Help with organizational skills-med/surg student nurse

[sasha2006]

Can anyone provide me with some advice on my clinical rotation in Med/Surg? I am entering into the semester this Spring and need some advice on what i can do to help be better organized and better at prioritizing tasks and patient care.

Also, does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do to prepare for this rotation ahead of time?

thanks!

Sasha RN in 2006

[journey_bound]

bump : )

[wife&mommyRN]

I am in med-surg now, I got lucky. I have an awsome instructor that stresses oragnization. She gave us a scheduled outline on day 1 & it's like being in the military when sticking to it, but it is extremely effective. 1st we spend one hour obtaining the information from the chart on our patient for a care plan & find out what ur 5:00, 9:00, & 10:00 meds are (3- 4pm), if u r a little slow/ just need more time get there @ 2:45 that extra 15min makes a huge difference. 4-5 introduce urself to pt, take vitals, do head to toe assessment & chart while u r getting info if there is a computer in the room. 5-6pm pass out meds, make sure u know why they are given. 6-7pm dinner (enjoy!). 7pm report for next shift, must b present to give the next shift ur report. 8pm reasses & check on ur patient & obtain anymore info from careplane, finish charting. 9-10 pass out evening meds. 10:30 go home! I have used this in my other rotations & I have been very successful & I am never holding the rest of the group up, organization is very important, it was very helpful that my professor provided us with this schedule i feel like I know what I'm doing, I am very busy, & the time flies & I learn so much. The nurses r happy, u r happy bc u don;t feel like a burden in the way, & ur instructor will be very impressed @ ur ability to maintain organization. I actually love med-surg & want to work there after graduation. I hope that helps, GOOD LUCK!

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

be sure to ask the floor nurses how they prioritize. I found a grid to be helpful, with room numbers on the y axis and hours on the x axis. That way I could write in ahead of time what needed to be done (RX, Dressing, etc). As the shift progressed I could add stuff or mark out what I have done. It kept me on track, but you also have to be flexible.