How to Prioritize in Careers in Health Care

Priorities. They're easy to set. Typically, they're much more difficult to follow or keep. But they are very important to have, especially when pursuing careers in health care. It's important to know what's most important and what needs to be engaged in first during a busy day. We all need to establish and follow a list of priorities in order to make certain what needs to be done gets done.

We want our Concorde students to be successful, in both their studies and training and their careers. Setting priorities is a big part of being successful. We engaged the help of a couple of our Graduate Employment Specialists to help us understand why priorities are important and best ways to establish them.

Ways to prioritize when pursuing careers in health care

"I earned my first bachelor's degree when my children were seven and four years old," said Joan Kilna, Graduate Employment Specialist at Concordes campus in Portland, Ore. "I'm familiar with setting priorities and being pulled in every direction."

There are three steps one should take when setting priorities, Kilna said.

1. Look at all the things that you want to do in the coming week.
2. Pare that list down to all of the things that must be done during the week.
3. Figure out how many of those things have to be done by you personally. Don't be afraid to ask friends and family to fill in where they can.

At the top of your weekly list:

1. Health is always a top priority - your health, the family's health. If you aren't healthy, nothing else gets done.
2. School is next - good attendance, study time, getting assignments done.
3. Paid work is next - have to keep food in the fridge and heat in the house.
4. Children - kids need your attention and care, but you don't have to go to every single soccer game.

"After health, school, work, and kids, the rest of your list to do will be completed as time allows," Kilna said. "If you didn't vacuum the living room this week, you're not a failure. It's far more important to study hard for the end-of-term exam than it is to cook a hot dinner every night."

Time management a key when pursuing careers in health care

Time management is a big factor when prioritizing life, work, school and everything in between, according to Danielle Van der Knaap, Graduate Employment Specialist at Concorde's campus in San Antonio, Texas.

"To ensure a successful schedule, you must stay organized," she said. "I recommend a planner that showcases when deadlines are due, extracurricular activity and breathing time."

Van der Knaap said that the last piece of the puzzle is especially important. You need to ensure you make time for yourself to breathe, even it's just 10 minutes.

"Students normally find themselves procrastinating," she said, "and with a busy schedule, this could throw a curve ball. Make sure you stick to the schedule and plan out all your daily activities."

As the old saying goes, get your priorities straight... and then stick to them. It can only be a positive influence as you strive toward your various careers in health care.