In the book "Training Wheels for Nurses," the author mentions "brains" or "cheat sheets" of experienced nurses. When I was in school, I always wondered how nurses managed to organize their shift and remember who got what meds or treatments when. Now I know: they use their "brain!" For anyone who doesn't know what I mean by "brain," it is the way nurses record and organize information about what they need to do, when they need to do it, and what they have already done, in a way that works best for them.
According to the book, the key to a successful "brain" is to have a set format that remains the same every day.
So, to help all of us new grads out with our first nursing job, please tell us all about the format of your personal and unique "brain." Do you organize it by patient, room #, hours of the day, doctor, or task? Is it on paper or computer? PDA? Folder or clipboard? Database? Index cards? Something even more creative?
Since the type of "brain" you will use probably depends on the field of health care you are in, it might also help if you state that in your posting (if it's not too personal.)
