ss234

I’m also 3 months in and still feel somewhat incompetent at times. But I have faith it will get better. I totally agree with the worksheet though, they’re super handy. You can find some really good ones online. Another thing I do is I take a piece of paper and create four columns going down about 1/3 or 1/2 the page. It goes: 7am-10am, 10am-1pm, 1pm-4pm, and 4pm-7pm. Under those columns I write what needs to be done and when. So before I start my shift I figure out when meds have to be given for each patient and put that into the respective column. I’ll also put things in that need to be done by a certain time. Like if I need to have an EKG/labs/etc on a patient before the medical team rounds at 11, then I make sure to include that in the column. As time passes you can cross off things that have been done. At the bottom of the page where it’s blank I make categories for routine things that might need to be done throughout the shift. For example, I’ll write “blood sugars/insulin: Rms 10 & 12”. I’ll do the same with PEGs, Foley’s, PICC lines, trachs, wound care, possible discharges, etc. Nursing never goes as planned, but as long as you update your to-do list and stay on top of it that should give you a leg up. Sometimes if I’m receiving my entire patient slot from only one nurse, I’ll ask the nurse how they might prioritize care if they were me. That kind of gives me a place to start and helps me rationalize why I should see one patient before others. But definitely don’t be afraid to ask questions. Hope it helps!

If a person is experiencing diarrhea while taking an antibiotic at what point do you test for cdiff? More specifically, if a patient has only had 3 episodes of diarrhea in 24 hours could they still have cdiff or is it usually more?