Arranging med cart chronologically?

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Specializes in CMA, CNA.

So I recently started a new LTC facility 7P-7A, and have run across a day nurse who pulled me aside with her most pressing concern. The med cart was organized chronologically she explained, as in morning meds were first, then night, then PRN. She said it in a condescending way, like I was stupid, but nothing in my onboarding or orientation instructed me to do this.

The thing is, at my last place I once asked about something similar as someone had written times on many cards. My night nurse explained it was someone's attempt at a new system and asked me how many people did I think would follow it, esp since some meds are twice a day, and we have countless people on a cart. The gist is that the reality of it working is that it's not sustainable. But here we are....

I worked in a place that did this, once.  It did make pulling the cards faster.  I only had to pull the 3_11 cards.  Another thing they did was to have the times written on the cards in different colours.  Black for days, blue for 3-11 and red for 11-7.  This mades things easier and quicker, but it only works if everyone goes along with it.

Specializes in Short Term/Skilled.

I think a facility I did clinical at used this method.  IDK; I guess it depends on how many meds they have all together. If it’s 30+ then, yeah - but I can see this being problematic ish. 

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