Been an RN for 6 months..why do I still dread giving report?

Nurses General Nursing

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We use the SBAR format at my hospital and I do my best to keep the SBARs updated, but there are just some days I barely have time to pee or eat, let alone update an SBAR form. Usuallt this is not much of an issue since as I am giving report I can erase and fix whatever needs to be updated sheerly by memory. Unfortunately, some nurses are extremely difficult to give report to and while I like that they are helping me understand their thought process, I end up feeling like even though I had a pretty good day, I still feel like I still failed.

I guess what I struggle with the most is just being able to stay caught up. I feel like I am just spinning my wheels a lot of the time.

Have any other new RNs encountered this? How do you/did you deal with it?

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Specializes in Med/surg, rural CCU.

Some parts of nursing will not be your favorite.

I've been a nurse for 3 years..and dread report time. On med/surg we do a written report, then they come out and ask questions. I love it. I can sit and put my thoughts down, review it, and revise it.

When I work CCU, we give oral report. I get frazzled, and even though I KNOW my patient, I get so worried I'll forget something pertinent, I end up more flustered.

What helps me- I write a list of body systems, go through it, then pertinent labs or critical info.

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Thanks April. :) I think my main problem lies in being able to organize my thoughts and remember everything I want to say while going through each system.. even with the SBAR tool and going through every system practically everytime I am driving home, I find myself calling to tell the nurse I passed off to one thing of another I forgot to mention in report.

I am going to try a few ideas I picked up from reading here. Maybe a little notepad in my pocket or a post it note where I can quickly jot down something quickly and stick it to the SBAR.. I'm still experimenting and trying to figure out what will work the best. I also think I need a book on time management. (I wonder if there's a time management book targeted specifically to nurses.)

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Specializes in neurotrauma ICU.

#1. some nurses are just jerks and will make giving report miserable for the off-going RN. nothing you can do about it but grit your teeth and get through it.

#2. It gets better! I have been a nurse for just over a year and I promise that you will get faster at all of it. You will get your tasks done faster (which will give you more time to organize your thoughts before giving report) as well as being more confident in your report.

I have found that having my SBAR handy when I chart my pt assessment helps keep me organized. I fill it out as I chart so that it is still fresh in my mind and I don't have to try to remember things off the top of my head when in the middle of report. If something changes in the assessment I change my SBAR immediately. I will also jot down notes of things to tell the oncoming nurse such as "family wants to speak with Dr." etc.

I promise, things get easier!

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

I've been a nurse for 25+ years and I love giving report. It means my shift is over and the patient is someone elses problem. The answer to the next shift giving you a hard time is just get crankier than they are. If the answer is always " if you don't like the way I got things done, it's your patient now- do it however you want" or the ever popular " I guess that is why we have 24hr coverage- so if I can't get everything done- there is always the next shift- I'm glad you're here!" Sooner or later thay will get the picture that your goat is is the barn and they aren't going to get it. You just have to learn to quit leaving your goat out where they can get at it.

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:redbeathe Thank you Amanda, I needed to hear that. 75% of the nurses I work with are absolutely amazing, but yes, there are that few who seem like they are out to get the new nurses. And I understand that it must be a PITA having to clean up the proverbial messes of a new RN, so that is why I am working so hard to improve my skills, I don't want to feel like a liability, you know?

I have to say, with every skill I become proficient with I get an absolute rush from it- almost as much as the rush I get from knowing what a huge difference I made in someone's life.:yeah: No one ever told me how addicting nursing can be.. I swear there are days I would have spent my whole 12 hour shift there for free.:redpinkhe

(and yes there are also some days I want to run out of there SCREAMING :lol2:)

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:lol2 loving the goat analogy! I do feel badly though because pretty much on our floor it's kind of a common courtesy thing to not leave things for the next shift unless absolutely necessary.

