By Erica Dorn, FNP

Charting: It’s a word that can make even the most seasoned clinician’s shoulders tense.

In my journey as the nurse practitioner charting coach, I’ve uncovered the shared struggles clinicians face with charting overload, which is why I now teach nurse practitioners actionable strategies to regain control of the charting process and restore their work-life balance. This article will dive into the impact of charting overload on clinicians and practical steps you can take to lighten the charting burden.

The heavy toll of charting overload

It’s no secret that charting can feel overwhelming, but the true cost goes far beyond long work hours. Let’s explore some of the most significant negative effects:

1. Loss of work-life balance. Clinicians often find themselves bringing charts home or staying late at the office to finish documentation. Instead of unwinding after a long day, you may be glued to your laptop, finalizing notes. Over time, this disrupts the balance between your professional and personal life, leading to frustration, exhaustion, and clinician burnout.

2. Neglecting self-care. When charting dominates your time, essential self-care practices—exercise, mindfulness, sleep—often fall by the wayside. Without these rejuvenating habits, stress levels climb, and physical, mental, and emotional health can decline. Ultimately, clinicians are sacrificing their own health because they are constantly catching up on clinical notes.

3. Strain on personal relationships. The after-hours burden of charting doesn’t just affect you; it impacts your loved ones too. Missing family dinners, skipping outings, or being too preoccupied to be truly present with friends and family can erode relationships over time.

4. Clinician burnout. The relentless cycle of patient care and documentation is a leading contributor to clinician burnout. Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, detachment from work or self, and reduced effectiveness, not only affects your well-being but also your ability to provide high-quality care to patients. Clinician burnout becomes personal because it creates a negative impact on personal lives and relationships.

If you’re reading this and nodding along, you’re not alone. Charting overload is a nearly universal struggle among health care providers—but it doesn’t have to be this way.

What I learned as the nurse practitioner charting coach

Becoming the nurse practitioner charting coach wasn’t something I planned; it grew out of necessity. Like many of you, I struggled to keep up with charting early in my career. I learned very little about charting in nurse practitioner school, and when it came time to document in the real world, I struggled. I ended up staying late at the office or bringing my charts home. I constantly stressed about finishing medical notes, and my thoughts were always consumed by work.

Over time, I developed strategies to streamline my workflow, regain my personal time, and achieve better work-life balance. I quickly realized just how widespread these challenges are among nurse practitioners and clinicians, so I started sharing these charting tips.

Here are some of the common challenges clinicians face in regards to charting:

1. Charting struggles are incredibly common. From new graduates to experienced providers, nearly every nurse practitioner I’ve worked with has faced challenges with charting. Common issues include:

Push to see more patients in less time

Falling behind on notes during busy clinic days

Over-documenting out of fear of non-compliance or liability

Struggling with EMR systems that feel unintuitive

Feeling pressured to chart perfectly while seeing a high volume of patients

Recognizing that these struggles are shared can be a relief—it’s not just you. Also, acknowledging the struggles that are under the provider’s control is key. For example, the clinician may not have much say over seeing patients at 15-minute intervals, but they do have the power to set boundaries with patients who want to address multiple complaints in one visit.

2. Medical education doesn’t prepare clinicians for real-world charting. In school, we’re taught how to assess patients, diagnose conditions, and create treatment plans. While this is important to learn, it comes at the expense of learning how to document patient encounters in a real-world clinical setting.

But when it comes to the practical aspects of charting—navigating EMRs, managing time effectively, and staying compliant—we’re often left to figure it out on our own. This gap in education leaves many clinicians feeling ill-equipped to handle the realities of documentation.

3. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Every clinician’s practice is unique, which means that a universal charting strategy doesn’t exist. Some providers thrive with templates; others need workflows that adapt to their practice style. And yet other health care providers may use AI medical scribes to save time charting. The key is finding what works for you and being open to adjusting your approach as your practice evolves.

Strategies to combat charting overload

Now that we’ve explored the problem, let’s focus on solutions. Here are practical steps I first implemented into my own practice. Now, as the nurse practitioner charting coach, I share these helpful tips to help clinicians reduce charting overload and reclaim personal time.

1. Streamline your EMR workflow. Using the electronic medical record (EMR) is a cumbersome task. Unfortunately, most health care providers do not receive the proper education on learning the full features of the EMR. Learn to use your EMR more efficiently by:

-Customizing charting templates: Spend time upfront creating templates for the most common chief complaints or conditions in your practice.

-Utilizing smart phrases: Use commonly typed phrases to quickly populate chart notes.

-Attending training sessions: Seek out EMR training opportunities to deepen your skills.

2. Prioritize real-time charting. Whenever possible, chart during or immediately after the patient encounter. This reduces the backlog of notes and improves mental clarity by freeing up cognitive space.

3. Delegate where possible. If your practice allows, delegate documentation tasks to scribes, medical assistants, or AI medical scribes.

Take back control of your charting.

Charting overload doesn’t have to dictate your life. By understanding the root of the problem and implementing targeted strategies, you can regain balance, reduce stress, and focus on what truly matters—both at work and at home.

Erica D, the NP Charting Coach, is a family nurse practitioner and the creator of The Nurse Practitioner Charting School. She specializes in helping overwhelmed nurse practitioners improve their charting skills, enabling them to achieve a better work-life balance and finally stop charting at home!