Too much info to remember / confusing patients with other patients

Register Today!

  1. This is a discussion on Too much info to remember / confusing patients with other patients in First Year After Nursing Licensure, part of Nursing Career Advice ... Do you ever feel like you don't remember things about your patient and/or you're getting your...

    by Dec 7, '12
    Do you ever feel like you don't remember things about your patient and/or you're getting your patients confused with the other patients you have??

    I feel like these other nurses know the answers to everything and have photographic memories and just spit out the answers. I have a bad memory, and there is way too much information to remember... like when a patient or doctor asks me a question - I'm always fumbling my folded papers around trying to find out the information like a clueless idiot. I'm like, "Uh, let me look at that for you and get back to you" or "Let me ask the other nurse."
    Read Online


    Print and share with friends and family.
    Compliments of allnurses.com.
    http://allnurses.com/showthread.php?t=801209

    by LaceyRN12 Dec 7, '12 1:18 am
    ©2013 allnurses.com INC. All Rights Reserved.
    roughmatch likes this.
  2. 2,449 Views
    Click Tags to Find Similar Topics

  3. 14 Comments so far...

  4. Dec 7, '12 by
    Yep! You a new nurse? I made up elaborate brain sheets and need one for each patient. I see other nurses just jotting it all down randomly on one piece of paper. Don't know how they keep it all straight. Even with my overkill system, I still get them jumbled up in my brain. I hate it.
    roughmatch likes this.
  5. Dec 7, '12 by
    Over time you will learn what is important and what others NEED to know. Until then maybe Esme12 will chime in and give you some links to her brain sheets. You are new, this happens to all of us
    amoLucia and nrsang97 like this.
  6. Dec 7, '12 by
    Yeah, I'm a new nurse. I dread the day I'm by myself. I've even been crying about it. It's so terrifying. And yeah, other nurses write everything on the same sheet of paper they write report on. It's so scrambled and looks unorganized. I need to do something different myself. I think I will need to have a blank paper and just write down everything I've done / new orders ... one sheet per patient or something.

    Thanks for your responses. Any more input would be greatly appreciated!
  7. Dec 7, '12 by
    It does get easier, thats the good news but it does take time.. just remember you are never alone even when off orientation.
    KitkatPRN and limerick1913 like this.
  8. Dec 7, '12 by
    Yep still happens to me now after a year, especially during the last couple hours of a shift. My brain usually feels pretty foggy. And for the life of me, I have the worst time remembering my pts names; I remember room numbers. I'm lucky if I remember a first name.
  9. Dec 7, '12 by
    Even after over a year this still happens to me from time to time. It definitely happens when you're new but it does get better with time. Use a good brain sheet that has all of the information laid out for you. Esme has links to some great ones!
  10. Dec 7, '12 by
    Thanks everybody. And yeah, I just remember room numbers. When someone brings up a patient's name, I'm just blank. Makes me feel more like an idiot. Trying to keep up with all of the things of being a nurse already makes me feel like an idiot..
    roughmatch likes this.
  11. Dec 7, '12 by
    Quote from Sun0408
    It does get easier, thats the good news but it does take time.. just remember you are never alone even when off orientation.
    Words truely spoken.

    To OP - Just know that we seniors have more room in our craniums to remember things. We no longer have our brain space filled up with all the newbie angst of anxiety, fearfulness, self-doubt, desire-to-fit-in, etc. Time and experience works wonders!

    As those newbie S&S start to resolve, you'll find all this new room to start storing those things you find so desirous, ie confidence, knowledge, self-assurance, etc.

    Just know that we too have relapses from time to time, but we know about it. And we try take care of it better.

    Good luck.
    roughmatch and mama2 like this.
  12. Dec 7, '12 by
    Quote from LaceyRN12
    I have a bad memory, and there is way too much information to remember... like when a patient or doctor asks me a question - I'm always fumbling my folded papers around trying to find out the information like a clueless idiot. I'm like, "Uh, let me look at that for you and get back to you" or "Let me ask the other nurse."
    You are doing fine. Like it was said above anxiety and stress make your memory worse. Just try to relax. Also, don't worry about looking stupid. It is more safe to look info up rather than do it from memory anyway. If you worry about looking stupid you may "shoot from the hip" and give out wrong info truly looking stupid and potentially causing harm. If someone gives you a hard time remind them you are doing what is best for the patient by making sure you are giving accurate info.
    echoRNC711 likes this.