We all know that time is valuable. And in the world of runny noses, broken arms, and chronic diseases, time matters even more. School nurses are in a constant race for time, and we know that. That’s why we’re sharing five ways for school nurses to save valuable clock ticks on a daily basis. Some of these tips may require a little extra time to set up or put in place, but after they are established, life will be a breeze. So let’s get started!

1.  Make a plan each morning.

It saves time by: Keeping you on task.

This tip comes from Nurse Deb Illardi’s tips for back to school success, but it’s a tip that truly works year-round. In her own words:

“Choose one short term task, one time intensive task and one fun-filled task to do and write them down. Try to complete both the first and last as early in the day as you can. Work at least fifteen minutes on the long term task. Check them off as accomplished and do the same thing every day.” 

Keep following this pattern, and in a month you’ll have an entire list of accomplished tasks to look back on. But more importantly, having written tasks helps you manage your time effectively. You can visually see what needs to be done and which tasks are most time-sensitive. 

2. Establish consistent interdepartmental communication.

It saves time by: Not having to reinvent the wheel.

Why wait until a student suffers a concussion to build trust and communication between the health and athletics departments? Why wait until a student needs a peanut-free classroom to build a relationship with the administrative team? When the lines of communication are consistently open between school nurses and other departments, it saves time by not having to build relationships after it’s too late. Even better, it keeps students’ best interests in mind since interdepartmental communication helps students recover from injuries.

3. Implement a Zero Tolerance policy.

It saves time by: No longer needing to chase papers. 

Instead of hunting down paper trails in the first month of school, lay down the law (so to speak) before school even starts. When you implement a Zero Tolerance policy, your school is taking a stance and saying that students and parents should have all health forms turned in before the first day of school. Enforcing this policy isn’t easy, though, and it requires inter-departmental communication and planning. To get you started, try following our toolkit for implementing Zero Tolerance.

3. Subscribe to your favorite newsletters and blogs.

It saves time by: Delivering nursing and health news straight to your inbox.

We all know the feeling: Looking at your inbox as the number of unread messages slowly creeps up, while your anxiety rises with it. In fact, one report found that the average person sends and receives just under 200 emails per day, and many news outlets are telling us all to stop checking our inboxes so frequently. So why should you subscribe to more emails? By putting the right resources in your inbox, you won’t have to search for school health news and updates. So here’s how to make sure you’re actually saving time when opening your inbox:

1. Select your favorite health resources and subscribe to their newsletters and blogs. 
2. Then, make sure to unsubscribe to any newsletters that aren’t helpful or important to you anymore.

4. Stay up-to-date on technology.

It saves time by: Keeping you in the loop.

This may seem like a time investment instead of a time saver, but rest assured that the payoff is worth it. Just like Continuing Education Units are meant to help school nurses stay current in their education, learning about technology helps school nurses stay current with practice management techniques. There are several online sources to help you stay up-to-date, plus you can ask colleagues to share their knowledge.

5. Implement an EHR at your school.

It saves time by: Streamlining all of your daily tasks.

Speaking of staying up-to-date on technology…

Although we’re a little biased, it’s true that electronic school health records save time. The National Association of School Nurses agrees, too, and states that “Electronic Health Records are essential for the registered professional school nurse… to provide efficient and effective care in the school and monitor the health of the entire student population.”

An added bonus is that electronic student records save time for everyone at your school – from the athletic department to the technology team – especially in an emergency, when time matters most. If you’re already using Magnus Health’s electronic Student Medical Record software, you’re in luck because you already have full access to Magnus911 and Magnus Mobile. Both are emergency response tools sure to save you precious time in an emergency.

Not using Magnus yet? Take a test drive of our time-saving emergency response tool, Magnus911.

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