Typical Shift For Med/Sur RN

allnurses Guide · Jun 8, 2005

hi,
on a medical/surgical ward
what would be a typical shift for an rn? things i would like to know are
when you arrive on duty what do you do after hand over.
i arrive in time for our 2:45 a.m. report but we usually count narcs first. after report, we check to make sure our pts are breathing and then do our med checks and read the chart/progress notes, labs, etc. we start vitals at 4 a.m. (q4h vitals) and so we just follow the cna in when she does vitals and then do our assessment. that way we don't have to wake the patients twice.
what are the times of the medications.
well, all different times . . . sometimes starting at 4 a.m.
how many patients would you be expected to look after, and what would you be expected to do for each patient?
we have a 5:1 ratio in ca so never more than 5 patients. usually we have 2 rn's and one cna and 10 patients at the most
what do we do for patients? assess them, give them meds, dressing changes, blood sugars, physical therapy, breathing treatments, etc. the cna does vitals and baths and bed changes but we help with that too - like when the pt goes off to the shower with the cna, i change the bedding. we try to do a team approach so i also empty urinals and don't run for the cna
can nurses self prescribe anything?
do you mean prescribe something for the patient? if so, then no - we have no prescribing role - that is the physician. and we obviously can't "self-prescribe" for ourselves either.
what time aprox are the shifts/ 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. is "day shift" and 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. is "night shift"
any information would be gratefully recieved

just fyi . . . received is "ei" not "ie" just remember "i before e except after c"

steph

allnurses Guide · Jun 8, 2005

Just another thought - regarding "prescribing". . .. .we don't prescribe but we do have pre-printed orders and some protocols that allow us some leeway to do things for the patients . . .more in ER of course and OB too.

I work in a small rural hospital so we do a bit of everything - not just med/surg. On our med/surg floor, we could have a post-partum mom and babe, a post-op patient, a patient on a "swing" status awaiting LTC, a pediatric patient, infants with respiratory problems, etc.

steph

letina · Jun 8, 2005

Day shift starts at 3 am ?? OMG!!! :bugeyes:

allnurses Guide · Jun 8, 2005

Day shift starts at 3 am ?? OMG!!!

:rotfl:

Well, it was actually suggested by one of the nurses. NO ONE would work a true night shift (7 p.m. to 7 a.m. or 5 p.m. to 5 a.m.) So they split the night between the two shifts.

I work "days" . . . the only reason is I'm home when my kids are home from school - exhausted but home. And I work part-time.

I did work full time for about 3 years after finishing nursing school on "day" shift. Burned me to a crisp - and I got pregnant. After I came back from maternity I went back part-time.

steph

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2005

just fyi . . . received is "ei" not "ie" just remember "i before e except after c"
steph

thank you for my lesson in spelling :chuckle it drives my hubby mad, but hey afte all these years and a degree later i guess i am a lost cause :rotfl:

ps thank you for your help it was gratefully received ( thank god fro spell checks on comp)

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2005

the spelling mistakes above are because I type too fast sometimes and I was not trying to be funny :chuckle

begalli · Jun 9, 2005

[color=#a0522d]3 a.m. to 3 p.m. is "day shift" and 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. is "night shift"

ack!! i've never heard of such a shift - either way!

do the managers work that day shift as well?

i couldn't do it. i think that night shift is far far worse than a 7-7.

op - usually shifts are 8, 10, or 12 hours.

8 hrs. 7am-3pm; 3pm-11pm; 11pm-7am

10 hrs. i'm honestly not sure what these hours are.

12 hrs 7am - 7pm and 7pm - 7am

some do 16 hour shifts.

i think the 12 hour shift is becomming more and more prominent.

RN-PA, RN · Jun 9, 2005

On a medical/surgical ward

What would be a typical shift for an RN? Things I would like to know are

When you arrive on duty what do you do after hand over.

I work 2:45 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. (usually, much later :)) and after receiving report (or handover), I check meds. for each patient, write them down, quickly check charts, and then begin assessing patients before dinner arrives at 5:00. I also give report to the aide and get vital signs and blood sugar results from them after 4:00.

What are the times of the medications.

Our routine med. times are : Once daily: 0800. BID meds are 0800-1800. TID meds are 0800-1300-1800. QID are 0800-1300-1800-2200. HS meds at 2200. Q8H meds are given at 0800-1600-0000 or 0400-1200-2000. Coumadin is given at 1800, Digoxin at noon. Those are our "routine" med times, but q 24 hr IV antibiotics could be given anytime.

How many patients would you be expected to look after, and what would you be expected to do for each patient?

We can have 6-7 patients on all three shifts and we assess, medicate, perform wound care, teach, deal with family questions and needs, empty urinals and bedpans, ambulate patients, whatever-- pretty much what an aide does if the aide isn't available. We call doctors for problems/needs or to report new findings (labs and other results that are abnormal) We do computer documentation, but there's never time to read the chart or Progress Notes, unfortunately. Wish there was since I don't always feel I have a clear, complete picture of the person I'm caring for.

Can nurses self prescribe anything?

No.

What time aprox are the shifts/

12 hour shifts are most popular for the full-timers, but there are still a number of full-time 8-hour shift workers. Part-timers work 8 or 12 hour shifts and Pool or Casual nurses work 4, 8, or 12 hours, wherever the need is. Our 12 hour shifts are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. 8 hour shifts are 7-3, 3-11, and 11-7.

Hope this helps! :)

allnurses Guide · Jun 9, 2005

the spelling mistakes above are because I type too fast sometimes and I was not trying to be funny :chuckle

:chuckle

One thing I've noticed with my kids is that they don't know the little "secrets" to helping them remember things in school. The "I before E except after C" ditty or to remember the number of days in each month "30 days hath September, April, June and November . .all the rest have 31, except February which has 29" . . . . . "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" . . . or to remember the names of Columbus' ships:

Columbus sailed over the ocean

Columbus sailed over the sea

Columbus discovered America

But Columbus didn't see me!

Nina

Pinta

the Santa Maria, to-oo-oo

They all sailed over the ocean

Over the ocean blue

Columbus was looking for India

But Columbus missed it you see

Columbus discovered America

But Columbus didn't see me

steph

SweetOldWorld, BSN, RN · Jun 9, 2005

To hijack a thread... "i" before "e" except after "c"..... and neighbor, and weigh, and height, and heifer, and Sheila, and Keith, and fancied, and deity, and science, and eight, and feign, and feint, and vein, and weird, and codeine (the list goes on!)

I love English!

allnurses Guide · Jun 9, 2005

To hijack a thread... "i" before "e" except after "c"..... and neighbor, and weigh, and height, and heifer, and Sheila, and Keith, and fancied, and deity, and science, and eight, and feign, and feint, and vein, and weird, and codeine (the list goes on!)
I love English!

I know - there is an exception for every rule . . but ya gotta start somewhere. We started with the rule and then gave the exceptions later.

steph :)