What do you do when it's time to go and you still haven't charted yet?

[Shell5]

What do you do when you have been working constantly all shift long, without hardly a trip to the bathroom, you have gotten several admits throught the nights and have started blood transfusion. You know you have done the very best you can. It's the end of your shift, you haven't really started your main charting and when you go to give report all you hear is what else you need to get done before you leave. If you do it you will be there till 1 or 2 in the morning. I didn't think we had to do it all. I am so frustrated. I can't possibly do it all. How do you handle this type sitation. Do you stay until every single order of yours is done or do you simply report that you did not have the time to do this or that?

[seagull]

Thanks for the tidbits of info, I've learned quite well from it. I am having this same problem in my workplace in the middle east. Too many work not enough time to chart them all but through time management I did got

:yeahthat:the hang of it. I am now able to get out on time.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I stay and chart. It happens no matter how good you are at time management. However, if it's happening all the time and other co-workers are getting out on time, then you need to look at what you can delegate, what is and isn't a priority and what you can pass on.

If you are a new nurse, it takes time to get a groove on in med-surg. Most of the time I'm flying by the seat of my pants barely hanging on.

Good luck.

[General E. Speaking, RN, RN]

Most of the time I'm flying by the seat of my pants barely hanging on.

:yeahthat:

[RunnerRN, BSN, RN]

I always make sure my charting is complete....remember from nursing school "if it wasn't documented, it wasn't done." If you don't chart fully, you're just putting yourself at risk for problems.

I second the ideas of other posters. The oncoming shift should know that on occasion everything cannot get done in a 12 hour period. Of course, if it is a daily thing, you need to find a way to redirect yourself so you're getting more things done throughout the day. I have also found that keeping a note pad in my pocket and writing notes about meds, vitals, ambulations, etc that I've done helps me when I get a chance to chart. Plus, use every spare moment to write things in the chart.

I've only been a RN for a year, but I've already found that my charting is getting more brief, and I'm only including the things that need to be.

Good luck!

[janetrette]

in my hospital where we work, "the nurses should write all 10 nursing notes on our patient." our ratio is 1:10. however, on crazy notes i just write the most important. if other patient are stable i won't write a nursing note. our hospital has both the computer and chart charting. the computer chart the v/s, daily doc., assessment, iv, pain, pca, wound assessment.

[tizmonster]

There's a very cool hospital in Indianapolis, called the "Heart Hospital" - the nurses actually chart cases @ bedside with a laptop that is wired to a central desk in the unit. It allows the RN's to chart events in real time, and it distributes the information to the right departments. Cuts down on redundancy and allows everyone to "fast track" where the patient is in their treatments. The is a GE system, totally paperless. It's a real time saver - @ the end of your shift...it's all done.