educational value of care plans

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I do care plans every week and I am not sure what the point of them are. I read and reread many care plan books and I really don't understand what the importance or rather the educational value of if is. I love the pathophysiology part of it and maybe tying the primary and secondary dx but besides that, the rest of my 15+ page care plan is just busy work for me.

What do you guys feel about the educational value of care plans?

I'm in my first semester of nursing school. My program does not include them as part of our grade, but the point of them (from my understanding) is really to get you to start thinking like a nurse. It helps you visualize what interventions would be important for your patient based on what's going on, and why it's important for you to do it. There's definitely value in them, even if they are time consuming.

Specializes in ER.

15 pages? Wow. Our care plans were kind of streamlined. I think they were about six pages one sided and some of them were fill in circles to help you see the bigger picture.

I don't get the point of nursing diagnoses but we don't use them in my area like the floor uses them.

I am a third semester student and still don't see the point in them either. We see them as busy work, and really don't learn much from doing them. We do them just to get them done. Our care plans are around 22-30 pages long (depending on the number of meds and labs you have).

I am a third semester student and still don't see the point in them either. We see them as busy work, and really don't learn much from doing them. We do them just to get them done. Our care plans are around 22-30 pages long (depending on the number of meds and labs you have).

Ugh 22-30?!!!!!??? Oh that's just entirely too much.

I do understand the point of it, if it actually helps me? Doubt it.

Specializes in ER.

Also, in clinical you usually see a lot of the same patients. If you're on an ortho floor, you'll see ortho patients. If you're on a cardiac floor, cardiac patients.

Ugh 22-30?!!!!!??? Oh that's just entirely too much.

I do understand the point of it, if it actually helps me? Doubt it.

As with most of nursing school, and most of life, what you get out of doing care plans will be largely a function of what you put into doing them. If you're not learning anything valuable from doing them, to me that says that you're not taking advantage of the learning opportunity. As already noted, they are a framework and process to help you learn to think like a nurse (and to show your instructors what kind of progress you're making toward that goal). Best wishes!

Perhaps during you education they haven't shown you just how important they can be to LPN's. Frankly I think they are under-utilized in most LTC places - more of a task that has to be done, than something that is helpful. If they were used as intended (if of course we had the time to look at them in LTC) they would pretty useful - especially for new admits. Regardless in school they were very useful. I learned a lot of medications, disease pathologies, etc from doing them over and over.

I guess you get out of them, what you put into them. I know nursing school seems like a LOT of busy work, and it is. However, for the most part, that busy work serves a purpose - even if you cannot see it at the time.

As with most of nursing school, and most of life, what you get out of doing care plans will be largely a function of what you put into doing them. If you're not learning anything valuable from doing them, to me that says that you're not taking advantage of the learning opportunity. As already noted, they are a framework and process to help you learn to think like a nurse (and to show your instructors what kind of progress you're making toward that goal). Best wishes!

Don't lecture me on life, you don't know me. I have two jobs and I get stellar grades in a fulltime program, thanks.

Perhaps during you education they haven't shown you just how important they can be to LPN's. Frankly I think they are under-utilized in most LTC places - more of a task that has to be done, than something that is helpful. If they were used as intended (if of course we had the time to look at them in LTC) they would pretty useful - especially for new admits. Regardless in school they were very useful. I learned a lot of medications, disease pathologies, etc from doing them over and over.

I guess you get out of them, what you put into them. I know nursing school seems like a LOT of busy work, and it is. However, for the most part, that busy work serves a purpose - even if you cannot see it at the time.

Thanks I'm going to take your word for it. I just wish it was shorter loll. 15 pages of stuff when in actuality its only 3 pages for 3 different nursing diagnoses.

Specializes in Oncology, Rehab, Public Health, Med Surg.
Don't lecture me on life, you don't know me. I have two jobs and I get stellar grades in a fulltime program, thanks.

And even with all that, you don't understand the significance of nursing careplans .

Nor do you understand the importance of replying civilly , if not cordially, to someone trying to help you in an area that you admittedly lack understanding.

And even with all that, you don't understand the significance of nursing careplans .

Nor do you understand the importance of replying civilly , if not cordially, to someone trying to help you in an area that you admittedly lack understanding.

Obviously since I posted the thread about it.

Nope not always civil. This is the internet not my workplace or school. I keeps it real. Anymore cute things to say about me? Or can we stay on topic

Specializes in Oncology, Rehab, Public Health, Med Surg.
Obviously since I posted the thread about it.

Nope not always civil. This is the internet not my workplace or school. I keeps it real. Anymore cute things to say about me? Or can we stay on topic

If I find anything cute to say about you, I'll let you know...

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