Trying to rearrange/prioritze my schedule each night

[Isitpossible]

Hello all, New grad in LTC... each night after work I go home and try to re-arrange my schedule in an effort to complete all the things that need to be done in an 8 hour period. I feel like it's just not working, no matter how hard I try.

My facility does not like to pay overtime, so I feel pressured to leave on time, whether or not I document everything I completed on my shift. When I get to work each day, I'm literally busy every moment, and NOT taking lunch is not an option for me!! How you seasoned nurses in LTC get it all done in a mere 8 hours?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

The first year after school is the hardest......nursing is a unique profession because learning how to actively care for patients themselves is after you graduate.

Organization is key.......you need a brain sheet.

brain sheets.......here are a few.

mtpmedsurg.doc 1 patient float.doc‎

5 pt. shift.doc‎

finalgraduateshiftreport.doc‎

horshiftsheet.doc‎

report sheet.doc‎

day sheet 2 doc.doc

‎critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students

student clinical report sheet for one patient

I hae made some for nursing students and some other an members (Daytonite) have made these for others.....adapt them way you want. i hope they help

[bbuerke]

Wow! I did not expect such a visceral response from everyone. I think I may have given the wrong impression with my description of a kid on a long car ride - poor analogy I guess. The idea I was really trying to put across was what FMF Corpsman said in their first response:

" A well organized nurse or aide sees to their patients needs preemptively, insuring that most needs and comforts are met before the patient even request them, that way they aren't tied up with call lights most of the evening, but are freed up to do patient care."

That is exactly what I do with regular toileting. If a patient doesn't want to go, they certainly don't have to, and I will return later. I always frame it in a way that does not give the impression of me "ordering them around". I say something like, "I think it would probably be a good idea to go to the bathroom now. With all those fluids running, I don't want you to have to rush to get to the bathroom." That way I am there to help them, and I do part of my skin and mobility assessment while they're up.

I really started doing this as a way to reduce falls among my patients. Our data/incident reviews showed that 90% of patient falls were related to toileting. I also cluster it around other activities - I don't just barge into my patient's rooms insisting they get up to the bathroom. I go in when the NA is getting vitals or phlebotomy comes in to draw labs. That way they're already awake and I can help them.

Lastly, I would like to say that I do these things out of a genuine sense of care and concern for my patients. I am by no means trying to make my own life easier, rather, keep my patients safe and well cared for, with all their needs met before they even have to ask.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

:hug: Sometimes the written word doesn't convey what we are thinking. Thanks for clarifying

[Isitpossible, LPN, LVN]

Esme: Thank you!!

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Esme: Thank you!!

:hug: YOU're welcome :)