This course gives practical tools for managing a heavy clinical workload safely: prioritising by clinical risk, organising a task list, handling interruptions, and knowing when to escalate. It uses worked examples from wards, clinics and community settings, and a case study of an on-call shift.
What you will learn
- Prioritise clinical tasks using clinical urgency, the urgent and important matrix and early warning scores.
- Organise a shift using a structured task list that is updated and shared at handover.
- Use practical strategies to reduce the impact of interruptions and avoid errors from task switching.
- Recognise when workload has become unsafe and escalate in line with professional standards.
Course content
- Why time management is a safety skill (1 min)
- Prioritising by clinical risk (5 min)
- Organising your shift (3 min)
- Interruptions, task switching and errors (2 min)
- Saying no, asking for help and escalating (2 min)
- Handover as a time management tool (1 min)
- Managing your week, not just your shift (1 min)
- Case study: an on-call shift (1 min)
- Knowledge check (10 questions, 10 min)
- Guided reflection (15 min)
Standards and guidance covered
- GMC: Good Medical Practice (2024), including the duties to recognise and work within the limits of your competence and to raise concerns
- NMC: The Code (2015, updated 2018), including prioritise people, preserve safety and raise concerns
- HCPC: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics (2024)
- GPhC: Standards for pharmacy professionals (2017)
Certificate
Courses are free to study. When you pass the knowledge check (80%) and complete your reflection, you can buy a verified certificate showing your CPD time, with a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check on our verification page.
Study free at your own pace on any device.
Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.