Two quick questions

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Hi all

I just wonder when nurses actually get time to read the patient's history because beds and pt care aren't usually given until handover and also is it possible to chart during the quiter times in the day or is it always done towards the end of shift? Sometimes everything seems like a wild scramble.

Thanks:monkeydance:

Specializes in aged -adolescent.

Thanks everyone. It's been kind of a rough day today. I know that someone said, sometimes not getting what you want can be a wonderful stroke of luck. We will see anyway but thank you all for your posts.

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Specializes in Medical.

Hi hassled,

I'm sorry to hear about your bad luck on the grad program front. However, even if you don't get into a program with a second round offer, if you're still planning on practicing as an RN the questions you asked are useful.

AM shifts are almost always a dizzying whirl, so for the most part there's no time to read histories before handover. However, once you've got on top of a patient's history, keeping up-to-date with new entries takes considerably less time. PM, night duty and weekend shifts usually have a little more time, allowing you a better chance to catch up.

For patients who are stable and straightforward, I sometimes write notes in the morning lull (around 10:30). I always include the time the notes were written, which means that if something happens later it's okay that it was documented (if that makes sense). If something changes I write an addit, with the new information.

I hope this helps. Good luck :)

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What??? We campaign to bring in overseas nurses to fill the "so called" nursing shortage we have. It's gotta be a joke when so many of our own end up humiliated, ignored, and misplaced.

Fight for your rights. And good luck because you will get there in the end.

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