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?

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

Ditto, sunshine.

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Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

At chest I viewed them as nothing more than a waste of time ... Then it "clicked" and they are very valuable when it comes to understanding the "big" picture of nursing care.

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Specializes in ICU.
I'm graduating in a few months.

As I asked, what's the value?

Lets see. I've learned how to prioritize, what my patients need, I have a working knowledge of nursing diagnoses, and how to separate how a nurse thinks compared to the way a doctor thinks. I've learned how to look at the whole picture to see what my patient needs at the time and how to plan for their care. Shall I go on??

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Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.
At chest I viewed them as nothing more than a waste of time ... Then it "clicked" and they are very valuable when it comes to understanding the "big" picture of nursing care.

Ugh I hate autocorrect when I don't review it right away.

At FIRST not chest

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The reality is that once you are working as a floor nurse, care plans are nothing like what you do in school. The value of them I think, is to build critical thinking. I always thoughthaving to do a 15 page care plan though was just total ridiculousness. There is some benefit in them as a student, but on the floor they are super condensed and nothing like what you encounter in school.

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

Care plan helps you identify the key problems and steps to deal with those problems. Experienced nurses don't write them out, but it doesn't mean they don't use care plans. They just do them in their heads and they know intuitively what need to be done. All the interventions I see done by floor nurses can be traced back to the care plan book.

As a student, I find it valuable. I read the nursing interventions in the textbook, but the care plans let me apply the dx & interventions more individually to the patients. It's just extra practice. We only need 2 care plans done for each class (mine are usually ~7 pages). It's not that bad.

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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

Yes, this is the internet, but I don't think that anyone (in regards to your previous obnoxious comment) was trying to lecture you about life. Furthermore, I do not think anyone asked how many jobs you were working and how "stellar" you were doing. That's not on topic, sunshine, and there are many people out there working and going to school. Kudos to you anyways, but still not on topic. The topic of this thread was care plans and why you're doing them. I assumed you would know that, being that you created this thread. Everyone here was trying to help you make sense of it and being cordial. If you don't want people to tell you something you might not want to hear, don't ask for advice.

Remember, this is the internet, sunshine. :up:

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Wow with the OP'S attitude I'm regretting my previous post. Why ask for advice and then become totally defensive when you get it?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Care plans helped me prepared to think like a nurse.

When I worked as a supervisor in LTC, I was responsible for up keeping Plan of Cares (aka CARE PLANS) for 60 residents...trust me, they are still utilized, whether when one I thinking critically with or without doing one, dependent on the setting.

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Wow with the OP'S attitude I'm regretting my previous post. Why ask for advice and then become totally defensive when you get it?

Who knows!? After all, this is the internet.

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Who knows!? After all, this is the internet.

Ha ha ha... Some people's kids huh?

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

At first, I didn't understand the need for care plans. It does help us to prioritize. I have found since I have been working that having done all those care plans with the meds and labs has helped me remember things that I need to know.

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