ED Cheat sheet?

You'll get used to charting on paper towels. It's a rite of passage.

I find lots of alcohol swabs with vitals written on the package in my pockets

On occasion I can write a quick note on my gloved hand if I don't have anything else handy. Of course I usually toss the gloves and forget what I wrote....

When I start my shift I grab a blank piece of paper and put a pt sticker for each of the occupied rooms. Next to their name I write the CC and anything that still needs to be done. After those initial pt's, I just continue with the stickers and CC mostly so I can remember names when I walk in the room or if I need a way to scan for meds. That's about all I use for a brain sheet, if you can even call it that lol

I always carry a note pad (left over habit from previous career. Police officer) but alot of times I just end up writing on my hand ( hold over from my time on the helicopter) its there and then I transcribe it to the chart and clean the ink off of my hand with alcohol wipes.

I second this. If it wasn't for 2x2 wrappers I'd never write anything down.

Same as StVitus... Back of my hand. An Alcohol square takes it off like a dry erase board.

When I first startyed one of the RNs who had been working in ER 15+ years showed me their cheat sheet, Cheif complaint , Medications , Allergies, vitals, and then a blank space for notes if needed. He didnt use it for every pt but it was easier to write it down right away and then dump it in the computer when we get a chance.

I personaly dont have a cheat sheet but I do write stuff down on a little note pad as needed.

And let's not forget those times a code's been documented on a paper towel "i'll copy it onto the run sheet later", only to be thrown out. D'oh!

And let's not forget those times a code's been documented on a paper towel "i'll copy it onto the run sheet later", only to be thrown out. D'oh!

...or on the gurney sheet.

...or on the gurney sheet.

I have definitely written EMS reports and MD orders on gurney sheets.

My very first night in the ED: 2 mo. old infant in cardiac arrest. Everything was documented on the gurney sheet.

Interesting thing was that in my last week at work, we had a 4 mo. old in cardiac arrest. New RT came to me, upset because this was her first night in the ED and she'd never seen anything like that before.

I was the person who told her to go for a walk and come back ready to work, 2.5 years after my own experience.

I am the major outlier here. I like to keep notes. I write as I interview initially. I keep the papers and then when a doc gives me a med or whatever, I write it down w/time. It helps me to know without having to log in. It also helps me keep things straight when asked questions from docs about something that happened who knows how long ago.

ER Report Form.pdf