What kind of shift report was that?

Nurses General Nursing

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What is the funniest/worst/quickest (any adjective) shift report you've received? I was just thinking about one I got a few years ago when I worked in the nursing home that covered all three of the above. Went something like this...

As the PM nurse tossed me the med room keys, "Everybody's okay. Joe Shmoe died. I counted the narcs with the supervisor. I gotta run. Are you good?"

Because this was a nursing home with the same 28 dementia residents that I worked with day in and day out, I knew not much changed, so I was okay with that report. Would never accept something like that now, though.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

I follow a nurse frequently that gives very rambling, jump all over the place report. It wouldn't be so bad if she would at least go room to room, but since she just jumps in wherever her brain takes off to at the moment I have to stop her and ask who the heck she is reporting on! Oh yeah, she gives all the minute details of a residents past 8 hours without actually mentioning who they are, usually I can figure out who she means, but sometimes I have no clue.

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Specializes in LTC.

Co worker taped report (work in LTC) and she said "Mr J is fine, oh no he's not---he died".

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Specializes in neurology, cardiology, ED.

This is why I love ER nursing. Report consists of something along these lines:

"Okay in room 1 you have a 65y/o male no cardiac history, chest pain for 3 days. Line, labs, EKG done, doc hasn't seen him yet. Room 2 is a 48y/o female abdominal pain, vomiting for 3 hours. Line, labs done, meds given. Waiting for CT and still need urine. In room 3 you have a 2 y/o with a fever and cough. Tylenol given, and the temp is down, he's up for re-eval. Room 4 is empty. Any questions? No, okay. Have a good day."

This is a perfectly acceptable ER report. You're used to knowing nothing about patients when they roll in the door, and having to do some digging, and they turn over so quickly, you really don't need to know much more than what's been done, and what's pending. I went back to work the floor briefly after having worked in the ER for two years, and remember being one of the quickest report takers, because I would rather just look things like labs and new orders up for myself.

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Love "box of chocolates"! I'll have to use that. I received a wonderful box of chocolates at 0620 just the other day.

Another one is "alphabet soup" for someone who has many, many diagnoses:

AAA, CAD, CHF, PVD, DM, HTN, CA, MI, BPH, PNA, CRF/HD

You know you're going to be busy :crying2:

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