Lets get organized.
Let’s find a system that resonates with you.
12-hour shifts can be both rewarding and challenging. Staying organized throughout these long hours takes years of practice but is essential for providing high-quality patient care, maintaining accuracy, and ensuring your own well-being.
Let’s explore some strategies to help you manage your time effectively, stay efficient, and keep up with your charting.
I've been in your shoes, and as an experienced nurse educator and mentor, I know how important it is to choose a project that not only fits your professional goals but also sparks your passion. This guide is packed with over 200 project ideas across different nursing specialties to help you find something that resonates with you!
Let’s get started.
Time Management.
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Start of Shift: Begin with a quick assessment of your patients and prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. This will help you address critical needs first and plan your day effectively.
Create a To-Do List: Write down tasks on your report sheet and check them off as you complete them. This not only keeps you on track but also provides a sense of accomplishment.
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Allocate Specific Times: Divide your shift into blocks and assign tasks to each block. For example, dedicate specific times for medication administration, patient assessments, and documentation. Utilize your report sheet to create a flow that works for you.
Be Flexible: While having a schedule is important, be prepared to adapt to unexpected situations. Nursing often involves unpredictability, so flexibility is key.
Accuracy.
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Medication Administration: Always double-check medications against the patient’s chart and use barcoding systems if available. Pro tip: scan each med separately rather than the same med twice if giving two of the same med!
Patient Information: Confirm patient identifiers (i.e. a "Timeout") before assisting a physician in a bedside procedure (i.e. cardioversion, lumbar puncture, emergent chest tube placement, etc.)
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To-do Lists: Create checklists on your report sheet for tasks, charting that needs to be done, diagnostic tests to be performed, or issues to be addressed during rounds. Keep everything on your report sheet so that everything is in one spot to ensure you don’t miss any critical steps.
Handover Report: During shift changes, use your report sheet to provide comprehensive and organized reports to incoming staff.
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Flextime:
Description: Intentionally working 3 days in a row each week.
Pros: Provides you 4-8 days off with no effect on your paycheck, gives you more mini vacation opportunities, and allows you to prioritize your mental health between work weeks.
Cons: Requires physical and mental endurance, may be too exhausting to work three taxing shifts in a row, less time with friends and family for almost half the week, may lead to less sleep, and may require more laundry and food prep on your days off.
Efficiency.
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Keep Essentials Handy: Stock your pockets with commonly used items like pens, your report sheet, alcohol swabs, gauze, and scissors.
Anticipate BEFORE Entering the Room: "Cluster Care" is the concept of having everything you need and reducing the time it takes to run in and out of a room for additional supplies. For example, if you are about start and IV and to do a med pass that requires you to administer them in a gastric tube in a patient's room, bring all your meds, supplies for the crushing and administering of meds, the IV supplies, and towels for any accidental spills all in one go.
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Utilize Team Members: Work collaboratively with your team and delegate tasks when necessary. Your resources may include the CNA, your Charge Nurse, your nearby Nurse buddy, or a Flex Nurse. If you are feeling bottlenecked and need to ensure certain things happen on time, use your resources!
Teach and Mentor: Guide less experienced staff in performing tasks efficiently, which can improve team performance and patient care.
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Minimize Distractions: Stay focused on your tasks and avoid unnecessary distractions. If possible, find a quiet area, away from chatty colleagues, for charting and other critical tasks.
Practice Mindfulness: Incorporate mindfulness techniques to stay present and calm, especially during high-stress situations. Focus on your breathing so that you can effectively think through emergent situations.
Charting.
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Chart as You Go: Whenever possible, document patient information in real-time (bring those WOWs into the room!). This not only ensures accuracy but also prevents the buildup of charting tasks at the end of your shift.
Utilize Technology: Use electronic health records (EHR) to streamline documentation. Familiarize yourself with the system’s features (i.e. EPIC Smart Texts or Cerner Autotexts) to make charting quicker and more efficient.
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Regular Intervals: Set reminders to update charts at regular intervals throughout your shift. This helps you stay on top of documentation and reduces the risk of forgetting important details.
Review and Update: Before the end of your shift, review all charts to ensure completeness and accuracy. This final check can prevent errors and provide a smooth transition to the next shift.