In this episode, I’ll share my three best productivity hacks for busy hospital pharmacists.
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I’ve got good days, and I’ve got bad days when it comes to time management as a hospital pharmacist. When I use these three tips, the good days far outnumber the bad. Let’s dive in:
1 minute before 9 am = 2 minutes after noon
I got this profound formula straight out of the pages of a book I read several years ago called The Hospitalist Manual. This formula is as accurate as any I learned in pharmacy school.
Applying this formula is simple. When you start your day at the hospital, immediately begin with the required patient care tasks of the day. Do these tasks before you check your email or chat with your officemate about how the weekend was.
For me, the biggest required work is pre-rounding on ICU patients. At a minimum, I assess each patient for prophylaxis, renal dose adjustment, therapeutic drug monitoring, and antibiotic ‘day of therapy’ as early in my day as possible. If time allows, I will dig deeper before rounds assessing the pharmacotherapy regimen of each patient. But if a code happens, a surprise meeting is called, or an urgent consult comes up, I can still be effective on ICU rounds having gotten the basics out of the way first thing in the morning.
While this formula has helped me have stress-free days at work it has done something far more important. It has enabled me to accelerate my professional development. With the required tasks out of the way, I have time to say yes to opportunities like watching a bedside procedure, viewing an autopsy, or having an in-depth conversation with a specialist. If required tasks are still hanging over my head after lunchtime, there is no time to say yes to these opportunities without putting me further behind in my day.
Use the Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique helps me avoid distractions and get some of the most tedious tasks done. It is a simple technique that involves using a timer to set an on / off period for your work. I use a 25 / 5-minute split.
To use the example above of pre-rounding, I will work on nothing but pre-rounding for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. I use a timer on my smartwatch to keep track of both the work time and the break time.
Knowing that there is a 5 minute period coming up where I can check my email, ask a colleague a question, or refill my coffee helps me avoid getting distracted during the 25 minute work period. I find I am much quicker at pre-rounding and other tasks using this technique.
Own your email, don’t let it own you
As the great philosophers ACDC sang in 1986, email has the potential to completely control your day.
I’ve done two things to take back control:
1. Turn off the new message notification pop-up in Outlook. This popup will distract you endlessly if you leave it on. No email message is more important than whatever you are working on. If it were, it would have been a phone call not an email message. Instructions on how to turn off this notification are here.
2. Take your work email off your cell phone. Trust me; you don’t need it there. It is just another distraction that will keep you from having a stress-free and productive day.
I still regularly check my work email – I just do it on my terms.
If you like this post, check out my book – A Pharmacist’s Guide to Inpatient Medical Emergencies: How to respond to code blue, rapid response calls, and other medical emergencies.
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