Hospital nurses: Nursing student has four simple questions.

kadokin, ASN, RN · May 22, 2005

Is nursing everything that you thought it would be? A simple yes or no will do.
How much time, percentage wise, do you actually spend with patients, and how much time do you spend doing paper work?
What unit do you work on?
In your opinion, which unit or specialty allows for the MOST nurse/patient interaction?
Thank you so much for your honest answers!

#1-no. I thought I would be spending more time helping my patient than I would cya. Also, the people who sign your paycheck have no concern for pt. care. All they can see is the bottom line and most have no idea what it takes to actually deliver optimum pt. care.

#2-25% pt care. 75% paper work and family/physician care and communicating w/other departments. After many years of practice, I've learned to talk fast and get to the point.

#3-Psych. Such a joke when you consider answer #2

#4-I don't know, nearly all of my experience has been in Psych.

Stacky · May 22, 2005

Is nursing everything that you thought it would be? A simple yes or no will do.

-Yes, I really do enjoy nursing, though I am not where I wanted to initially be. Soon........ :yeah:

How much time, percentage wise, do you actually spend with patients, and how much time do you spend doing paper work?

-Being that I am in a slower unit (Ambulatory/Observation) I get to spend a lot of time w/ my pt.s, though there is a good amt. of paperwork, likely 30/70.

What unit do you work on?

-see above

In your opinion, which unit or specialty allows for the MOST nurse/patient interaction?

-Med/Surg and ER are very fast paced, not much time to chit-chat, ICU has low pt ratios, so able to spend a lot of 1:1 time w/ pt, if they can talk that is. Then there are the many units in between. But it is what you make it, some pts won't want to talk and some you will have a hard time walking away from. Do what you love, not what someone recommends, try all units out in clinical, but give some a second chance.

pricklypear · May 22, 2005

#1 I think nursing is all I thought it would be. I have been surprised at the lack of administration's concern for nursing and it's needs (I'm sure that's not true everywhere)

#2 Probably 50/50 most of the time

#3 ICU

#4 ICU - my only experiences have been on tele (9-12:1) and ICU (1-4:1) You can't spend much time with patients when each one is one of 12!! That's why I like ICU. I can know my patient inside and out. It can get pretty busy sometimes, but for the most part I can spend lots of time with my patients.

Littlewonder · May 22, 2005

Yes - I knew nursing was stressful and wonderful - it is both!!!

Time with patients? I work on a LDRP/NSY unit, so it depends on what type of patients I have. If I have a labor patient, I usally do about 50/50, if I have a couple of postpartum patients, it is usually more around 70/30 (depending on complications/ patient needs.) I guess I don't spend as much time charting as I usually think I do!

What unit? - see above

I have worked home health, ICU, LDRP/Nsy, and often floated to Med-Surg. I have found ICU and LDRP to be the top runners in time spent with patiens simply because there is a lower ratio and a need for increased patient care and education. A lot of times your Med-Surg patients have the same needs, but it is impossible to spend the time with ten patients that you can do when you have one to four patients....

Gompers, BSN, RN · May 22, 2005

is nursing everything that you thought it would be? it's more. more of the wonderful, more of the not-so-wonderful, just more than i ever could have imagined. it's much more emotional than i thought.

how much time, percentage wise, do you actually spend with patients, and how much time do you spend doing paper work? probably 60% patient care, 30% paperwork, 10% other stuff (stocking, etc.)

what unit do you work on? neonatal icu

in your opinion, which unit or specialty allows for the most nurse/patient interaction? well i think nicu has quite a bit of interaction - but then again, i think all icus are that way. you have less patients, therefore less charting. yes, you have to chart quite a bit on each patient, especially after an admission or critical event - but you're not doing all that annoying double-charting and stuff that you might have to if you had 8 floor patients.

mommatrauma, RN · May 22, 2005

Is nursing everything that you thought it would be? A simple yes or no will do.
How much time, percentage wise, do you actually spend with patients, and how much time do you spend doing paper work?
What unit do you work on?
In your opinion, which unit or specialty allows for the MOST nurse/patient interaction?
Thank you so much for your honest answers!

1.Yes and then some..there is a surprise around every corner!

2.25% pt care, 75% paper work

3.Level 1 trauma center ER

4. I would have to say ICU...

nursecratchet2716 · May 22, 2005

Is nursing everything that you thought it would be? A simple yes or no will do.
How much time, percentage wise, do you actually spend with patients, and how much time do you spend doing paper work?
What unit do you work on?
In your opinion, which unit or specialty allows for the MOST nurse/patient interaction?
Thank you so much for your honest answers!

#1 NO

#2 About 30% of my twelve hour shift, 70% on paperwork and other things to cya

#3 Orthopedics

#4 Ortho is much better than a medical floor, but I would think that home care or community nursing would allow for the best nurse/patient interaction

talaxandra · May 22, 2005

Is nursing everything that you thought it would be?

I agree with Gompers - it's more than I expected, of everything

How much time, percentage wise, do you actually spend with patients, and how much time do you spend doing paper work?

It depends what you consider paperwork. Documentation of obs and drugs etc maybe 5%, notes and careplans another 5 - 10%, the ridiculous hundreds of new charts for absolutely everything 10%, progress reports 10%, plus admin paperwork when I'm in charge.

What unit do you work on?

A mixed medical specialty unit - neuro/stroke, endo, renal, rheumatology

In your opinion, which unit or specialty allows for the MOST nurse/patient interaction?

Long term care/gerentology - you get to really know your patient as individuals. But that's not what I'd base my decision of where to practice on - there's a lot of patient contact, and a lot of paper work, in practically every aspect of nursing practice.

Nesher, BSN, RN · May 22, 2005

Is nursing everything that you thought it would be? A simple yes or no will do.

Yes

How much time, percentage wise, do you actually spend with patients, and how much time do you spend doing paper work?

75% patient care- 15% computer work, 10% consulting with docs, PT/OT, transition nurses, other nurses etc.

What unit do you work on?

Stem cell transplant

In your opinion, which unit or specialty allows for the MOST nurse/patient interaction?

I have got to say the one I am on - very ill folks - very ill - require a lot of time - plus staffing is 1:2 because they are so sick and time consuming.

neuronursein06 · May 22, 2005

Not a nurse yet, but from tech experience (stem cell and tele), I compeltely agree with the stem cell. Patients are there for a long time (months at a time), and it is basically an ICU type floor; nurses have 3 patients on average, and they are so ill that you have to check on them a lot.

I love stem cell; thought I'd go into neuro, but am having second thoughts after doing an externship on a stem cell floor.