hospital habits

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.

What are all the hospital habits that one must adhere to? big or small

for instance to the public it's 8:17, then you get to work and it's 20:17...

As a student I've set all clocks in my life to military time, all measurements to metric (do hospitals even use metric mostly?lol) I'm looking to begin those habits early, I figure they could be a few less things that will be new as a new nurse..

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everything will be new. Even if you've seen it before, even common sense things you'll mess up b/c you're uncomfortable. It's just the nature of the beast. That's how you learn though! There's no sense in worrying about how to figure out how to be a nurse, everyone else has been there and you can and will figure it out too.

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I say "related to" and "secondary" in normal conversation sometimes without realizing I've slipped into jargon.

But I think that's true of any job, if you use the jargon on an everyday basis you start to forget that other people might not have any idea what you're talking about.

I have to be careful to not use nursing shorthand on documents not intended for nursing staff.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I can't get out of the habit of writing a c with a line on top of it for "with".

A good habit to start getting into now is crossing things out with a single line when you make a mistake, just in case you ever use paper charting. :D

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You might start practicing holding your bladder for 8-12 hours at a stretch. It helps to take in as little PO fluids as you can get away with, yet still sustain life. It may take some practice to find that balance. While you're at it, avoid food intake for 8-12 hour stretches as well.

Practice the phrase "Is there anything else I can get for you? I have the time..." in front of the mirror, so as to look as perky and sincere as possible.

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Get in the habit of introducing yourself to every patient every day. If you do it every day it really helps make you seem professional. "Hi I'm Name, I'm the Title, that will be "what your job is" today."

Sometimes I feel silly having the same conversation 5 or 6 times in a row, but by having the scripts in my head it prevents me from forgetting things.

And I try really hard to not sound like a robot, so I try to personalize the conversation and mention things I remember about the patient. "Hello Mrs. Patient, did you get any sleep last night? I remember you've been having trouble with sleeping." "How is your pain right now, tell me your pain score that we talked about yesterday" "Ok well that's good a 4 is much better than the 9 you had yesterday, do you mind if we talk a little more about your pain management and activity goals?"

I know I sound cheesy sometimes but somethings just have to be said and I try to sound not cheesy and personal but sometimes you've just got to get the information on the table.

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.
You might start practicing holding your bladder for 8-12 hours at a stretch. It helps to take in as little PO fluids as you can get away with, yet still sustain life. It may take some practice to find that balance. While you're at it, avoid food intake for 8-12 hour stretches as well.

Practice the phrase "Is there anything else I can get for you? I have the time..." in front of the mirror, so as to look as perky and sincere as possible.

I already have the jargon issue, as I'm constantly charting patients at my current non-nurse job. But the no water, no pee, no food thing makes me nervous.lol if i don't eat something within in an hour or so I start to fade pretty fast.. maybe for the lack of "water break time" I'll use my camel pak and a bladder in my pants.. :)

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I respectfully disagree about the fluids/urination thing. I find time to pee and drink and I'll be damned if I don't if others have time to sit in their cars and smoke.

Be conscientious of your fellow employees and offer/insist they take bathroom breaks and cover for them while they do. If you start the habit of this people will be happy to cover for you for the 5 or so minutes it takes to use the bathroom and everybody will be better off.

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I respectfully disagree about the fluids/urination thing. I find time to pee and drink and I'll be damned if I don't if others have time to sit in their cars and smoke.

Be conscientious of your fellow employees and offer/insist they take bathroom breaks and cover for them while they do. If you start the habit of this people will be happy to cover for you for the 5 or so minutes it takes to use the bathroom and everybody will be better off.

....and apparently sarcasm is lost on you.

Which reminds me, OP, cultivate your sense of humor. Sometimes, it's the only thing that'll get you through the shift. :clown:

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....and apparently sarcasm is lost on you.

Which reminds me, OP, cultivate your sense of humor. Sometimes, it's the only thing that'll get you through the shift. :clown:

I'm glad that was sarcasm! LOL. :lol2:

Another habit to avoid is calling patients by their disease or surgery. "The hip in 12 wants her fix", is something I might say to a co-worker meaning "Ms. X who had a hip replacement wants her pain medication".

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Try to avoid signing your credentials after your name when you write it outside of work. The bank, for instance, doesn't want to see checks signed Whispera, RN.

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.
Try to avoid signing your credentials after your name when you write it outside of work. The bank, for instance, doesn't want to see checks signed Whispera, RN.

lol. not even for the first year, when you want to show off?

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