CNA Time Saving Tips

I stock the rooms with linens and briefs too. I keep nail clippers and mouth swabs in my pockets and cups on the linen cart (the kitchenette is far away). I toilet 2 residents at once- one in the bathroom and one on the commode by the bed. Unless my partner is a jerk or a total spazz, we coordinate the work together so everything goes more smoothly... like I will pass out all the snacks and do vitals and she will do a toilet round on all of our residents, not just hers. or vice versa. If I'm feeding a resident 1-on-1, I take my paperwork with me and fill it out between bites. If I'm taking a 1-assist to the bathroom I'll walk them all the way from the end of the hall and that takes care of their ambulation for the shift. When I get someone up I make the bed right away even if they have to get right back in after breakfast- then I can just lay them on top. If I'm not going to dress them or brush their teeth till after breakfast, I still lay out their clothes, washbasin, and tooth brush at the end of the bed. I put a plastic bag under the shower chair instead of a bucket. Then if they poop I can just throw the bag away instead of rinsing out a bucket. Instead of rinsing poopy stuff in the hopper room I scrub it out right there in the toilet. We don't always use the lift when we're supposed to. When I go room to room to do my rounds I throw everything in a big bag outside the door and pick through it in the dirty room later, so I don't have to make 8 trips. That's about all I can think of now although I know I have learned different things from other people.

Sometimes I carry paperwork with me from room to room and fill it out on the spot as I do each resident. I hate saving it all for the end of the shift.

I bring the trash cans and laundry barrels onto the hall after dinner while I'm putting everyone to bed so that I can minimize trips between my hall and the dirty utility room (and I can get away with this since admin isn't there :)).

I also hide the lifts in people's bathrooms during dinner so that other CNAs won't steal them when I need them.

While I'm getting walk-through report, I sometimes go into each room and find out what supplies I need and make a list. Then I can go get what I need to stock my rooms after report.