time management smart goal nursing

SMART Goals for Nursing With Clear Examples

Goals provide a keen sense of motivation, direction, clarity, and a clear focus on every aspect of your career or (nurse) life .

You are letting yourself have a specific aim or target by setting clear goals for yourself.

There is a method called the SMART goal that is used by a lot of people to guide them in setting their goals. In this article, you are going to learn how to set up SMART goals for nursing with plenty of examples of SMART goals for nursing .

But first, let me tell you what the SMART goal is generally speaking.

The acronym SMART stands for the terms Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

All these five elements are the main parts of the SMART goal. This simple yet powerful method brings structure and ensures that your goals are within reason and are attainable.

The SMART goal helps you in defining what the “future state” of your goal would look like, and how it is to be measured.

SMART goals are:

• Specific – clear, unambiguous, and well defined
• Measurable – has a criterion that helps you measure your progress
• Att ainable – beyond reach and not impossible to achieve
• Relevant – realistic and has relevance to your life or career
• Time-Bound – well defined time, has a starting date and an ending date

Often, people or businesses set unrealistic goals for themselves that only lead to failure.

For instance, you may be a nurse practitioner and you set goals such as “I will be the best at _____.” This specific type of goal is vague and has no sense of direction in it.

Here is a thorough video from DecisionSkills that I encourage you to watch before continuing reading.

After the video, you’ll have a much better understanding of setting SMART goals for nursing.

Now it’s time to give you a couple of examples of SMART goals for nursing.

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Table of Contents

Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing

In this fast-paced and busy day-to-day life, the job of a nurse can get stressful and overwhelming–with all the workloads and patients emerging from left to right.

SMART goals are especially helpful in nursing as it helps in defining a developmental framework and helps you see your progress towards your goal.

• Patient Care
• Professional Development

Next, a more specific answer to each category.

Today, I will construct a checklist for an updated patient and staff safety and hazard. I will use our ward policy guidelines in constructing this checklist.

I will let every staff nurse check this list based on a once-a-month rotation. I shall complete the checklist by the end of September and have it measured monthly.

#2 Patient Care

I shall hand over the assessment notes, care instructions, and patient details to the next shift nurse as I complete my shift.

I have to finish this before the break time so that the details of the patients would be noted and important instructions would be followed.

#3 Efficiency

I will document the additional tasks following the timetabling meeting weekly so that I can efficiently balance my time and be able to manage all my duties.

This will benefit me as it improves my overall time management .

#4 Accuracy

I will record all my notes about the patient as soon as I leave his or her room, while the information is still fresh and complete in my mind.

This will help in ensuring the accuracy of the information before I proceed to my next endeavor.

#5 Professional Development

By the end of this year, I shall attend two workshops that will help me with my specialty or another field that will help me for the betterment of my profession as a nurse .

Next, I’m going to give you examples of SMART goals for nursing students.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing Students

Scenario:  You’re a 1st-year college student who’s taking up nursing.

Your professor in one of your major subjects has announced that you’ll be having your final examination at the end of the month.

You know that this subject is critical, and you want to pass this subject no matter what.

SIMPLE GOAL

I want to pass our final examination.

I will finish reading three chapters of our book within this day. I’ll write down every important terminology and its definition in my notebook.

I will also take a 15-minute break in every hour of studying.

For tomorrow, I will make flashcards that will help me easily retain this information and terminologies better.

On the day before our examination, I will make sure to have sufficient rest and enough amount of sleep.

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Let’s move on to examples of SMART goals for nurse practitioners.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nurse Practitioners

Scenario:  You’re a nurse practitioner, but your monthly salary is not enough since you’ll be having to pay for your loans and other payable.

So, your perceived solution to this problem is to strive and get promoted in the acute care facility which gives a higher pay than your current position.

I want to be promoted to a higher position and make more money.

I will work harder so that my chances of getting promoted in the acute care facility would be higher.

This new job pays me an amount of $30 per hour, including a night differential.

I will aspire to be a better nurse practitioner day by day, so that by August 30th, my manager would see my potential, and get me promoted.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nurse Practitioner Students

Scenario:  You’re a nurse practitioner student who’s failing in his/her exams and got the lowest grade in your class.

You know to yourself that something is wrong with your study methods because even if you study hard, you don’t see the fruit of your labor.

I want to learn the other nurse practitioner students’ study methods.

I will improve my study methods by asking my fellow nurse practitioner students how they prepare for tasks and exams.

Today, I will talk to one of my fellow nurse practitioner students, and ask them if we could have a group study together as we prepare for the upcoming examination.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nurse Managers

Scenario:  You’re the department manager and you’re assigned to handle the nurses in the hospital.

You notice that the work environment is getting unhealthy, and the nurses in your department are uncomfortable with each other and with you.

I want to improve my relationship with the nurses that I handle.

I will make sure to promote a healthy working environment by having a meeting once or twice a month to discuss prevailing and relevant issues in our department and hear some constructive feedback from the nurses that I handle.

I will make sure to treat them all equally and with the utmost respect regardless of their age or gender.

But I will also set professional boundaries among the nurses that I handle, and I will make sure that I lay these limits very clearly so that no one will violate them.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing Care Plans

Scenario: You’ve learned from a workshop that by showing compassion and empathy to your patient, they will adhere better to the medications which would lead to quicker recovery.

See also: Compassion in Nursing

I want to show more empathy to the patients that I’m handling.

I will make sure to spend an extra 5-10 minutes with each of my new patients.

I will ask them questions about their interests and hobbies so that I can distract them from their health condition.

Also, I will make sure to put myself into their position by thinking about what they must be feeling about the situation.

My way of communicating with them should be as if I’m just having a conversation with a friend, but of course with respect and boundaries.

See also: Nursing Care Plan – Full Guide & Free Templates

More Tips for Creating SMART Goals

Pursuing an “I will” statement is more effective than an “I want” statement .

As you create your own SMART goals, remember to ask yourself the following questions:

• How is my goal specific? Where is the focus?
• How is my goal measurable? How will I be able to track my progress?
• How is my goal achievable? Are my resources enough to achieve this goal?
• How is my goal relevant? How will this help in my career as a nurse?
• Is my goal time-bound? Is my goal set in a realistic time frame?

Aside from the five elements comprising SMART goals, it is important to have a model and visualization of your goals as if you have already achieved your goal.

Not only will this motivate you, but this will also give you the feeling of success that comes from achieving that specific goal of yours.

Release any doubts that you have. Those doubts whispering that you’re not enough, or those negative thoughts that kept you awake all night.

Let those negative self-talk go.

