5 Responses to “New Med-Surg Nurse Needs Help”

1. dave Says:
   September 20th, 2007 at 11:27 pm

   See Kathy Quan’s reply to this question at https://www.realityrn.com/more-articles/handling-stress/successful-shuteye/97/#comment-137

2. mortonmiller Says:
   September 21st, 2007 at 5:03 pm

   Hi Jana,

   I don’t have a specific resource to recommend, but I just did a google web search using “time management for nurses” as my topic. There were a lot of websites that came up. You might wish to look through these and see if any seem to be what you need.

   Have you talked with a trusted colleauge about the tips he or she uses? Often, just seeing how someone else puts their day together and organizes things can be really helpful in beginning to come up with a system that works for you.

   Time management was probably the hardest part of the job for me when I was a new nurse. With some experience under my belt, I felt it got easier, but I certainly understand how overwhelming things can feel!

3. Cece Grindel Says:
   September 28th, 2007 at 10:48 am

   I think respondents above gave some good resources for you to check out. One of the first steps toward organization is planning. Take some time to think about your work day. Identify the most important things that have to be done and try to put some general timelines around those things. Clearly patient care has some routines but there must be a lot of flexibility in those routines. When you organize your work on a daily basis, do so in a way that minimizes your steps back and forth on the unit. Try to think of all the things you will need when you walk into a unit and see that you have them with you. During your first rounds, make a list of patient needs, delegate those you can, and plan for those you have to do. Time management is a function of experience and thoughtful preparation. Also remember that as you get more comfortable in your new role, know the unit and your colleagues, and are more efficient in handling the tasks of patient care, you will automatically become more efficient.

4. nursingaround Says:
   October 12th, 2007 at 5:11 am

   After twelve years nursing I’m still very disorganized, but I have evolved a strategy that works.
   1 Do a quick round of your patients, at the same time helping out any other patients that need assistance. Laying a visual eye on your patients is vital. Many nurses do not do this and it backfires if you discover later on in your shift that your patient probably stopped breathing an hour or two before.

   2 I then do a quick check of everyone’s obs, even if they were done only an hour or two ago. Things change and can be missed by the nurse on the shift before you. By this time you know all your patients are alive, and while taking the obs, you usually have a quick chat with them. A few kind words or just listening to a patients concerns for a minute or two can make a huge difference.

   3 Preparing patients for theater etc, infusions and such is often next. Then there’s the oral meds and intravenous antibiotics.

   4 The rest of my morning is usually spent doing what all good nurses should never rise above, cleaning, meeting hygiene needs of patients, and dressings.

   By the end of stage four it’s nearly lunch time and the rest of your day should be a breeze.
   This works for me, and I realize not for everyone. But what I do think is vital is spending a minute or two at the start of each shift. This is vital.

5. Esther Says:
   November 15th, 2009 at 9:21 pm

   Might be a good idea to come in a little early

   Get Pt assignment

   Rev. medical record (Kardex)
   Charts, new physician orders, progress notes
   Check labs

   Shift hand off report

   Go assess pt
   Pull meds
   Give meds, IV changes, etc

   FF thru with new orders
   Reasses pt
   Check labs.

   Rem to DOCUMENT as you go along
   Hope this helps… I am a newbie too.

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