Out on Time

I want to be an example of what is possible.

Today was an extraordinary day. I was scheduled to work my normal day in clinic and then follow with evening clinic (we have two evening clinics per week and I occasionally fill the roster).

I have two third year medical students doing integrated community clerkship in my community, one worked with me in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

At the beginning of the day I had 42 patients booked in, starting 0900, lunch 12 noon, afternoon starting 1.20pm through to 5pm and then evening clinic 1800-2000. By 10am I had accepted another 7 of my patients who needed to see me. 49 patients in 11 hours - WHOA! That's a big day!

I have been practicing productivity. I knew today was going to be massive. I got up at 0540, had breakfast, went to the gym, drove my Grade 10 student to school then settled into my workstation at 0830 after greeting staff.

Productivity strategy for the Day:

Start on Time: So important!

Notes after EVERY patient - NO exceptions!! Including all referral letters.

Address phone call messages between patients - make a decision and task or delegate if possible.

Stop for lunch

Start on Time: So important!

Notes after every patient - No Exceptions!! Including referral letters.

NO BUFFERING - No Facebook, No getting upset or ruffled by add ins, No chatting in corridors and wasting time (not cold and sour - just be purposeful and value your time and your strategy).

Throughout the day I made time to purposefully check emails, make phone calls and attend messages.

 I saw my last patient who was booked for 1950 at 1945. I spent time, I added value to his life, I addressed all his concerns and I wished him Merry Christmas. I completed my notes and left the building at 2001.

Yes that's right! Notes Done, ON TIME. Home and ready to be present with my husband and son. 

That is what is possible.

Will I have days that I fail - YES!

Does that mean I cannot do this - NO!

Your thoughts can manage your actions! You can have this too!

Remember there's always an invitation to come coach with me - I LOVE coaching family docs and seeing you build new results for yourself!

Get help with a Physician Coach exclusively for Family Physicians - YOU DESERVE IT!!

Family Physicians:

As 2019 wraps up and we welcome 2020, take time to think about those parts of your day that you long to change.

Work flow, efficiency and avoiding having to catch up on that task later!

Here are the some of the things to consider:

1. If you don't have a structured way of getting charting done after every consultation then you are making unpaid work for later.

2. If you cannot lead a consultation your patient will dictate the agenda and length of the consultation.

You will continue to feel helpless in your ability to run in time and you will continue to blame your patients for being needy and complex.

3. If you don't have rules around result checking and interruptions you will never work at a fast determined pace and you will continue to waste time. You will blame inefficient clinic staff and inefficient clinic processes.

4. If you don't know how to do a form without feeling emotional or irritated you will allow those forms to take up precious mental energy and eat up hours of your time.

Now is the time to take control of your clinical day.

You are more than capable of doing consultation notes after every patient, leading the consultation, managing interruptions and getting to work on your results and forms.

I know you can do it because I've helped many Physicians get there, to that moment when they feel in control. Often for the first time in years.

Get the help you need TODAY!

xx Sarah, the Charting Coach

PS I would love to work with you to help you create time for the things you love

Join Charting Champions Program

Designed for Physicians to get Today's work done Today

And Make time for everything else!

www.ChartingCoach.ca

See you Inside!

#burnoutprevention #chartingcoach