The more you say something to yourself, the more likely these things will happen in reality. So, it is always best to talk nicely to yourself.

While releasing your doubts and visualization of your goals are both effective, all these things will only matter once you take consistent action towards your desired goal to progress each day.

Things may get overwhelming and you may not know where to start, so it is advisable to do one task at a time.

It may seem hard at first, that’s just how things are.

But as you keep going, you will get closer and closer to your goal.

The Art of Setting SMART Goals

If these tips were not enough for you, I highly recommend you to check out more about SMART nursing goals from No products found. book.

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Conclusion: SMART Goals for Nursing

By setting SMART goals for nursing students, nurse practitioners, nurse practitioner students, nurse managers, and nursing care plans, you are setting a clear focus for your ideas and efforts that will allow you to reach your goals in a much shorter period.

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But you should also take note of the possible drawbacks to SMART goals that may hinder you from achieving your goals.

At this point, you should have a clear understanding of how to set SMART goals for nursing.

If you would like to learn some more check out these articles of ours:

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15 SMART Goals Examples for Your Nursing Career

Pursuing a nursing career requires plenty of discipline and effort. You have to learn how to care for a sick or injured person and comfort them when they feel at their weakest.

When pursuing a nursing career, your physical and mental health are put at risk. So it’s vital to develop skills that will help you stay organized and efficient, stay motivated, and succeed at work, such as creating SMART goals. Nursing becomes much more fulfilling when you know how to achieve your aims.

Table of Contents

What Are SMART Goals?

Most people create goals to help them achieve the desired outcome. But very few stick to them until the end. This is because they approach goal setting the wrong way.

Have a look at these two statements:

• I want to pass my exam.
• To pass my exam, I will study for at least 20 minutes every day and reread the chapters as I complete them.

The first statement is a goal nursing students may typically set. The second one is a SMART goal. In addition to stating the goal, a SMART goal also includes instructions on how to achieve it. This is the only way an action plan can work.

“SMART” stands for “Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.”

Here’s what each segment means in practice.

S: Specific

Being specific is crucial for achieving both short- and long-term goals. The questions your goal should answer are “What?” “Who?” “When?” “Where?” “Which?” and “Why?” Then, once you reach a specific milestone or the final deadline, you’ll be sure you achieved the goal.

M: Measurable

Measurable goals have a precise time, amount, or another unit of measurement built into them. It’s easy to track your progress if the goal has metrics. For example, if the objective is to read 20 pages of a book each day or to spend 15 minutes doing yoga, it’s easy to measure how much of the activity you actually did.

A: Attainable

Goals that aren’t attainable often lead to frustration. When creating a goal, examine your current life situation and aim for objectives that aren’t beyond your reach. Otherwise, failure can be discouraging.

Imagine setting a goal to get a nursing job in the most elite private hospital right after graduation. Although not impossible, it’s doubtful that a person can master everything it takes to become a highly skilled nurse practitioner so early in their career.

R: Relevant

Relevant goals are about what you really need and want. Your goals should align with what you hold dear and value in life.

You probably have more than one goal in life. Focusing on all of them at once is highly unlikely to bring success. Instead, shift your attention to the goals that are most relevant to your current life situation.

T: Time-Bound

Time-bound goals are about setting deadlines. When creating a goal, you want to set a target date to achieve it. When you look at your goal, the outcome should be clear. And as the deadline approaches, it will be visible whether or not you are on track to succeed.

An essential part of setting goals is the wording. You can achieve fantastic results when you focus on the right things. However, when you don’t, it’s only a matter of time before your motivation dies. This is why it’s best to shift your attention from outcome to process goals. You can learn more about the difference in this blog post .

To learn more about SMART goals, check out this post .

Why SMART Goals Are Important for Nurses

According to the American Association of Colleges and Nursing (AACN) , over 250,000 students are enrolled in a program preparing new registered nurses at the baccalaureate level. There was a surprising 5.6% increase in 2020.

To compete with your peers in nursing school or as a practitioner, you need to give your all to succeed. The best way to do so is by setting goals that will keep you focused and motivated. Setting SMART goals will ensure you complete your objectives.

8 SMART Goal Examples for Nurses

1. improve communication skills.

To improve my communication skills, I will listen closely to what others say. If I can’t keep up, I will ask them to clarify. Finally, I will ask people whether they understood me after I’ve spoken. I should become a better communicator by the end of the year.

S: This goal explains precisely how to improve your communication skills. M: By asking for clarity anytime you don’t understand something, you can measure your progress based on how often you have to ask in a given day or month. A: This is a reasonable, attainable goal you can start doing anytime, anywhere. R: The goal is relevant to becoming a better nurse since communication is vital in this field. T: At the end of the year, you can compare your communication skills before starting this process-oriented goal.

2. Improve Time Management

I will document all tasks following a weekly timetable during my workday to balance my time and accomplish my duties more efficiently. I will do this for two weeks to improve my overall time management.

S: This goal explains precisely what you can do to improve your time management as a nurse. M: You can measure the number of tasks you documented and how much more efficient you’ve become by the extra time you have for other jobs. A: This goal is attainable and straightforward. R: Having strong time management skills is crucial when you’re a nurse. This goal is relevant to your nursing career. T: You should document the tasks each week following the timetable. You can create an additional sense of urgency by deciding that you have to complete the documentation before returning to work. Two weeks is enough time to see if the strategy works for you.

3. Be More Accurate

To become more accurate as a nurse, I will write all notes about my patient when I leave the room while my memory is still fresh. Then, after one week, I should have more accurate notes.

S: Compared to “I want to be more accurate,” this is a rather specific goal describing how you can achieve it. M: You can measure this goal by how many notes you got down. It’s not good to skip a bunch of notes – the point is to get ALL of them down right away. A: You can squeeze in a minute after leaving a patient room to take notes, so this goal is highly attainable. R: This goal is relevant to your desire to become more accurate at nursing. T: The sense of urgency is created by “the moment I leave the room,” so you know you should act fast to complete your goal. In a week, you can see this strategy's difference in accuracy.

4. Develop Professionally

I will attend two nursing workshops or webinars annually to help my professional development.

S: Instead of saying, “I want to develop my career,” you state the exact activity that will help you do so. M: The goal is to attend two events yearly, so it’s easy to measure your progress. A: Given that you may have to work more than usual this year, anything more than two webinars per year might be hard to achieve. R: The goal is directly relevant to you advancing your nursing career. T: The goal resets at the end of the year, so you want to plan your time wisely.

