Paperwork scares me more than patient care...

[Certifiable, BSN, RN]

Is it just me or is anyone else freaked out about paperwork? I'm terrified of making a mistake... or is it maybe only because I haven't really had much experience with it yet?

The weird thing is that i'm less freaked out about caring for the actual patient!

[Pneumothorax, BSN, RN]

yes, i feel there is an unecss. amt of bs with the paperwork.esp since we chart throughout our clinical shift..i dont see the need to fiddle with the paperwork ya know.

just sayin.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I completely understand what you're saying!

I had an experienced nurse tell me that no one reads the narrative charting except for lawyers, so I get what you mean. I, too, am working on my charting, and I've received good feedback on it. Not too much; not too little.

I've witnessed my preceptor put out fires related to patient care, and she depends on the charting to do it. It's very important to CYA! The whole idea makes me a bit nervous, but she co-signs everything I do. I guess I'm not so worried about myself at this stage as I am about charting something (or not charting something) that could get HER in trouble.

On my current rotation, there is only one form related to patient care that I need to complete. That's the one in front of me most of the time. Another one is an internal quality form. Two others are billing related. I see that the billing-related forms as very important too. If we don't fill those out properly, the hospital doesn't get paid for the services rendered and supplies used in my unit.

All the other forms are completed by other team members and used for reference, and if they don't have certain information on them, that information needs to be tracked down in order to do my own paperwork. It all fits together to give a complete picture of patient care, so I take it seriously.