What's your daily schedule like?

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Jun 5, 2007

I work in a hospital in an intermediate care unit so no day is what you call typical. The only typical part about it is I come in at 6am. That's what I love about my job.

For the most part, I get report and am usually done with that by 6:30 although sometimes the night techs are running behind and yesterday (Monday) I didn't get report until 7am so I ran around and helped them out as much as I could.

After that, I organize my vitals sheets (we take them at 0800, 1200, &1600), my glucose checks, and my ADL sheet so I can keep track of who I have cleaned up and changed linens on. I also check my assignment sheet to see which nurses I'm working with that day. When I'm done organizing my papers, usually about 0645, then I start passing linens and changing the board to the current date and also updating them telling the pt who their nurse is and who their tech is. I like to start vitals at about 7am depending on how many pt's I have. If I only have 7 pts then I will start my vitals at 0730 because it dosen't take me that long to get vitals and CBG's with that few pts. After I take my morning vitals, the pts are usually all awake and that is when "typical" definately ends.

I'm sure in an LTC facility, there would be more of a routine because people in LTC are typically more stable in their health as compared to working in a step down unit like I do where the acuity of the people I help take care of is quite high.

I came in one morning to take someone's vitals, they were high and the pt was c/o chest pain so I though "oh crap, he's having an MI or a PE" so half of my morning was spent in this persons room helping the nurses and the doctor (we called the hospitalist in) stabilize him. He died the next day.

My best advice for you would be to learn to "roll with the punches" and realize that typical only happens in office jobs and dreams. Things can change at a moments notice and you need to be prepared to accept that change and then make modifications of your original plan. Often times I'll look at who my pts are and say to myself that I want to clean up these pts in this order (Plan A). THen something happens and I make a Plan B. Then something else happens and I make a Plan C, and so on. Plan A is your ideal plan but, from my expierience, it never works out.

Good luck. I feel like I have the best job in the world. I love working in nursing and I hope you do too.

kmarie724 · Jun 6, 2007

Here's what a "typical" shift is like for me when I work 2:30-11 at a LTC facility:

2:30-5:00-answer call lights, toilet residents, get residents up from afternoon naps, walk residents on amulation list, pass linens for HS cares, hopefully get a 15 min. break somewhere in there

5:00-report with nurse, take residents to dining room for supper

5:30-dinner, serve plates to residents, assist with feeding PRN

6:00-6:30-supper break

6:30-back on floor, answer call lights, finish any walks not done eariler in afternoon

7:00-9ish-HS cares-change into PJs, toilet, wash face, back, underarms, periarea, brush teeth/dentures, assist into bed.

9:00-10:00-chart, empty garbage and soiled linen bins

10:00-rounds, change and reposition residents as care plan indicates

11:00-go home!

TruDivaRN, BSN, RN · Jun 6, 2007

i work 3-11 at a ltc facility also. since i'm in nursing school, i usually get there a few minutes after report. i go down the hall get a visiual on all my patients for that day, if they are not in their rooms i go find where they are located at. (please do this, if one of your residents wonders off, you need to know where and when the last time you had visiual contact with them.)

next i get all linens and diapers needed for hs care. before i get my afternoon nappers up i take their vitals if they are on the list. by this time it is usually dinner time. i help assist all residents to their desiginated feeding areas, and help assist with feedings. usually after this is done i go on my lunch break at about 7pm. at 730pm i start putting my residents to bed, i'm usually finish with that by 830-9pm. i then go back and recheck the bedridden residents, and those that i put in the bed first. by the time i finish it is usually 930-10pm. i complete all my charting empty my trash, and at 11pm i'm in my car leaving.

the thing to remember is to get your own schedule. by that i mean schedule the way you do things. every cna has their own way of doing things. remember it is ok to be a team player, but do not allow yourself to be used. sometimes cna's like to work together:biere: to get all of their work done, but if you see you are doing all the work, while they are on their breaks every 1/2 hour:banghead: , make it your business to do your own work and help them as needed. i'm sure once you develope your own routine, you will do fine:flowersfo .

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jun 6, 2007

When I was a CNA, I remember getting to the nursing home at 7am, reporting to the nursing office to find out what floor I was working on. When I got there, I would get my cart together, then bring patients to the dining room for breakfast at 7:30. During breakfast, we would feed those who needed assistance, and getting report during breakfast. I was a float, so I would find out what assignment I had, and who had vital signs due that morning. I would bring my assignment book with me and check what patients I had, check their rooms, begin ADLs, and vitals. By about 10, we would bring them to activities, then, back to get ready for lunch by about 12. Afterwards, changing them, placing the assigned patients back to bed. It was a very physically demanding job and it took some time to get used to it. But, I got it together eventually. Like others said, you will develop your own routine, and make sure that others don't take advantage of you. There are some that will hide, but come searching for you when they want help, but are convienently unavailable when you need them. Also, there are some that steal supplies, so, I had a secret place to hide mine. Good luck.

mizbrwn1512 · Jun 13, 2007

My typical day 3-4p making rounds, changing attends

4-5p getting ready for dinner, running programs in their care plan

5-6p bring res. to dining room, feeding,

6-until 10p activities, showers, attend changes, running programs in care plan, preparing for bed

Always document as you go, do bed checks before the end of your shift, make sure everyone is clean and dry and positioned correctly before next shift. That's my typical day... socializing with res. and staff throughout the day