5. Explain Things to Patients

I will learn to use plain language to communicate better with my patients. In the next three months, whenever I learn a new medical term, I’ll find a simpler way to explain it.

S: This specific goal is changing how you explain things to your patients.

M: The goal progress can be measured by the number of new medical and layman’s terms you learned.

A: This goal is attainable, and it’s a win-win for you as a nurse and your patients.

R: This is a highly relevant goal in anyone’s nursing career.

T: After three months, you’ll see a difference in how you communicate with your patients.

6. Stress Less

To combat stress at work, I will practice stress management. I will exercise, meditate, listen to music, or take one hour of time off for myself every day. I’ll also get more sleep and talk to friends and family about what’s troubling me. Then, after two weeks, I’ll re-assess.

S: Instead of saying, “I want to stress less,” you can give specific details about how you can achieve that.

M: You can measure your progress by how many hours you spend on self-care . Also, you can measure how these activities impact your response to stressful situations at work compared to before.

A: You may feel pushed for time, but an hour per day for yourself is not that much. If you can’t make it an hour straight, you can split the activities into thirty-minute sessions.

R: Doing what you love releases tension and stress you may feel at work, so it’s like performing a small reset after a tiresome workday. You’ll start fresh tomorrow, which is relevant to managing stress at work.

T: After two weeks, you can decide if your quality of life has improved.

7. Stay Healthy

To stay healthy, I will practice healthier habits. For the next month, I will work out every other day and meal prep in advance to ensure my diet is healthy and balanced. In addition, I will eat more raw foods and avoid sugars and soda.

S: This goal describes what you can do to stay healthy.

M: You can measure the goal by how many workouts you got in or how many healthy meals you prepared over the week.

A: Working out can take as little as 15 minutes, and meal prep can be done once for the rest of the week so that both goal segments won’t be too time-consuming.

R: Being a nurse in these hectic times is challenging. To keep your immune system up, you must take extra care of your health.

T: Working out every other day means you need to find time off and squeeze in a workout long before it’s time for bed. Also, you can assess how you feel at the end of the month.

8. Be More Compassionate

To be more compassionate, I will spend two to five minutes asking each new patient about their lives and learning more about their interests. Then, I will discuss their interests to distract them from stressing out about their condition. By next week, I will be a more compassionate caregiver.

S: Instead of saying, “Be more compassionate,” you specify how exactly you can achieve that.

M: If you have never discussed your patients’ interests before, doing so for two to five minutes is a way to measure your progress.

A: This goal takes just minutes to complete, and you can do so whenever you find it convenient.

R: This goal is relevant to you becoming a more compassionate nurse practitioner.

T: In just one week, you can decide if this strategy helped you achieve your goal.

9. Avoid Burnout

To help avoid burnout, I will use my PTO to take time off for a mini vacation at least twice a year. I’ll practice stress reduction techniques, like meditation and yoga, at least three times a week. I’ll try to get enough sleep on my days off. I’ll practice deep breathing if I feel stressed during my shift. I’ll also practice a self-care activity, like getting a pedicure or massage, at least once every two weeks. After three months, I’ll reflect on what helped me feel less stressed and assess whether I have early signs of burnout.

S: This goal is specific because it describes precisely what you’ll do to decompress and reduce stress. The goal also specifies what self-care and stress-reduction techniques you’ll try.

M: The goal is measurable because it states how often you’ll practice techniques to avoid burnout. 

A: The goal is attainable because practicing yoga or meditation three times a week is more accessible than every day. You’ll likely be able to take at least a couple of PTO days twice a year if not more.

R: The goal is relevant because burnout can quickly happen to nurses, given the high stress and demands of the job.

T: The goal sets a timeframe of three months to evaluate your progress and what you’ve done to reduce stress and burnout risk.

10. Uplevel My Skillset

I will try to start at least ten IVs in the next two weeks. I’ll offer to insert IVs, catheters, or NG tubes for other nurses’ patients whenever there’s an opportunity in the next two months. I’ll practice recognizing a cardiac rhythm on telemetry once a shift and discuss my questions with the charge nurse. In three months, I’ll list skills I’ve improved on and ones I want to practice more.

S: This goal is very specific about what skills you want to practice: IVs, catheters, NG tubes, and reading telemetry. 

M: The goal is measurable because you’ll reflect on what went well and where you want to improve after three months.

A: The goal is attainable because most other nurses are always grateful for a helping hand with many of these skills. If you work where there are telemetry patients, you’ll have plenty of rhythm strips to look at and senior nurses to learn from.

R: This goal is relevant because technical skills are always in demand in nursing, although it depends somewhat on where you work. If you work at the bedside, improving your skills will also help you better care for patients. 

T: The goal sets a timeframe to get in as much practice as possible and when to re-assess. 

11. Be a Team Player

Whenever I’m caught up with my work, I’ll offer to help coworkers with transferring patients or giving medications. I’ll be kind in all my interactions with doctors, therapists, social workers, and other nurses. Every month, I’ll reflect on any feedback I’ve gotten from supervisors or coworkers.

S: The goal here is to be mindful of your interactions with coworkers. It also talks about which tasks you’ll help others with.

M: By thinking about constructive feedback, you can measure how well you’re working with your team.

A: The goal is attainable since it states that you’ll offer to lend a hand whenever you’re caught up on your work.

R: Being a great team player is integral to being a nurse.

T: The goal sets a monthly timeframe for reflecting on how you’re doing as a team member.

12. Improve Workflow

I’ll come to my shift ten to fifteen minutes early so I can review my patient assignments before starting. I’ll make a list of the main tasks I need to complete and which patients I need to see first. I’ll try to get the most difficult tasks done early in my shift. Each week, I’ll write down what went well and what could be better. After three weeks, I’ll reassess and think about ways to be even more efficient. 

S: Here, you’re setting a goal to be at work ten or fifteen minutes early to have time to prepare. Prioritizing tasks and making a schedule for your shift are specific ways to improve workflow. 

M: A weekly list of things that did or didn’t work can help you measure your workflow and see how you can improve. 

A: The goal is attainable since you’ll already need to do some preparation for work and complete tasks. 

R: The goal is relevant because a better workflow will improve efficiency and time management, which will help your day or night run smoothly!

T: Reassessing your progress after three weeks is an excellent time-bound goal.

13. Ace Nursing Job Interviews

I will apply for at least three jobs I’m interested in each week and follow up if I haven’t heard back in one week. I’ll research the company two days before my interview and review ten common interview questions online to feel more prepared. I’ll also choose what I’ll wear and think of three questions to ask the interviewer a day ahead. 

