Health care social workers face significant problems in controlling and managing time. Among the causes are increased demands for service, economy measures in health care, and the concurrent responsibility which social workers often have for both ongoing case management and crisis coverage. Individuals and social work departments can increase productivity through streamlining case management, increasing use of available resources, and generating new resources. With planning and preparation, many emergencies can be moved into the expected work flow. The social work profession needs to address time management problems and expectations in a more realistic and systematic way.