"
D) "I have the list of patients;let's start with revisions to the plan of care and scheduled activities for the next shift."

Question 19

Positive time management skills include an effective approach to what aspect of planning?

A) Maintaining an open-door policy
B) Retaining copies of paperwork
C) Returning telephone calls immediately
D) Scheduling daily activities

Question 20

How can time be maximized to produce the best outcomes?

A) Making the first hour of each workday productive
B) Completing trivial tasks before performing important tasks
C) Eliminating recreational activities in the work environment
D) Omitting breaks until the entire task has been completed

Question 21

The most important step in time management is ____________.