S: The goal details precisely what you’ll do to secure a job interview and get prepared. It also mentions how many questions you’ll have ready to ask the company.

M: The goal specifies three questions and how many potential interview questions you’ll prepare for. You can also measure your success by whether you get the job!

A: Looking up interview questions online and preparing a day ahead are all attainable goals.

R: If you’re searching for your perfect nursing job, acing the interview is an integral part of the process. 

T: This goal gives you a timeframe for following up with a potential employer and starting to prepare for your interview. 

14. Be More Thorough

I’ll perform a head-to-toe assessment on each patient within two hours of starting my shift, if they’re more critical. I’ll come to work ten minutes early so I can review my patients' charts before seeing them. I’ll make a list of each body system to make sure I cover everything in the report. I’ll re-assess where I could improve in a month. 

S: This goal mentions what you’ll do to ensure thoroughness, such as conducting full assessments. 

M: The goal is measurable. In a month, you should re-assess areas for improvement and make sure you’ve covered each body system in the report. 

A: Doing a full assessment is likely a part of your workflow. Coming in a little before your shift gives you time to review their chart details. 

R: Being thorough is good practice as a nurse since it helps stop problems before they start.

T: The goal is time-bound because it sets the bar at two hours for when to have patient assessments done and a monthly reflection period. 

15. Improve Patient Outcomes

I will provide printed instructions to patients on discharge and ask them to repeat what I tell them to ensure they understand. I’ll also do thorough assessments each shift and make sure my patients get all their questions answered before they leave. 

S: This goal discusses just a couple of ways to help patients have better outcomes, including making sure they have detailed instructions they understand how to follow. 

M: Having patients repeat what they heard is a way to measure their understanding. 

A: If you discharge patients, you must review discharge instructions anyway. Thinking about the best ways to do it might help improve their outcomes. 

R: Many of us enter nursing because we want to help people. This goal is relevant because nurses are a huge part of patient success!

T:  The goal is time-bound because you ensure all questions are answered before the patient is discharged. Depending on where you work, you may even set reminders to follow up with outpatients and see how they’re doing long-term.

Final Thoughts on SMART Goals for Your Nursing Career

Regardless of where you are in life right now, you can always rely on SMART goals. Nursing doesn’t have to be so challenging when you break each challenge into smaller objectives and face them one at a time.

And if you want more SMART goal ideas and examples, be sure to check out these blog posts:

• 5 SMART Goals Examples for Dental Hygienists
• 7 Vision Board Examples to Inspire Nursing Students
• 9 Examples of SMART Goals for Occupational Therapy
• 5 SMART Goals Examples to Improve Workplace Teamwork
• 7 SMART Goals Examples for Improving Your Listening Skills

Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals .

How Nurses Can Set SMART Goals

• SMART is an acronym that stands for goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and happen within a specified time frame.
• SMART goals create a structure that increases your potential to achieve your goal.
• Nurses might consider writing professional SMART goals influenced by the market events of 2022 or the expected trends in 2023, such as an increased number of NP-led practices.

Did you know that 91% of people who make New Year’s resolutions don’t achieve their goals ? Research shows most people throw in the towel by January 19. But the 9% who are successful pursue their goal with relentless passion. In other words, they want it badly.

The people who achieve their goals have another secret — they know what goals to set and how to structure them to increase the chances they succeed. They develop SMART goals.

Find out why setting SMART goals for nurses can be an important strategy to lay the groundwork for professional development and tracking your progress.

What Are SMART Goals?

According to 1994-2015 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , roughly 20% of small businesses fail in the first year, and 65% fail by year 10. Your nursing career is a little like a small business. To advance your career, you must be intentional in managing your career.

Creating SMART goals is a foundational strategy that can support goal achievement. Before writing your SMART goals, let’s review what they are.

SMART is an acronym to help you remember each part of writing structured goals.

• 1 It’s easier to track goals when they include specific objectives. For example, instead of a goal to become a nurse practitioner (NP), you might set a goal to submit your application to an NP program within six months.
• 2 When goals are specific, they are also measurable — meaning you’ll know whether you’ve achieved it. For example, a goal to lose weight isn’t measurable. But, you can measure your goal if it is to lose five pounds in two months.
• 3 Going back to the NP example, you would only expect to become an NP in six months if you were four months from graduation. Only write goals you can reasonably expect to achieve, or you may become so discouraged that you stop working toward your goals.
• 4 Your goals should be meaningful and stretch you out of your comfort zone. They should also be achievable by improving your current habits. Setbacks can bring about action, but if your goals aren’t realistic, it won’t be easy to get and stay on track.
• 5 To measure your goals, you must have a time limit to achieve them. Your time frame should be clear and give you enough time to accomplish your goal.

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SMART Goals for Nurses: Where to Start

You should also evaluate your progress during the time frame you set. Is the goal still achievable and realistic? Is the time frame too short or too long? This allows you to reset and start again without completely throwing in the towel.

SMART goals for nurses may be personal or professional. In 2022, several events changed nursing and have impacted the profession. This may also impact your professional goals.

For example, the nursing shortage contributed significantly to several events in 2022. These included the Minnesota nursing strike, care of COVID-19 patients, and the guilty verdict for Christiann Gainy that was blamed on short staffing.

Consider including a goal to work with your local American Nurses Association chapter to advocate for wage increases, expand nursing education, and support nursing faculty. These actions can help increase the number of nurses entering the profession.

The projected nursing trends for 2023 may also impact the professional goals you set. Addressing the nursing shortage will be a top priority in 2023, as well as the mental health needs of patients and nurses.

Experts also estimate there will be a rising number of NP-led practices . These trends may contribute to your desire to improve your knowledge and work toward becoming an NP. It may also lead you to practice strategies to protect your mental health.

Your personal experiences and desires often inform the personal and professional goals you set for your future. Your professional goals may include improving your clinical skills. For example, you might write a SMART goal addressing your assessment, time management, or leadership skills.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nurses

The best way to start setting professional goals is to analyze where you want your career to be in five years. Outline the steps to achieve that goal, and then write SMART goals to reach each one-year goal. It isn’t necessary to stick with the time frames when you’re developing the goals. This is the first step as you’re identifying your long-term objective.

As you revisit your long-term goal regularly, you may discover it needs adjustment. If your initial long-term goal is to become a family nurse practitioner (FNP), you may discover that you prefer working with children and switch to becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner.

Using the long-term goal example of becoming an FNP, you might write two short-term SMART goals in January 2023.

By June 1, 2023, I will have researched online NP programs and submitted applications to four online nurse practitioner programs that offer FNP specialization.

