All 3rd shifters

[URO-RN]

-Just curious as to what time (5 to-7am) you or assistant nursing personnel, perform your am morning finger sticks.

[BGgirl]

Our day shift does them unless they're going to early dialysis.

[Blackcat99]

At my hospice the day shift does them at 8am right before breakfast.

[pickledpepperRN]

Our physicians make rounds as early as 6:00 am in our critical care unit.

We draw our own labs, often from an arterial line so we use a drop for glucose testing.

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

night shift ONLY does the blood sugars if they are ordered q6h, which would be at 0600, 1200, 1800, and 2400. otherwise, if ordered achs, htey are done at around 0730 by day shift

[suzieqlpn]

Our policy is to do the chemstrip at 6am, and then give coverage units of regular insulin on those patients.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

Day shift does their own glucometers. We used to have night shift do them, but many of us felt uncomfortable giving insulin based on a sugar that was over 2 hours old.

[NurseBranch]

At our hospital, the night CNA, (me) does q6's at 0600 and the night nurse covers, the BID's and TID's are for 0700, so I do those at about 0715 because it is the day shift RN who covers these and I don't want the patient to wait too long for insulin if needed while the nurses are giving report. If it is low, I start by notifying the RN and giving OJ ASAP. :)

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

Day shift does their own glucometers. We used to have night shift do them, but many of us felt uncomfortable giving insulin based on a sugar that was over 2 hours old.

When I worked with adults this was my issue!! Why should night shift be doing fingersticks when we give report 1-2 hours before breakfast is served? In my opinion fingersticks should be done immediately before insulin is given. As a neonatal nurse that I have the priviledge of being able to do that. Blood sugars are almost always done immediately before a feed (unless NPO then at regularly spaced intervals). If there were to be insulin given it would be given immediately (though I've never had to give insulin to an infant; yes it happens, just uncommon). And thankfully feeds are scheduled as far from shift change as possible. I love NICU (sorry had to say that again).

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

We only have one doc who comes at 6:30 a.m. and the rest are after 8. Our breakfast is served at about 8. They are ordered for 6:30 (I voted 7 a.m.) but we do them between 6:30 and right before breakfast is served. Depends on the condition of the patient - we usually let our "swing" patients sleep.

And CNA's do not do blood sugars.

steph

[suebird3]

When I was on 11-7, I would start my rounds at 5 am; the number of accuchecks varies, but the hall routine wouldn't. 11-7 gives all but ONE patient insulin (unless someone was so low...). Many of our rezzies go out to a day program, so breakfast is at a fairly decent time.

Suebird

[Redbird13]

The majority of our blood sugars are ordered for achs. We do them at 0700, 1100, 1700, and 2100. The only time that has been a problem is the 1700 time since its right at shift change. (12 hr shifts 0500-1700 & 1700-0500.)

CNA's never do the blood sugars