new grad and time management

[lalalalexi]

I will be graduating in a few weeks and one thing I am worried about is how to manage my time when I actually have a full patient load. I'm planning on working in a med/surg unit. What methods/tools do you use to help keep you on track and make sure everything gets done during your shift?

[KLKK2005]

I work in an ICU, so we don't have the patient ratio that they do on most med/surg floors. However, I am assuming that you will have a preceptor before they let you fly on your own....so you should be teamed with an experienced nurse for several weeks. During this time, you should be able to figure out how to manage all the tasks that are required for patient care. When in doubt....ASK FOR HELP!

[CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN]

What helps me is to have three goals set up at a time. When I complete those three goals I move onto the next three. And I make grids/check off lists ie assessment, acuity, I and Os, last BM, etc etc. I try and anticipate things ahead of time and get things set up rather than be in a panic later; ie, if my patient is coming up from ED with pneumonia, I will set up a bedside yonkers and tubing to wall suction.

Congrats on graduating, no one outside of NS knows what it takes to get through it, cept us nurses!

[RNperdiem, RN]

I have milestones I try to reach.

My first milestone of the day is when all the patients have been assessed and the first bit of charting (vitals and assessments) is done. I focus heavily on getting the assessments done, other less urgent things can wait until later.

My second milestone of the shift is getting the am meds all given and charted. If I get interrupted, I get right back to giving meds unless a more urgent need presents itself.

Interruptions are frequent and never ending in med-surg. After an interruption, it takes a while to get back to where you left off.