How to organize myself?

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Hi Everyone!

I am about to start a job on the 14th. I struggled throughout nursing school with organizational skills. I did get better as time went on with making check off sheets and lists with times and followed them as much as I could. I was wondering if anyone had any tips. I have A.D.D. so I've always had a hard time with getting interrupted and organizing myself, I am not using that as an excuse I am simply saying I know I do struggle with this, hence why I am asking for help. I am sort of one of those people who FUNCTION in CLUTTER!! Haha.. I know where everything is, but no one else in their right mind would be able to find anything in my room, but it's how I am, nonetheless, I do not want to be like this in nursing because I know thats when errors can happen.

I am open to any suggestions.

Also** Does anyone have any ASSESSMENT or REPORT sheets that they find useful that they can forward to me, if so please PM me and I will give you my email address. I will be extremely grateful, a few teachers gave us one or two throughout nursing school but I did not like them, they seemed to make me more unorganized as I found there was never enough room to write on the side or weird useless lines....**

Thanks again everyone :)

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I think it comes with experience. I've been working for 4 months. When I was first given 3 patients, I felt overwhelmed. I felt like I was forgetting everything and could barely keep up with what rooms I had much less who was in them and what diagnosis they had. It seemed like my preceptor was constantly having to point out things I was forgetting.

I felt the same way the first time I was assigned 4, again with 5. Unfortunately, having 5-6 patients still overwhelms me and it appears seasoned nurses are also overwhelmed most of the time--so this just seems like something we'll have to deal with.

I write everything down on a blank sheet divided into sections based on however many patients I have. Even if it is as simple as "stool sample needed" with a checkbox beside it. Or "0900 accucheck: _____" to help me remember to get it. All my med times are on there. Any abnormal assessment findings are jotted down somewhere on there. Also, if I'm not having time to chart as I go, I'll write down something to remind me when I did something so I can chart it later. For example, "Iv restarted at 1200" or "Patient to CT scan: 1300". I even put routine tasks like "Check orders" and "verify mar" with respective checkboxes. Hopefully I'll eventually be able to juggle all this in my head. For now, though, EVERYTHING is on paper. lol

Watch what the people you work with do and adopt what works for you while ignoring the rest.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Here is a good thread full of report sheets to download. https://allnurses.com/cardiac-nursing/share-your-brain-266401.html

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Specializes in Family Medicine.

PM me your email address and I'll send you mine. :)

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Thank you sooooo much for your response!!! I'm sorry it took me a while to get back to you, I was getting myself together for my new job!! That sounds like a good idea and I will look at that site right now!! How wonderful of everyone to be so helpful :) I'm glad to know it comes with experience...

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thank you for sending me to that thread, what a WONDERFUL thread. I did not seem to find that when I searched it (not sure why, but obviously I did not put in the right clue words) how Great those sheets are.. Thank you!

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