Managing Time

Working in different shifts as a nurse is so demanding. And studying at the same time is even more difficult. Sometimes I forget what to prioritize because working in the hospital requires so much of my physical and mental capacity.

Previously, I worked as a staff nurse reliever at Davao Medical School Foundation Hospital, St.Joseph Nurse Station, a surgical ward area with a 24 bed capacity. My job is so demanding because as a staff nurse reliever, I should be on call and ready every time the hospital is in need of additional staff nurses. I'm usually called to report on duty due to increased census or number of patients, or when the regular staff nurse assigned is on leave and this mostly happens during graveyard shift from 11pm to 7am. Although I have to go through with this kind of ordeal, I love my job! Surprisingly I felt satisfaction and worth as a nurse. Well the drawback is that I just have to attend to my review class for my NCLEX exam.

My review class is set every three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, our schedule sometimes vary because our teacher also teaches to medical students and sometimes there's conflict of schedules. This is where my problem arises. I really wanted to attend my classes but sometimes it's impossible for me because of my very unstable and unpredictable working hours.

With the demands of working in the hospital at the same time attending a review class, I finally decided to limit my work at the hospital and prioritize my NCLEX review for the moment. My exam schedule was fast approaching and I've yet to study and review a lot more things. I focused on my review and worked during my vacant days. Although there are times when I had to attend my class with just 2 hours of sleep because I had to report on duty beforehand. I also tried to catch up with my class by bringing with me my review materials at work and scan it when I'm not busy at work.

Even though it was so hard for me, I was still able to manage my time and squeezed in working in the hospital while having my NCLEX review. I guess it was just a matter of perseverance and strong will to achieve my goals. I wanted to take the exam as soon as possible at the same time accomplish an experience working in hospital. Luckily, I got both. Looking back, sometimes I ask myself how did I ever make it? Manage your time.