Waste of Time

Nurses General Nursing

Published

As Nurses we are pulled in multiple directions simultaneously. We have so much to do and little time to get it done. I don't mind hard work, but when my time is wasted it makes me mad.

I resent having to spend 20 minutes looking for an IV pole so I can start an infusion. I resent when a Doctor order 1 mg of Dilaudid every hr, when the vials hold 2 mgs. The patient is asking for the medication hourly, I don't mind giving it, but every hr I have to spend 10 minutes looking for someone to waste with me and wasting the drug.

I see things like this a tremendous waste of our valuable time. Time that could be better utilized in patient care. I miss breaks and meals because I get behind, primarily because so much of my time is wasted looking for equipment, trying to decipher Doctors handwriting, being ask by Doctors to find charts, the list of thing that waste my time is endless.

Question, What do you do at your job that you feel is a waste of your time ?;)

Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

Refaxing orders to pharmacy (yet again) because they can't find it, call them periodically to find out the status of your TPN/IL only to find the tech is out and you need to pick up yourself (no liquids allowed in tube system).

Calling dietary because family decided to eat the pt's food and now diabetic g'ma has had nothing to eat (and you covered her cause the tray was in front of her and ready to eat)

Locating the darned chart because MD 'placed' it 2 pods down full of new orders.

Calling central supply (5th time your shift) because you are once again out of a frequently used item only to get yelled out because "the nurses are not charging items out".

Fetching food/items for visitors.

Looking for a syringe pump/infusion pump (that works).

Settling a feud in a shared room because of tv fights.

Silencing pumps all shift (because are now running kvo, or the iv is positional b/c mom doesn't want a dreaded arm board).

Playing housekeeping because the trash is overflowing and D10 spilled onto the floor and now is sticky (it cannot wait).

Changing out sharp containers because they are full to the top and won't open anymore.

Thinning out charts (I rather be performing pt care).

Fixing the jammed hole puncher/stapler/copy machine/fax.

Chasing down the aide for help (as she/he is in another unit chatting).

Chasing down a resident to remind to please finish the discharge the primary ordered at 0900. It is now 1500 and the family has a foot out the door and cursing at me because they need to go now!

Answering outside calls all day long because some moron posted the unit's # on the phone book/net as the main # and no one will fix it.

Updating mom, dad, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, the neighbor, house cat and dog for the unpteenth time this morning over the phone because they all don't communicate with each other.

Coming to the weekly unit (useless) meeting that turns out into a b*t&h fest everytime. Nothing changes. For the better that is.

Oh and my favorite..............hunting down each and every unit employee for every call because the darned spectralink phones do not work therefore no one carries them. Talk about waste of valuable time.

Jessy, Float Pool RN

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As a new grad, the issues you mentioned are what frustrates me the most about my job. It's challenging enough just for me to keep up on things when everything is going well. And then when I think I'm ahead of the game during a shift all it takes is a few missing meds or me spending time deciphering orders to put me behind and playing catch up for the next several hours.

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Cardiac.
Updating mom, dad, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, the neighbor, house cat and dog for the unpteenth time this morning over the phone because they all don't communicate with each other.

:yeah::yeah::yeah:

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Not having a unit clerk every shift to answer phone. Double and triple documenting the same info. Giving doctors information verbally that they have access to see for themselves if they would check the computer/chart.

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Specializes in MED/SURG STROKE UNIT, LTC SUPER., IMU.

Trying to read doctor's orders when they are just scrolled across the page and you can not make out anything including the drug name and dosage!! Drives me nuts!!

Especially, when said doctor says "can't you read english?" Well, I can if only the script was written in english.

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Specializes in CVICU.

I resent having to spend 20 minutes looking for an IV pole so I can start an infusion. I resent when a Doctor order 1 mg of Dilaudid every hr, when the vials hold 2 mgs. The patient is asking for the medication hourly, I don't mind giving it, but every hr I have to spend 10 minutes looking for someone to waste with me and wasting the drug.

I wish the people who make Dilaudid in only 2 mg vials would also make them in 1 mg sizes. How often do we give a full 2 mg? Morphine comes in multiple size vials at our hospital, so why can't Dialudid?

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Updating mom, dad, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, the neighbor, house cat and dog for the unpteenth time this morning over the phone because they all don't communicate with each other.

My question has always been, that if HIPPA hamstrings us regarding any disclosure whatsoever, then why are we obligated to come to the phone at all?

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Med Recs. Every patient that comes through our ED needs to have a computerized med rec done, with spots for last doses, too. It's a ridiculous time-sucker that aggravates me to no end.