• 1 Submitting four applications to online NP programs with FNP specialization
• 2 Submitting four online NP applications
• 3 Writing four applications in five months
• 4 Gathering the required documentation in five months
• 5 Completing by June 1, 2023

By July 1, 2023, I will have researched available public and private financial aid options for online NP programs and submitted at least six applications to help pay for the online FNP program.

• 1 Researching financial aid programs; submitting at least six applications
• 2 Submitting six applications
• 3 Locating and applying to six financial aid options in six months
• 4 Researching and applying to six financial aid options in six months
• 5 Completing by July 1, 2023

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What are the Best Smart Short-Term Goals That New Grad Nurses Can Set for Themselves?

Smart goal #1: develop strong communication skills, about the goal:, tips to achieve:, smart goal #2: improve time management skills, smart goal #3: develop enhanced clinical skills, smart goal #4: obtain a specialty certification, smart goal #5: develop leadership skills, smart goal #6: demonstrate cultural competence, smart goal #7: attend a nursing conference/convention, smart goal #8: volunteer to mentor new nurses, smart goal #9: enhance assessment skills, smart goal #10: participate in professional development opportunities, my final thoughts, list of sources used for this article.

Top Time Management Skills for Nurses

7 time management tips for nurses, when it’s too late for time management: reducing stress.

By Lee Nelson     

Sandi Thorson works as a registered nurse on 12-hour shifts. In addition, this South Dakota nurse is a wife, mom, grandmother, and a student earning her master's of nursing administration.  She shared her top tips for managing time effectively as a nurse with us. Read on to find out how she handles it all.

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Here are some skills, personality characteristics, and other tips that can help nurses manage their workload and their home lives.

1. Delegate the Right Way

Healthcare is a team effort for a reason. Nurses don’t have enough time to be hands-on with every aspect of patient care. And that’s OK. Other healthcare professionals, including other nurses, are there to do their part.

A good nursing assistant will make life so much better on the floor, but there’s an art to how you use this resource. Don’t simply delegate all the dirty work to your assistant, says Christy Golden, a nurse in North Carolina with 15 years of hospital experience. 

“Nursing, at its core, is all about relationships, which includes your relationships with your nursing assistants." “Make sure when you delegate that you’re delegating only because you have a more pressing need that only a nurse can meet.

“This will save you time in the long run because you’re showing your nursing assistant that you’re not just going to leave all the dirty work to them. This forges teamwork which will always save everyone time.”

2. Arrive Early to Prepare the Little Things

Showing up for your shift about 10 minutes early can be a time investment that pays off all day.

Golden says she makes sure she has scissors, tape, saline flushes, alcohol swabs, pens, medicine cups -- any basic supply she may need during the course of the day -- before clocking in.

“Anything to save you a trip up the hall to get something later,” she said.

Nurses can’t control their workspace the way people in other professions can. Anything can happen in a 12-hour shift. So spending a few minutes controlling the little things can pay off a lot later. 

3. Prioritization Is a Nurse’s Best Friend 

Nurse Thorson believes time management is all about critical thinking and how to prioritize your time and effort as a nurse.

To get comfortable prioritizing, she says that nurses need to ask these four questions that can help put everything in its place in your mind and in your schedule:

• What am I going to do first and why?
• Which is more important to do, and why is it the most important?
• What’s the worst thing that could happen if I don’t do it now?
• What is most important to the patient?

“That’s how they teach time management in many nursing schools; but nurses have to remember that they can’t do everything they set out to do that day unless, of course, it’s giving medicine to a patient,” Thorson says. 

“There are certain duties that must be accomplished. But there just might be a few things that can be left off until the next day or next shift, such as some administrative duties that aren’t so critical.”

Experienced nurses know patient care is a 24-hour job. Work as hard as you can, get better at multitasking, and sharpen your time management skills -- but also remember there’s another shift coming in to relieve you later today or in the morning.

Unless they're related to medication administration or patient safety, many tasks can probably wait. 

4. Take Breaks When You Can (Even if You Don’t Need One Yet)

Novice nurses are often surprised when they get their first nursing jobs and learn there truly is no way to predict how a day will go. All it takes is one phone call to turn a routine day into a blur of exhausting activity.  

So if you find yourself in a lull, take a few minutes to have a snack while you update patients’ charts. You never know whether you’ll have time for an actual break later. You may never have a chance to grab the lunch you packed and put it in the break room at the beginning of your shift.

5. Anticipate Needs

During slower times, Golden says she likes to ask patients whether they’d like to use the restroom or have some water or juice.

“Patients don’t like to feel like they’re trouble,” she said. “When you ask about specific things it’s often a lot more effective than saying, ‘Is there anything else you need?’ Patients don’t always think about what they need unless you bring it up.”

And getting these little tasks out of the way while it’s slow can keep the patient from needing you during an emergency in another room.

Thorson uses similar strategies.

“I'll try to anticipate the patient’s needs and bring everything I think they may ask for in the room with me' this cuts down on unnecessary trips."

For instance, if she is dealing with a newborn and her mother, Thorson will try and schedule assessments at the same time so she does not have to return within a short time frame.  

“I also write down the name and phone number of the nurse giving me a report in case I have any questions,” Thorson says. 

6. Balance Work With Life

Twelve hours is a long shift. Add in getting ready, commuting, and staying late to give that complex report and your workday can easily turn into 14 hours or more.

“That can be a struggle for some people, especially those with families and kids,” Thorson says. “It all depends on your organizational skills. If shift work is stressful for you, then you need to balance out that heavy workload with the things that eliminate stress for you – which can be exercise, hobbies, or time with friends or family.”

Hopefully, she says, your family can be supportive of your weird hours, and accommodate by helping out around the house and scheduling family events when you are available.

Thorson adds that she tries to spend her weekends with her husband and visiting her children and grandchildren.

“I do try to go out for walks but am not always successful getting that done every day."

Thorson also tries to just get out of the house and take a trip to the store or take a ride just to clear her head for a few minutes in between studying.

7. Have Fun

Nursing jobs can be intense, so picking the right times to just goof off or blow off steam in a pleasurable way can help relieve that tension and prevent burnout.

“I've been known to do a cartwheel or two in the hallway when nobody from management is around,” Thorson says. “I just try to stay positive and do the best job that I can.”

Cartwheels may not be part of everybody’s nursing practice. Every nurse needs his or her own way to relieve some of the pressure that comes along with the job.

In many ways, time management is stress management. When you’re already overwhelmed, it’s often too late to start looking for time-saving tricks.

Everyone has their breaking point, along with their own ways of avoiding that breaking point.

