What to expect as a nurse

[hannahmarie]

Whats your daily routine at the hospital as an RN?

[MedSurgeMess]

It's going to vary by department and shift. Could you be a little more specific?

[mcknis]

Yes be more specific, but I work on a med-surg unit as an RN, and my day is as follows (of course many changes occur throughout a non-typical work day):

0630-0645 - prep for the day, gather papers for report, and meet who all you work with that day

0645-0715 - report on all patients you will get

0715-0830 - assess all patients/gather VS/set patients up for breakfast/give insulin to cover blood sugars

0830-0915 - chart on all patients

0915-1100 - pass meds and chart, attend meetings for planning of care for patients

1100-1200 - chart, discharge patients, check VS, pass insulin for lunch

1200-1400 - Lunch (only 30 minutes but allows for time for others to go to lunch)

1400-1500 - pass more meds, chart, etc.

1500-1800 - finish with med passes, chart, discharge, admit, etc.

1845-1915 - report on your patients to oncoming nurses and get ready to go home.

Now of course this isn't a detailed listing of a typical day for a nurse in the hospital. things change, people change, thats the reason why they are in the hospital. People get better, and they get worse. Their are always baths that need done, charts that need checked off, people to train, patients to educate, errands to run. Sometimes you have assistance from nursing assistants, LPNs, and sometimes you don't. There are always so many things that need done!

[miss81, BSN, RN]

Yes be more specific, but I work on a med-surg unit as an RN, and my day is as follows (of course many changes occur throughout a non-typical work day):

0630-0645 - prep for the day, gather papers for report, and meet who all you work with that day

0645-0715 - report on all patients you will get

0715-0830 - assess all patients/gather VS/set patients up for breakfast/give insulin to cover blood sugars

0830-0915 - chart on all patients

0915-1100 - pass meds and chart, attend meetings for planning of care for patients

1100-1200 - chart, discharge patients, check VS, pass insulin for lunch

1200-1400 - Lunch (only 30 minutes but allows for time for others to go to lunch)

1400-1500 - pass more meds, chart, etc.

1500-1800 - finish with med passes, chart, discharge, admit, etc.

1845-1915 - report on your patients to oncoming nurses and get ready to go home.

Now of course this isn't a detailed listing of a typical day for a nurse in the hospital. things change, people change, thats the reason why they are in the hospital. People get better, and they get worse. Their are always baths that need done, charts that need checked off, people to train, patients to educate, errands to run. Sometimes you have assistance from nursing assistants, LPNs, and sometimes you don't. There are always so many things that need done!

That's right, but don't forget wound dressing changes, cvp/picc dressings and line changes, pre op checklists, post op checks, epidural checks, starting and checking PCA pumps, starting IV's, assisting with procedures like line insertions, rounds with the docs, rewriting/checking MARS, updating care plans, lab draws and titrating drips accordingly, ng tube insertion... wow med-surg floors can sure be a busy place!

[jessi1106, BSN, RN]

I start out planning my day and then end up reprioritizing/replanning as multiple issues come up...usually feel I am multitasking to the max...sometimes I wish it were routine, but no two days are the same, and I am never bored.