One day I had to re insert an NG tube (pt "sneezed"..ummm YEAH RIGHT the old one out) so as a joke during report I plopped a packaged NG tube on the report desk in front of the long time nurse (we are a cardiac unit and we don't have a lotof NG tubes) and said "Mr. X pulled out his NG tube 4 hours ago, but he started vomiting 2 hours ago, but I didn't have time to reinsert it so HERE YA GO!"

I thought she was going to strangle me with it. :lol2

When I told her the tube was already in and I was JUST KIDDING she called me a few choice words but at least she was smiling by that point! ;)

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Specializes in PCU/Telemetry.
I've been a nurse for 25+ years and I love giving report. It means my shift is over and the patient is someone elses problem. The answer to the next shift giving you a hard time is just get crankier than they are. If the answer is always " if you don't like the way I got things done, it's your patient now- do it however you want" or the ever popular " I guess that is why we have 24hr coverage- so if I can't get everything done- there is always the next shift- I'm glad you're here!" Sooner or later thay will get the picture that your goat is is the barn and they aren't going to get it. You just have to learn to quit leaving your goat out where they can get at it.

Darn, I hate it when I forget to lock up my goat... hehe.. sorry it's been a long day and you made me giggle

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Specializes in Give me a new assignment each time:).
I've been a nurse for 25+ years and I love giving report. It means my shift is over and the patient is someone elses problem. The answer to the next shift giving you a hard time is just get crankier than they are. If the answer is always " if you don't like the way I got things done, it's your patient now- do it however you want" or the ever popular " I guess that is why we have 24hr coverage- so if I can't get everything done- there is always the next shift- I'm glad you're here!" Sooner or later thay will get the picture that your goat is is the barn and they aren't going to get it. You just have to learn to quit leaving your goat out where they can get at it.

Exactly!

Where I work night shift, it's a small psyche facility and we do pen and paper charting. We work under high pressure. Lab workers are taking a cut in their hours and so they close so they close for a few hours. And then during report time there is always that nurse that wants to make you look bad if lab result is not ready. As if I am supposed to drive around town to get the lab work done. Same with med that is not available at the hospital cos pharmarcy is only open 9am-5pm. I could go on and on. But as other's said, it gets better. You will get better at dealing with those particular nurses. You will get more confident at telling them, tactfully, to look in the chart! Especially those insecure nurses that like to make you uncomfortable since you are new.

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I related to the feeling of dreading to give report! I loved the advice on this forum! :yeah: Thanx for the insight. I'm a new nurse and sometimes i feel like the certain other nurses do give me a hard time because I'm new. After a hectic shift sometimes things just aren't done...I'm trying to just do my best, and let the next shift handle the rest.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

Seems like some nurses drag out report to avoid getting to work. On a 20 patient floor report got to over an hour! New manager came up with a form for written report which cut it to 15 minutes. Funny thing, it was always the oncoming shift that didn't like it. Was still much better than having to read a patients entire chart to satisfy the oncoming shift, and really didn't compromise anything.

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Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.

Just remember a few things....YOU have been with the patient the entire shift not the oncoming nurse. So stay relaxed and YOU be in control of the report......if interruptions bother you......tell the oncoming nurse to let you finish...that is how I did it and pt by pt...I gave report on one pt..then they can ask questions..then we move on to the next. You control the tone of the report...no nastiness allowed...do not allow criticism or it will keep on coming.....IF you have made an error that someone points out do your best to rectify it...if a more seasoned nurse has some constructive advice....take it gracefully. You will get better at this..just remember that the ongoing nurse needs and wants that report it will make his or her shift start out a bit easier if they know what is going on. I always established rapport with oncoming nurses by doing a good deed...for example.......I always had the next IV bag hanging and ready to go if the volume was getting low...or if in the middle of report a my patient needed pain med...I would say "let me get that for them be right back ". Keep your rooms neat and organized..your pts with minimal pain and their needs met so in other words GIVE GREAT NURSING CARE and the nurses will love to get report from you

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