• Thorson tries to speak with a colleague for a few minutes when she finds she's getting too stressed. “Sometimes, I'll try to look at what has me so stressed out and think of other options. In the worst case, I'll step into the break room or leave the unit for a minute and go for a walk. 
• “I've visited the chapel on a few occasions as well. I also know that sometimes I'm just not going to get it all done, and I'm OK with that because I know that I did the best job I could.
• “Even just a few minutes can really help you out. You can go to the bathroom, go to another floor, or walk up and down some stairs. Taking that short breather instead of sipping your 18th cup of coffee can refresh you instantly,” she explains.
• “At home, my husband and daughter have really stepped up to the plate to take care of household issues so I can concentrate on my school work,” she says.

Being a nurse can be a rewarding career, but with an unending stream of responsibilities, stressful situations, and demands.

By learning and using time management skills every day, nurses can get through their shifts successfully and live fuller and happier lives.

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SMART Goals for Nurses and Nursing Students: How They Help With Time Management

Written by Domantas Vanagas

Becoming a nurse is a fantastic career opportunity and one that can be very rewarding. But did you know that many nurses burn out simply because they don’t properly assess and handle their goals and duties? If you are anurse, you have to  understand time management nursing SMART goals and how to set them.

SMART goals is a time management tool that help nursing students and nurses to avoid burnout during college or their work duties. Here’s what you need to know about this process.

What are SMART Goals for Nurses?

SMART goals refer to a unique time management method that focuses on five steps, each corresponding to one letter in the acronym “SMART.” This method can easily be adjusted to suit many other educational and career options. Today let’s focus on our beloved nurses.

Here’s each letter of the acronym broken down, with a brief explanation of how it can help nursing students and nurses:

• Specific: Your SMART goals must be specific, defined, and actionable, focusing on one area you’d like to improve. For example, nurses could choose bedside manners as their particular goal.
• Measurable: Your success can be quantified and measured in a way that drives your improvement. For example, nurses working on their bedside manners could measure success by the number of patient compliments they receive.
• Attainable: Your goals must be realistic and obtainable within your time set. For example, working on 100% approval from patients may be impossible in just two weeks, but 80% may be possible.
• Relevant: All your goals must be relevant to some aspect of your life. For example, improving your bedside skills is relevant to nursing students and nurses and will enhance their careers.
• Time-Based: Each goal you create should have a specific time frame to finish it. For instance, you may give yourself a month to accomplish your bedside training program.

Nurses and nursing students can use this system in many different ways. For example, they can improve their overall training and education by identifying where they need improvement.

They can also set actionable goals that make their career smoother and easier to accomplish, such as making it easier to transition to 12-hour shifts after working primarily in a college setting.

How SMART Goals Benefit Nurses?

Nurses get many potential benefits when using time management nursing SMART goals. This method has become one of the most actionable and beneficial time management tips and can be used in any career field.

Benefits you may receive include:

• The ability to track your progress more efficiently and transparently
• A way of creating better improvement goals that provide actionable benefits
• Increasing your productivity and efficiency by focusing on your overall improvement
• Enhanced strategies that make it easier to focus on productivity and minimize procrastination
• Improving your ability to understand patient needs and management methods

With these benefits, it should be easier to handle the new demands a nursing profession may place on you. For instance, if you’ve been promoted to floor manager and aren’t sure how to handle your new duties, SMART goals can help you take what you’ve learned as a nurse and apply it to a management position.

For example, with SMART goals you would be able to set a goal to improve bedside manners of all your managed nurses.

SMART Goals For Nurse Time Management

Creating SMART goals for nurses requires understanding the importance of time management and the overall planning and execution process. 

The main four steps that you’ll be taking during this process:

• Create a Series of SMART Goals: You can use multiple SMART goals to improve your nursing career, such as minimizing medication errors or finding ways to improve medicine implementation. Know precisely what overall purpose you want to achieve and use the SMART guideline to produce specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based goals for your improvement.
• Identify Ways to Achieve This Goal: Brainstorm steps to help improve your overall nursing SMART goals. For example, suppose you’re trying to minimize medication errors. In that case, you may want to create a new way of tracking medications, ensuring that they aren’t given to the wrong person, and minimizing handling problems.
• Plan a Specific Schedule for Your Goals: Once you’ve devised several ways to achieve your goals, create a schedule for these activities. For example, you may schedule one-hour daily blocks to create your new medication tracking method. You can also focus on training your nurses on this program, setting aside these one-hour blocks to help them, as needed to train everybody.
• Know When to Delegate: SMART goals as a nurse may require delegating tasks to others who can help. For example, if you don’t have time to train everybody in your new medical implementation system, you can choose those who’ve already been trained and have them handle these steps. Doing so helps you measure the program’s success and adjust as needed.

When attempting these SMART goals, don’t forget to take breaks and eliminate all distractions. For example, getting drawn into a problematic nursing case is straightforward, and finding your new medication plan getting sidetracked or even forgotten. Attend all your duties but always keep your ultimate goal in mind, taking breaks to refresh your mind and body.

SMART Goal Examples for Nurses

Time management mistakes may be particularly tough for nurses because they often work 10-16 hours daily. As a result, it is essential to set reasonable SMART goals for your day. These goals can focus on enhancing your overall work experience and making your hospital more effective.

Improve Rest Periods

• Specific: Decide how you want to split up your rest periods during your long shift, including setting up half-hour breaks evenly throughout a particularly long workday.
• Measurable: Track how much downtime you get throughout a workday by timing it out on a stopwatch and writing this information down on paper, seeing when you’re more likely to take breaks.
• Attainable: As a nurse, you might not always have the time necessary to take a break. Therefore, you may need to set shorter breaks (such as 10-15 minutes) up throughout your day to avoid strain.
• Relevant: Focus on taking breaks after particularly tough times, such as after a patient passes or during a lengthy surgery where you need to stay focused on treatment.
• Time-Based: Try to get your break time down to a reasonable level by the end of your workweek. You can then use the schedule you create to plan additional days and weeks ahead of you.

Decreasing Infection Risk

• Specific: Your goal here should be to take actionable steps to minimize patient infection. Focus on different hand-washing initiatives you can take to help improve this goal.
• Measurable: Track your instances of patient infection and create programs for hand-washing in which nurses must note proper washing procedures on a sheet, which their managers check.
• Attainable: Calculate your current infection rate and try to decrease it by as much as 30-40%. That rate should be obtainable as you slowly reduce your rate over an extended period.
• Relevant: Teach your nurses how to minimize infection rate by steps like hand-washing, equipment sterilization, mask cleaning, and throwing away old or used gloves.
• Time-Based: Improving your infection rate will take time, though you should try to make real progress in at least a week or two: your overall goal may take over a year to accomplish.

