Please help!!! Our class will be going to our 2nd clinical week next Monday and I am dreading it. . . this past MOnday, according to our instructor a head to toe assessment (including lab works and getting report from the evening nurse) oh, and verifying meds, should only take 20 minutes. . . . Please, someone tell me, is something wrong here? it took me literally an hour and ahalf - first, because the hospital was new, the charts were new, the medicine/pixis unit, different, some nurses helpful/some cannot be found, plus, also depending on which pt. you get, I got ANOTHER pt. who cannot communicate verbally and was not oriented to time or place, sorry, but it is going to take me longer.
An example of my frustration:
We MUST document our assessment - if a pt. that is confused, how can I possibly get an answer out of them about their stool, what does it look like, what color was it, who do they live with, etc?? Keep in mind we're getting to the floor around 6:15 - 6:30 (close to change of shift) the CNA's while, very professional and nice on that floor, are busy half the time, would I ask them if the pt. is OOB w/ assistance and is not incontinent? According to my clinical professor, somewhere there is documentation on bowel movements. . is this so? I feel like I am so lost looking at all the paperwork, I feel like I need time to "take it all in", I know in the real world nurses have to deal with many pts. at one time, but it feels overwhelming to me.
Example of my frustration: (with myself, because at this point I don't know if it is me that has no common sense or what)
Tuesday, we are back for clinical, this time we were told we only had an hour and half to assess pt. and provide pm care. . . ok, so pt. has full tray, has not started to eat yet - so I figure, hey before she starts eating (which will take up a considerable amt. of time since pt. is on soft diet and has dysphagia, is nauseous, etc) I figure, let me get vital signs, (which should take a little time) and then I'll assist pt. w/ her meal. . . well, who bursts in but my clinical instructor - saying loudly "Looks like MRS. >>>>> is hungry, it's time for her to eat, forget what you're going to do, or somehting along those lines) Ok, so I feel like it's dammed if I do, dammed if I don't because, ok, what if I had started feeding pt. upon getting to floor and then 45 mins go by, then, couldn't she just as well walked in and said "why didn't you do vitals first, if you knew this was going to take a long time?"
Do you know what I'm saying?? I'm not complaining about my instructer BTW, I'm just trying to get other people's perspective, please be brutally honest, am I lacking some common sense here? I feel SO insecure, I am constantly questioning myself ALL the time.
BTW, please keep in mind that I've been out of nursing school for 2 yrs so this is my first semester back after that hiaturs.
If your patient is not A&O x3 and you cannot ask them about your stool, you can still document it if you see it, otherwise in your assessment just write "none seen" or "did not see" and then if your patient does have a BM, you can assess that.
shrimpchips, LPN
659 Posts
If your patient is not A&O x3 and you cannot ask them about your stool, you can still document it if you see it, otherwise in your assessment just write "none seen" or "did not see" and then if your patient does have a BM, you can assess that.