How to safely assess 30 pts ?

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I took my first job as a nurse and I'm worried , you get 30 pts and you have to do daily assessments on them. How can I safely do that in 8 hours ? Is it even possible? Is this job risky to my lisence ? 

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Ladysil said:

I took my first job as a nurse and I'm worried , you get 30 pts and you have to do daily assessments on them. How can I safely do that in 8 hours ? Is it even possible? Is this job risky to my lisence ? 

That also includes passing meds 

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Your concern is valid, Ladysil. To do full assessments on numerous patients along with the plethora of other nursing duties is next to impossible.

If done by the book.

Therefore, we learn shortcuts and grease squeaky wheels. If something isn't broken, we don't try to fix it, and we fudge on charting.

For example, after shift report, I would walk around the unit and visually see every patient and maybe do easy greasy assessments on the fly. Any major concern was immediately addressed, while others were prioritized.

I could give you a wealth of stories and situations, ranging from harmful behaviors to life-threatening circumstances, which were dealt with or headed off at the pass just by adhering to this routine.

It gets easier with time and experience when we learn not to expend too much time and energy on relatively superfluous matters.

Good luck!

 

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Specializes in Medsurg.

You can't.

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