when you're busy, if you can jot down a time and a short idea/intervention - you can always go back and addend your note when you have more time. Sometimes if it's written on a piece of paper, if that's easier, then go back and enter your notes. Such as: 1300 to xray, 1530 urine sent, 1630 waiting for CT results. 1700 medicated for pain. Then add more to those later. Don't feel bad about treating your sicker patients first. Your less acute patients will either learn this from you or someone else. You can pop your head in and say "this is what is going on, this is what we are doing, I'm in the next room with a sick patient and will be back in approximately 20 minutes for xy and z." At least you have updated them and then you can see your sicker patients before getting back to the less sick ones. It's all a matter of time management. Some never get the hang of this. If I have an ankle pain, or wrist pain, or something that I know won't require more than a Tylenol or Motrin, I may not asses them until I discharge them (like a true fast track patient) and this is just how it goes. If it's not an emergency, tell your brain that this is o.k. Don't feel bad about it. If it were a true emergency patient, you'd be in there, so let that guilt go and don't let others tell you what your priorities are (unless you just got a new patient you didn't know about). Good luck. Keep your ears and eyes open.
