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by
Karen Crone, RN
The first thing to do when you come on
shift is to get an overall report on the patients
from the previous shift nurses. Armed with the
report notes, it is now time to do patient rounds.
En route to the first room, a nurse is stopped
at lease several times by calls from other staff
members, family inquiries and physician’s
demands. Organization is front line tactics for
nurses,- the only way to stay on track and get
work accomplished. Multi tasking is the key.
After initial patient rounds and medication
distribution, the RN finds herself back at the
desk, answering calls, taking off doctor orders,
performing patient assessments, documenting in
the charts, calling labs for blood work, responding
to call lights, and managing the staff.
As the day progresses patients need to
readied for surgery and numerous other procedures
including cardiac cath lab, radiology, chemotherapy
and rehab. Dressing needs to be changed, blood
pressures monitored and pain controlled. New admissions
need to be assessed and care plans devised. Emergencies
can happen at any time and when they do, they
usually come several in a row. This takes away
from other patient’s care and really backs
up the day. Families need to be contacted, some
patients need to be transferred to other units
and staff requires much needed breaks.
Rarely does a shift end on time and the
work is never completed. IV’s need to be
attended to, infections monitored and general
patient daily care performed. The RN delegates
as much of the daily care to the nurse’s
aides whenever possible, but staffing shortages
make most shifts very difficult.
However; at the end of a very long day,
RNs generally go home feeling very satisfied with
their work and know that they have really made
a difference in many people’s lives. While
nursing may not be as glamorous as portrayed on
ER and Scrubs, it is one of the most demanding,
yet fulfilling careers out there.
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