Balancing Work Schedules

• Specific: A work schedule goal should include providing appropriate schedules for each employee and meeting their particular part- or full-time work needs.
• Measurable: Track success with this program by gauging how much overtime your employees get or asking them how satisfied they are with their schedule and process.
• Attainable: It should be possible to get your employees the hours they want and can handle and cover all shifts. However, you may find limitations based on nurse availability.
• Relevant: Always pay attention to your employees’ time needs, including scheduling people who prefer late-night work to midnight shifts and part-time employees into gaps left by full-time workers.
• Time-Based: You should try to balance work schedules ASAP and focus on two-week stretches, though planning a month may be beneficial if possible.

SMART Goals for Nursing Students

Time management for nursing students should focus on improving their information retention and minimizing early burnout. These simple SMART goals give nursing students like you the ability to focus on their studies without getting worn out by the demands of the process.

Improving Studying Capabilities

• Specific: Aim to improve your GPA to a 3.5 from a 3.0 by increasing your studying time from one hour every night to at least two hours.
• Measurable: Schedule two-hour blocks through your weekdays and check your GPA online to see how well it improves with each test and assignment.
• Attainable: Identify classes where you need to improve and figure out how much you need to enhance your GPA in each, focusing on classes in which you know you could do better with more focus.
• Relevant: Improving your GPA is an appropriate goal, as it may help you find better placement in high-paying hospitals. Focus only on information pertinent to your studies.
• Time-Based: Try to set your obtainable goal by the end of the semester, as this should give you more than enough time to improve your overall study habits.

Minimizing Early Burnout

• Specific: If you’re getting burned out on your studies, your exact goal may be to get closer to 7-8 hours of sleep every night to avoid fatigue and improve your overall studying.
• Measurable: To measure your success, consider a sleep-tracking device that gauges how much you rest during the night, including whenever you take a nap.
• Attainable: Try to transition to the most sleep you can get without impacting your studies, such as compromising on 6.5 if you still need time to study before bed.
• Relevant: Focus your goals on steps that help you get to sleep, such as exercising regularly, taking melatonin before bed, putting away your computer and phone an hour before bedtime, etc.
• Time-Based: Ease yourself into this new schedule over a few days or weeks, adjusting your sleep gradually. Doing so helps to minimize the risk of adjustment troubles.

Here’s one more tip about time management nursing SMART goals that you can use for your education or career needs: always set an action plan.

An action plan is a series of fundamental steps you can take to achieve your SMART goals. It can exist alongside your SMART outline and help improve your execution.

For example, when improving your studying schedule as a nursing student, you can set an action plan to identify subjects where you’re weaker. You can then transition to tutoring if you need outside help and work with your tutor to properly focus on improving your overall study schedule.

You can also set actionable steps to identify good sources for studying, such as checking out books from the library that focus on your subject or buying them online. After that, you can set up a study group with people you trust who work together when preparing for various studying methods.

Don’t be afraid to change your action plan if it doesn’t work for you. For example, if your study group ends up primarily socializing and chatting (or if you find it hard to study with a group of people in general), you may want to plan your studying around quiet time in your dorm or the library.

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• November 29, 2023

How to Set SMART Goals in Nursing + Examples

Why are we still talking about SMART goals in 2024? Well, to put it simply – because they work! Setting SMART goals can help you to define a goal that is possible within a given time frame because you have set out a plan to reach milestones within a timeline that is realistic and attainable .

Table of Contents

What are smart goals.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound . SMART goals can be used for both professional as well as personal goals, as the clear objectives and milestones help to eliminate the chance of falling off track.

Setting SMART goals are also an integral part of the care planning process necessary for meeting clinical requirements while in nursing school and for professional nurses in the care of patients.

It’s no surprise that setting SMART goals is an extremely important skill for nurses and nursing students – so we put together more details on how to set SMART goals as well as provide detailed examples that can help you in the nursing field.

How to Set SMART Goals

We’re going to learn how to set SMART goals in nursing that will actually help you achieve success in the field. Using the SMART method, we’ll work through real-life examples that can be applied in nursing school, passing the NCLEX, providing professional patient care, and more!

1. Specific

Many people find their goals difficult to achieve because they’re too vague.  You should make your goal as narrow as possible.

Answer these questions:

What do you want to achieve? When do you want to achieve it? Why do you want to achieve this? What are the steps to achieve this goal?

Being specific can also help the nursing student set specific goals for the patient. This can be accomplished by setting specific criteria for the patient to meet based on a nursing diagnosis.

2. Measurable

A goal needs to be measurable if you want to track your progress.  You might say, “I want to be kinder to patients,” but how do you measure that?  What evidence will you have for how well you’re doing?

If you’re a nursing student, you can easily track your progress by looking at your grades, your projects, and the number of assignments you’ve completed. If you’re trying to budget, you could look at how well you’re able to fall under your budget for the month. Learn how to make more money with these 17 best jobs for nursing students .

If you are developing a plan of care for a patient, you will need to have measurable criteria to track the patient’s goal progress.

3. Attainable

SMART goals in nursing should be attainable – if you don’t feel like you can achieve your goal, you’ll become discouraged.

When caring for patients, you will want to have long term and short term goals. An unattainable  short term goal for a patient may be for them to be infection free within 2 hours if they just began their day 1 of 10 antibiotics. On the contrary, an attainable long term goal for that same patient may be to have the patient infection free after the 10-day course of antibiotic therapy.

4. Realistic

Your SMART goals should be realistic, and they should relate to your environment. 

In a patient care setting, the goal must be realistic to what the patient can achieve. A patient who has had a limb amputation will not be able to walk without a prosthetic device. A goal related to the patient safely ambulating out of bed will not be realistic in this scenario.

5. Time-Bound

The most measurable SMART nursing goals examples are time-bound.  Rather than being open-ended, they have a concrete finish line.

Short-term goals may be achieved by the end of the month. Long-term goals might have a time frame of up to a year.

Short-term goal: by the end of the month Long-term goal: by March of next year

Related: A Guide to Subjective vs Objective Data in Nursing

15 Smart Goals Examples for Nurses & Nursing Students

Let’s take a look at some simple goals, along with better examples of SMART goals in nursing professionals as well as for nursing students.

Patient Care SMART Goals

1. Short term goal: Patient will breath better

Smart goal: The patient will increase the oxygenation saturation from 85% to 95% by using effective breathing techniques within the next 8 hours. 

