What are your white board goals?

Nurses Education

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I'm a new nurse on a busy oncology unit about to get out of orientation and be on my own on the floor for the first time...! I'm looking to improve my patient education by developing better shift goals to write on the white boards in the patients' rooms. My preceptor and the other nurses on my floor write the generic "call for assistance" on every white board... For example:

Saturday, October 13, 2012

RN: Nancy

CNA: Patty

Goal: Call for assistance

We do have a very limited amount of space on the boards, but I'd like to be more specific, and still patient friendly. Do you write very specific statements like "maintain pain level between 3-4 on 1-10 scale" or things as simple as "Turn, cough, & deep breathe every hour"?

What are some examples of shift goals that you write for your patients?

Mine are real simple. I do not even fill out the damn whiteboards. I hate those things.

I'm with you!!! On my unit they are a total waste of time....

And if I were to ask my pts ( at least 90% of them) " As your nurse, what do you think I can do for you today"....the answer would most likely go something like this...

" I need you to milk the cows....and we need to sell these shoehorns by noon...and can you please wash this green pepper in the toilet for me?"

Ahhh....the joys of geri/psych!!

I walked into a room once where the "Goal for the day" was "To Poop!" on the white board. I was a bit shocked and also a little amused at the same time. The patient must've seen my expression because she then politely asked me to erase what the previous nurse had written. She stated that although that is her goal, she didn't want it up there for all to see, especially family and friends who may visit. That was back when I was a CNA going to nursing school. I made a mental note then to always ask if the patient would like their goals written down on the white board, regardless if it were something that blatant or not. :)

I walked into a room once where the "Goal for the day" was "To Poop!" on the white board. I was a bit shocked and also a little amused at the same time. The patient must've seen my expression because she then politely asked me to erase what the previous nurse had written. She stated that although that is her goal she didn't want it up there for all to see, especially family and friends who may visit. That was back when I was a CNA going to nursing school. I made a mental note then to always ask if the patient would like their goals written down on the white board, regardless if it were something that blatant or not. :)[/quote']

Haha that is kinda funny!

Specializes in med-tele, med-surg..

i totally agree for the most part the goal for 98% of my patients is to go home! so that's what I put. I will put up questions they have for the doctors since i work nights and they aren't making rounds until the next day, this helps the patients remember that they had questions

OMG I thought white boards were a fad only at my hospital/facility. (Sometimes when you're in the military system, you feel isolated from the rest of the world. That's sort of why I came back onto AN.)

It's far worse than I thought.

THEY'RE A NATIONAL FAD.

Specializes in Oncology, Palliative Care.
OMG I thought white boards were a fad only at my hospital/facility. (Sometimes when you're in the military system, you feel isolated from the rest of the world. That's sort of why I came back onto AN.)

It's far worse than I thought.

THEY'RE A NATIONAL FAD.

I wish they were a fad on their way out the door! They really suck... Some pts take it too seriously, "it's been an hour & 59.3 minutes and no one has come to reposition me!?!" & others are totally insulted, asking either why we are making our checklists in their rooms or saying we don't need to tell them what to do…

Since I'm oncology, I've taken to using the goal area to write their daily labs & say the goal is to be within normal limits. Even though that's very unrealistic for many of our patients, they still mostly seem to like to see their numbers.

Sometimes I wish I had taken my husbands advice and pursued a job as an RN w/ the Navy traveling w/ him... Thanks for your service!! :)

^This. All of it. And you're welcome!

(Psst, you can always find a health care recruiter....LOL!)

Specializes in Cardiothoracic.

I've seen se good goals listed already but wanted to add I will also write things like " ambulated with assistance 3 times" or " up to chair for all meals" and put check boxes next to the goal and check them off when done. Pts love seeing their goals met and crossed off the list. I also include procedures or interventions like " transfuse 1 unit of blood" or "echocardiogram". It helps them get a feel for their day.

I love your comment "what is the most important thing that I can do as your nurse today?", this really allows for your patients to be involved in their own care. It conveys to them I care about your wants and needs and you are not just another patient in a bed to me! Kuddos to you! I intend to steal and use your awesome suggestion! Thank You!

Dear lord, please don't let the suits in charge hear you say something like "what is the most important thing I can do as your nurse today?" They'll jump on that like a pack of wolves. Then it'll it be a mandatory thing to say in order to increase satisfaction scores. Isn't there enough customer service nonsense in nursing already?

If I have to provide that much "customer service", I might as well be a waiter and there better be a tip left for me on the bed after they discharge.

I don't really like the whiteboard myself, although I do think it can be very useful for certain patients. I always write down my name at least. For admissions I'll usually write "welcome to to the unit" or something equally as silly. I usually don't write things that the patient has little control of like titrating drips or vent settings because I would hate for them to feel like they failed. I keep it simple and attainable. Get OOB, deep breaths, watch jeopardy, visit with family, that sort of thing.

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