Double charting. If the computer is so magical, why can't I put the info in once and have it appear all over the freaking place? And if I put in the the computer, why do I have to write it on a paper record too?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

I empathise. I wasted nearly 20 minutes trying to find a certain chart I had to use, that the Dr wanted for a patient. It wasn't in the correct place and no-one knew where to find it.

I eventually gave up cos I was too busy and used a progress note to do my charting for this particular condition. I said to the shift coordinator you need to get onto the Ward Clerk who is responsible for keeping these filed for us nurses.

She promised to get it done but I haven't been back there so don't know what happened.

Yes little things waste a lot of time. There needs to be a neutral committee or something that assesses a work place and identifies all these things to correct them, or just ask the nurses. I'm sure they would have some good suggestions with what to do with all these problems (being sarcastic here!)

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Every MWF each RN has to sit down with these 2 board members on the case management review team--the real "High Ups" (one is an RN and one is an MD, neither of them practicing any longer except on this review board) and "talk with them about our folks" --direct quote. Their job is essentially to get the patients out of the hospital the second they are ready and not a moment after. So they come after the nurses to "get the scoop" (another direct quote) about why the patients are here and "why haven't they been discharged yet." Each nurse has to sit down with these people individually and get hounded with questions..takes about 15 min. at least..RIGHT in the middle of your day..and if you say you're too busy to sit down and discuss with them you get in trouble. The thing that gets me is, every single question they ask you, can be found in the chart. If they just LOOKED IN THE CHART THEMSELVES. And the real clencher is, half the time, these board review members know more about the patient than we do! Example:

RN: so Mr. Smith is 65 and here with diverticulitis. He's on day 2 of antibiotics.

Board member 1: Which antibiotics?

RN: cipro and...hmm I am not positive about the other one because he only recieves it on night shift

Board member 2: It's flagyl.

Board member 1: and did he come from home or from assissted living? and where is he going to go after discharge? and has he had his pneumonia vaccine?

RN: he came from home but I don't know if he'll go back there after discharge or to assisted living. I don't know off the top of my head if he's had the vaccine but on admission the screening form was filled out so I'm sure it's fine.

Board member 2: Well his daughter wants him to go to assisted living after discharge and the case manager is already working on it.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? #1: If you want to know this pt diagnosis, which antibiotics, and his vaccine status, look in the freaking chart. #2: I never understand how Board Member 2 knows all these things about the patients..and if she does, WHY is Board Member 1 sitting here asking me the questions that they already know the answers to!?! and #3 Isn't this entire converstation more suited for the case management team..not the RN anyway? And this discussion happens for EVERY patient we have. EVERY Mon. Wed. and Fri. right in the middle of our workday....usually around 10:30AM

If that isn't a waste of time, I don't know what is. And yes I realize that was an insanely long rant..but I literally think that is my biggest administrative pet peeve in the entire world...once again the nurses are supposed to do and know everything, and don't worry, we have plenty of time to do it, and with a smile on our face to! :-)

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I spend a lot of time doing tasks my CNA should be doing. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to delegate each task to my CNA or if she should "just know" she's supposed to. I do vitals on everyone and the CNA expects me to unless otherwise told. I do the vitals on admission, and the CNA doesn't. Is she not allowed to? I have to set up the rooms for new admissions too, while trying to get all of the paperwork and orders together.

Sometimes patients complain that they haven't had a face towel in days, but I assumed my CNA was giving them out since the patients never complained. I answer call lights in the middle passing meds and charting. Sometimes I hear them tell the oncoming CNAs "today will be an easy day for you, there are no needy patients." In my head I'm thinking, "I had a rough day because I was answering all of the call lights for you!"

Another time waster is if we run out of meds in our drawer, we have to restock our own drawers. We have to ask another nurse to go back with us to the pharmacy to get them for us. I would hope that the night nurse would be able to help us out instead of leaving the dayshift nurse's drawers empty come our 9 o'clock med pass.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

I don't know what a CNA is (like an Enrolled Nurse maybe) but when I am in charge, I definitely delegate. I don't care if people think they shouldn't be giving out flannels or changing Mrs Smith's pad - I will ask them to do it and I will check if they have. I ask my staff to do something, then ask them to report back to me - especially if patients have problems.

You do have to be a bit authoritative (and use that authority properly), or I find tasks don't get done.

I had two carers standing around chatting when I was in charge one time. Asked if they had finished all their work, they said yes, and everyone had had their breaks. I said go and re-check all your patients and see if they need anything, as some have dementia, have had a stroke can't speak, etc. They weren't happy but they did it. Looks like nobody had been telling them what they should be doing! After all we are there to work, not stand around talking all night - especially when there were like 50 patients to attend to that night.

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