UGH!!!!! V ent: Finding charts

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UGH!!! I just have to vent. It is SO AGGREVATING to go down to the clinical site (one half hour EACH WAY) from my house just to not find my patient's chart or to realize that someone else has it. I know everyone has a job to do and I am the last priority and that is fine but TWICE this week, this has happened. I have clinical tomorrow and will just have to go in early to get the information (which will only take me about 5 minutes)! Anyone else have this problem? How do you get your patient's information beforehand? Or would you sit and wait for hours on end to get the chart?

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Specializes in CICU.

You might ask around and see if there is a better time to stop in...

I have never been able to get patient info ahead of time, so that is all I can think of to offer.

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

I'm not sure of your other options but with us, we also have access to the computer system and can look at the patient information on the computer rather than the paper chart while waiting. If you don't personally have access, there may be a nurse or secretary (I've run into some) that will log you on for that purpose as long as you have your school ID.

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Specializes in NICU.

I'd ask what time would be best to look at the charts--depending on the unit, there are certain times when the chart is more likely to be accessible.

Otherwise, I'd bring homework and at least I'd have something to do while I waited.

I have to say, I don't miss doing care plans at all :D.

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I feel your pain. Just wait until you are out working on the floor. I spend a lot of time hunting down charts. Between the MDs, residents, social work, dietician, PT, OT they are never around. I agree with the previous poster, bring some homework and wait. You could probably just ask the person that has the chart if you could see it when they are done.

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.

Other than for physical rehab, where the patients are there for weeks on end, we never got patient information beforehand for any of our med-surg patients, so this problem never presented itself.

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Specializes in NICU.

Our school got around this problem by adding a 4 hour evening portion to the clinic. I have clinic Tuesday night 2-6 (with a 1 hour preclinic conference 2-3) with the sole intention of us performing our physical assessment and getting everything we need out of the chart. Then we come back Wednesday morning 7-3 and do our patient care for the day. This is something new they've started, and I must admit, it is pretty nice. We have a 3 hour time-slot to get everything we need.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I have been fortunate, all our stuff can be found on the computer charts, we are all given our own log in and codes and their are always tons of computers on the units, the laptops on wheels or stationary ones.

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.

we just came onto the unit a half hour early and logged into the computers (we were issued our own login) so this was never a problem for us either.

though for my preceptorship, we are using paper charts while IT develops a charting system. When I am unable to find a chart, its usually been with the OBs, Midwives or peditricians (my preceptorship is in maternity) so I just ask them that once they are finished if I could see it. They've been really good good at handing off and I return the favor when they need it.

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I run into this too.. I'm usually able to have someone print out meds and get some info from the Kardex which lists any orders, dx, medical hx, allergies, important info like that! That's enough to get me started and I'm able to find the chart at some point during the next day.

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Thanks all for your help. I've asked what time would be best and they stated the weekend. I wish they would update to a computer but no such luck. Hopefully things will get better when I go to the hospital versus an LTC!

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

Ohh our LTC facility was worse but the hospital worked well. We had paper charts and computer charting. But the computers were minimal and not laptops. So if you went around med pass you could usually get on one since that always took so long.

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