Changing to 24 (military) time

Specialties Geriatric

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We will be changing next month to 24 hour time in our documentation. I have a couple of nurses who haven't used this before. Can you suggest a website that has a clock face that is marked that I could laminate? Or do you have one you could fax me? Thanks, trudy

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this will help

🙂 Super

I dont see why every one doesnt use military time .does any one still use red green and blue ink?

Specializes in Cardiac Step Down, PICU.

So if it is 12:30 a.m. would you document 0030 or 2430 as I've seen it both ways and don't know which is correct. THANKS!

Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

I also found it helpful, if you use pagers, to set the time to millitary time on my pager. That way I just look down at it :). Also, put the lamination on the back of your clipboards...I keep loosing papers when I have to shuffle those to expose the info...or sometimes with as much paperwork as I have, I simply start counting on my fingers..LOL!

Another trick, start using millitary time at home. I keep MY clocks on millitary time (not the family's ones...just mine). Pretty soon I was saying millitary times and had to translate for family...and that helped me to remember it better if I had to translate it all the time :).

Also this little nursing diddy I made up: "1400 TWO people have to part (I work swings and have to leave hubby), 1600 FOUR patients yet to start, 1800 SIX dinners still piping hot, 2000 EIGHT CBG's with shots, 2200 TEN times to check the beds, 2400 ITS TIME TO REST MY HEAD!

military has four digits

basically the same until after 12noon then it progesses

ie add 1200 to the time beyond that, thus 1pm becomes 1300

Specializes in ICU, CCU,Wound Care,LTC, Hospice, MDS.

We switched a few years back. It was easiest for me to remember to just add 12 to whatever time it is. 3:15PM becomes 1515. 8:20PM is 2020 etc. That way you don't have to have a clock around to look at!

Specializes in Med-Surg, OB/GYN, L/D, NBN.

I really just think it is the easiest. That way, you dont have to put am or pm by your times. You know exactly if it was 3 in am or 3 in pm.

I don't have that problem, cause we use that time in Quebec, but there's another trick to remember the time after noon. Just add twelve. For example, if it's 3:15 pm and you add 12, you get 15:15.

I hope I was clear.

Specializes in Urgent Care.
So if it is 12:30 a.m. would you document 0030 or 2430 as I've seen it both ways and don't know which is correct. THANKS!

EX-Army guy here....the military's official interpetation is ............

Midnight is 0000 HRS the last minute of the day is 2359 followed by 0000 then 0001 there is NO 2430 that would be 0030 ... and the date changes at 0000 HRS also.

So it goes from 1159 10 FEB 2006 to 0000 11 FEB 2006.

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