end of shift report

deeDawntee, RN · Sep 2, 2007

What kind of worksheet do you use? I would highly suggest that you have your worksheet organized in such a way that when you take report everything is put in its place on your sheet and you can add your own assessments during your shift and then when you give report it is all there ready to be reported without even having to think about it. Sometimes people will take report in a different colored pen to be able to tell the two apart.

Giving report takes time to get used to. You will never please all of the people all of the time. Do the best you can...don't apologize while giving report, be confident! If someone asks you something you don't know, just say "I don't know", without apology. If it is something that you think you should have known, offer to look it up, otherwise, they can look it up themselves!

People can get really mean, irritated, bored, fidgety, with report...don't take it personally. You will learn what works best for you. You will improve the more you give it. I still forget to report things sometimes, we all do, I have been known to get home and call the nurse to tell her something I missed, it is ok, I see it happen quite frequently....you are only human and you are learning...

Some nurses will tell you everything, including the pt's favorite color... I tend to be a 'less is more' kind of reporter and try to give the pertinent stuff. The rest, they can look back in the chart if they want more details.

:yeah: :yeah: :yeah: you can do it!! Don't sweat it.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 2, 2007

If I were you, I would sit down and make a little list of the subjects you want to cover in report while you are at home thinking about it. Print it out, laminate it and have it in front of you when giving report. As you report on a patient, you can follow along by tracing your pen as you go down each subject on the list. You edit the list as necessary. This is how you learn to organize. This is how I've been organizing my time for years. These are your "training wheels". Eventually, you can get rid of the physical piece of paper. Because we used a "brain" sheet for many years, I developed a system of my own marks that I used on it to indicate when I had completed my charting, order checks, lab result checks and other things that were important that I perform before I clocked out and went home. There are no books that I know of that tell you how to do these things. It totally involves your own creativity.

RNperdiem, RN · Sep 2, 2007

I always start with who the patient is, when they came and why they are here. If your flowsheet is well organized, follow it as a guide without really reading verbatim the flowsheet.

RN and Mommy · Sep 2, 2007

i have just come off orientation in an imcu. i feel okay all night long but dread giving report to the next shift...supposed to do by dx,doc, adm. date...then by system...but i get lost on way...........maybe it comes with practice but i dread 7am..any help would be appreciated!
thanks
rse:uhoh3:

[color=deepskyblue]do you tape your reports? we do and i found that i had to actually write my report out for the first couple weeks and read what i wrote. it worked well for me and now it comes naturally!

Jen1228 · Sep 2, 2007

I would always make a note of any PRN, especially pain, meds I gave and at what time.

HM2VikingRN, RN · Sep 2, 2007

Thanks for the info on how to give report.

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Sep 2, 2007

i totally am in sympathy with you op!

nothing worse than doing your utmost during the whole shift and then having someone criticize your report harshly...ok ok sometimes i am justifiably lazy and don't follow up on results pending for all those diagnostics the mds order, so what, i'm human aren't i ? ? ? i will never ever ever stoop so low as to be fussy with a departing nurse who is giving me report. ask for clarification yes that's cool, but blast them away is just not in my modus nursus thinkdom.