Nurses are expected to perform as decisive and experienced professionals, who can effectively address emergent and critical situations in healthcare facilities. In this context, professionalism in nursing means being confident, punctual, patient-oriented, and having developed theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Punctuality can be discussed as being of great importance for nurses today because any delays in delivering care directly affect patients, possibly leading to negative outcomes.
It is significant for nurses to be on time or be punctual in their activities. The reason is that their duties and responsibilities are associated with reacting to various events and completing tasks accurately and on time. If nurses act unprofessionally and demonstrate a lack of punctuality, there are potential medical risks for patients. The problem is that physicians’ prescriptions need to be done on time, laboratory tests should be provided as soon as possible, and nursing diagnoses should be given accurately. All the communication with patients, consultations, examinations, procedures, and even follow-up calls depend on time. Therefore, nurses’ professionalism is in their ability to be punctual and work according to a strict schedule.
When the workload is considerable, the ability to manage time and remain punctual is extremely important for nurses. Thus, a nurse is expected to value every minute of their working time to be able to provide high-quality care or support for other nurses when performing as a leader. From this perspective, if a nurse has developed time management skills and punctuality, they can perform effectively despite a tight schedule, pressure, and stress associated with working in hospitals. Patient safety and the effectiveness of physicians’ work also depend on the professionalism and punctuality of nurses.