2. Long term goal: Patient will have improved skin.

Smart goal: The patient’s pressure ulcer will decrease from a stage 3 to a stage 1 by increasing diet in protein and by adhering to a strict turning schedule over the next 2 months. 

3. Short term goal: Patient will have less pain.

Smart goal: The patient’s pain level will decrease from a level 10 to a level 3 by the next shift through the adherence of a strict medication schedule.

4. Long term goal: Patient will be compliant with hypertensive medications.

Smart goal: The patient will demonstrate compliance with hypertensive medication by using a medication organizer and verbalizing the consumption of daily medications.

5. Simple goal: I want to get better at listening.

Smart goal: I will pay close attention to what my patients and coworkers tell me.  If I do not understand, I will ask them to clarify.  I will focus on them instead of thinking about what I want to say next.

6. Simple goal: I want to get better at explaining things to patients.

Smart goal: I will learn the layman’s terms for complicated medical jargon so that I can communicate more easily with patients.  Instead of using technical language, I will explain things in terms people can understand.

7. Simple goal: I want to be more culturally sensitive.

Smart goal: I will ask each patient whether I need to be aware of any cultural beliefs or norms while in charge of their care.  I will also seek feedback from coworkers regarding cultural sensitivity.

8. Simple goal: I want to make my patients happy.

Smart goal: I will work to put my patients at ease by finding out what helps them to relax.  I will make sure that I meet certain parameters in offering them care each time I speak with them.

Professional Development SMART Goals

Examples of SMART goals in healthcare can also be utilized to help you develop as a medical professional. Below are a few examples of what we’d call a “simple goal” as well as examples of how to make this into a SMART nursing goal.

9. Simple goal: I want to get promoted.

Smart goal: I will go above and beyond in my job duties.  If a better position opens up, I will apply for it.  I will make my interest in further responsibilities known to my supervisors.

10. Simple goal: I want a raise.

Smart goal: I will perform my tasks to the best of my abilities.  I will make my workplace more efficient and increase the quality of patient care.  If I have not been considered for a raise after six months, I will put together a case and present it to my supervisor.

11. Simple goal: I want to be better at my job.

Smart goal: I will keep checklists to make sure I do my duties during every shift.  I will check in with coworkers and ask for feedback when needed.

Related: Get more experience (and extra income) with these 15 best nurse side hustles.

12. Simple goal: I want to learn from my coworkers at my new job.

Smart goal: I will ask a more experienced coworker if they would be willing to mentor me.  I will ask about what I should know while working here.  I will talk to my supervisor about how I can observe more closely.

Related: 20 Positive Nurse Affirmations for a Growth Mindset

Nursing School SMART Goals

Utilizing proper SMART goals in nursing school can really elevate your academic success by making your goals actionable. These types of SMART goals examples can work in nursing school or any other academic area you may be focusing on.

13. Simple goal: I want to finish my assignments on time.

Smart goal: I will do my assignments when they’re first given.  For long-term projects, I will create a timeline and work steadily on them until they are complete.  I will keep track of my assignments using to-do lists and schedules.

Keep track more easily with our favorite planners for nurses . 

14. Simple goal: I want to pass all my exams.

Smart goal: I will create a study schedule to review all the relevant material prior to my exams.  I will create study materials.  I will reread my assignments and make use of faculty office hours if needed. 

Speaking of exams, pass the NCLEX the first time with this 5-week NCLEX Study Schedule

15. Simple goal: I want to remember important information without wasting time.

Smart goal: I will create flashcards that have key terms and concepts from the reading.  I will frequently use these to quiz myself so that I know I remember the most important points.

16. Simple goal: I want to be more social.

Smart goal: I will look up campus events, join a study group, and make an effort to interact with more people.  I will answer questions in class and participate in discussions with my classmates.

Related: What’s a Passing NCLEX Score?

Workplace Efficiency SMART Goals

Nursing performance goals could be set using the SMART goal method – have a look at a few examples of SMART nursing goals that involve being more efficient, and, therefore, more effective, at your job:

17. Simple goal: I want to decrease patient wait time.

Smart goal: I will complete patient intake procedures in a timely manner.  I will be efficient when weighing patients and asking them preliminary questions.  I will try to see them quickly without making them feel rushed.

18. Simple goal: I want to do more hands-on procedures.

Smart goal: I will complete a certain number of specific procedures in the next two months.  I will volunteer to do these procedures whenever possible, and I will ask my coworkers to help me get more experience.

19. Simple goal: I want to get more done during a shift.

Smart goal: I will put my down time to better use by sorting patient files.  I will make lists of tasks to complete and work on them when I’m not seeing patients.  I will create a system to streamline the intake and recording process for patients.

Related: How-To Guide for Why I Want to Be a Nurse Essay

Other SMART Goal Tips

1. write them down..

Whether you write them in a journal or an online document, writing your SMART nursing goals out makes it easier to track them. We’ve put together a list of the best nursing school planners that help you to keep track of personal and professional goals, academic deadlines, as well as other calendar events.

If you’re already out of nursing school, then you can check out our 6 picks for nurse planners .

2. Keep track.

Get in the habit of updating your progress.  You can even use tracking apps to make sure you’re on schedule. Here are some apps to help you do that.

3. Celebrate micro-wins.

Even small amounts of progress are progress!  Let yourself celebrate each new step, even if it’s just a single procedure or patient. Read more on how to create micro wins in your life here .

4. Focus on your own goals, not other people’s.

You’re not competing with other people.  You’re competing with yourself.  Keep the focus on you and don’t get distracted by those surrounding you.

A big component of clinical requirements while in nursing school, is to develop careplans for patients. In this instance, the student is focusing on the goal of the patient, not theirs. 

The same goes for the nurse when care planning for the patient. The are focusing on the goals of the patient, not theirs.

5. Remember what motivates you.

Why did you set these goals in the first place?  Because you want to become a better practitioner, right?  Keep that in mind as you work to stay motivated. Remember to celebrate success and achievement, as you don’t want to burnout with constant ambition.

Related: 7 Examples of Nursing Strengths and Weaknesses for Interviews

The best way to create SMART goals in nursing is to ask yourself what you want to accomplish.  Then you’ll look for attainable ways to do that.  It’s important that the goal be measurable, and that it’s not so difficult you get frustrated.

You’ll notice that in the SMART nursing goals examples, the biggest drawback is vagueness.  The more specific you are, the easier it will be to measure your progress!

Do you have a better idea now of your future goals?  What are your plans?  Let us know in the comments below!

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