The organized nurse: How to schedule your day on a med-surg floor

I certainly won’t remember this particular nursing school instructor as a warm and fuzzy person…but I have to hand it to her: she was very organized. So although she wasn’t our favorite, we all listened to her when she gave our class advice on how to schedule and orient your day on a med surg floor.

I’m sharing her wisdom with you and am curious, how would you structure your day differently?


Organizing your Day:


An efficient nurse will fill her pockets like they are the drawers in her kitchen–everything has a place!


After it’s used–put it back in that place so you aren’t digging madly in your pockets when you need something!


As a Student:


0645-0715: Get report


Check labs, meds and orders (in that order)


0715-0830: Assessment


Chart assess. and vitals


0830: Accuchecks?


Breakfast


Meds with Breakfast?


Chart


Bath


Treatments


0900-1000: Meds passed


1130: Accuchecks?


1200: Lunch


1300-to end of clinical day: Finish charting, teaching,


treatments and help nurses


As a Nurse:


Come in early!


0630: Check kardex/chart/med card


0645: Get report, check orders while waiting, check meds and labs


0730: Vital signs done w/ aid beginning with most critical and those leaving the floor.


Assessments done (get as manydone as you can before BK).


0845: Pass meds as breakfast comes around (remember insulin given 15 min before BK and after accucheck!)


1000: Chart and check for new orders, tell pt you will do treatments and bath AFTER lunch


1130: Accuchecks


1200: Meds


1300: Eat lunch or catch up on charting or both


1400-1500: Treatments (good time to play catch-up)


1600: Chart check, charting, accuchecks


1700: Insulin, dinner


1800: Wrap up, chart


1900: Report off after everything is done and cleaned up for night shift