Tips for better time management?

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Hello to all. I'm a VERY new nurse (just graduated in December) and I managed to get a Med-Surge job on a busy floor. (I was happy to get hired anywhere.) I'm on my second month of orientation and just switched from days to nights for training (I signed up to work nights). I'm having still learning how to navigate their computer system and I'm still learning my way around the hospital. The other staff are really nice, but I have a lot of trouble attending to the patients and then doing the large volume of charting that required. I walk much faster than any other nurse on the floor, yet I am always rushed and behind. Something odd always seems to pop up every day from a patient that seems to take an enormous amount of time to deal with. The training schedule is three days straight at night every week, with my preceptor constantly spouting advice and corrections at me and then looking surprised when I didn't remember every single sentence that came out of her mouth the first time. Can anyone give me some survival tips, please? I later found out the turnover rate on this floor is huge every year. I really want this to work out for a year or two. Thanks so much in advance.

thanks, I've been doing this and it helped a lot.

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Thanks, Suanna. I think this might be my main issue. I find it a bit hard to do this naturally and I'm going to have to work on this.

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Cluster your meds so that you're not having to go back in constantly. Do not engage in idle chit chat with the patients if you still have meds to pass or assessments to do or chart. Politely excuse yourself and move on.

Your charting is almost as important as your care. If you have to delegate that incontinence care or Accucheck to the PCA so you can sit down and chart, DO IT.

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thanks very much.

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