Getting Report - what to ask for

I will be starting tomorrow on my own as a PCA on the med/surg floor at our community hospital. What are some specific things I will need to ask the previous shift about the patients during report?

So far I am thinking: ambulation ability, how they use the bathroom (incontinent, urinal, commode, toilet), special diet restrictions, suctions/JP drains, whether they need I & O, glucose testing.

Is there anything major that I am missing? Any thoughts are much appreciated, thanks!

Well, they should be telling you all of this. You shouldn't have to ask, unless they leave certain things out. Some give better report than others (obviously) but I think what you listed is great. You also want to know their orientation. We're they alert and oriented x 3 for them? And now you've picked them up and they're lethargic, and oriented to self only... Very important to know their baseline. V/S and I&O's you should be able to get from the computer, unless of course the previous shift didn't do them (happens on my floor at times). You also wanna know how they take their medicine. This is a big time saver and safety issue. Of course, sometimes they can't tell you, (because the patient was NPO for them or whatever) and you have to figure it out yourself, but it's a huge help to know the 92 year old stroke patient takes her pills crushed in applesauce before you go in the room so that you can prepare them in the med room, and bring applesauce and spoons with you ahead of time! It's so nice to know this ahead of time, and saves you a lot of time and hassle of trying to get those pills down!

Oh I'm so sorry... I just realized you were a PCA, not a nurse... So disregard that advice! I'm sorry. I think what you have listed is reasonable of a what a PCA should ask. You would want to ask how often they need vitals checked too (Q4, Qshift)

Nurse aides are awesome

But yeah I'd say what you have so far is great. Orientation status is also important. Falls are a big deal so if you could team up with the nurses on trying to prevent falls, everyone stays employed and paid.

So I guess whether or not a bed alarm is on is important too.

Usually if they say they're a walkie-talkie or a total care, that can tell you a lot. Otherwise, you pretty much have it covered along with the other suggestions in this thread :)

Activity level, continence level and nutrition status would be my main questions.