Mandatory SOAP notes

One hospital I worked at preferred we right DAR noted (Data, Action, Response). These were not brought up in our evaluations, but they might be in a chart audit. Most places I've worked required a note per shift. I kind of like writing notes. They are where I can explain any assessment changes, what I did with them, etc. I can summarize my day, and track my patients' progress.

Once you get the hang of writing SOAP notes, they're actually not that difficult/hard to do. They do, however, take a little time. Probably the hardest part of writing a SOAP note is knowing what "stuff" belongs in what section of the note so that you don't "double chart" something. Until you learn how to make a SOAP note to be essentially "plug and play" your charting time likely won't be short...