I am currently a student and I will be starting pharmacology next semester. I have a question regarding giving medicines- How do you remember to give all of your patients their medicine on time? Is there some kind of system in place that reminds you that patient X is due for Y medicine?
I know it seems like a dumb question but I've always wondered how nurses remember to give all of their patients their medicines on time. Also, any tips that help you remember giving meds on time will be appreciated.
I used to wonder the same thing when I was a student.
I used to write down what meds my patients have and when they're due on my "brain sheet." But you'll also learn that certain meds are almost always scheduled at the same time, in your facility. I'm to the point now where I just write down what meds they're getting and I know what time they're due, based on the typical pharmacy schedule.
Once you start your clinical experience have the nurses in the hospital show you whatever system you use. Having a daily worksheet helps, I played around with using a few different ones in nursing school. If you have electronic charting typically there is a system in place to remind you. Also keep in mind that no nurse is perfect and every nurse will make a mistake at some point. That's why we have people around us to support us and double check our work, especially in the beginning.
There is a form for each patient, called a Medication Administration Record (MAR) where the RX, time, route, dose, etc is listed and the nurse "signs off" when it is given. Sometimes that is done electronically. As for reminders, nurses develop own strategies. When you are in clinical rotations you will get to see how nurses handle time management and will be able to ask them for clues.
In the hospitals I went with school everithing is on computer and diferent color tell you for example yellow means time to give red means you are late.You have to look at computers often, they are in front of every patient door.
msjellybean
277 Posts
I used to wonder the same thing when I was a student.
I used to write down what meds my patients have and when they're due on my "brain sheet." But you'll also learn that certain meds are almost always scheduled at the same time, in your facility. I'm to the point now where I just write down what meds they're getting and I know what time they're due, based on the typical pharmacy schedule.