So you’ve just started your new job as a new graduate nurse. You have a great preceptor, you like your unit, and your manager seems pretty cool. But you dread going to work. You get report and you’re already an hour behind. You’re already an overwhelmed nurse. There are so many things to do right this second that you shut down. You can’t do this. It’s too much. You struggle through each day, just trying to get to the end of the shift. You are elated for days off. You dread going back. Is this really what you signed up for? Will this EVER end?
time management
S1E11 – Time Management Tips for New Nurses
This episode discusses why time management is essential for every nurse to consider as well as practical tips for the floor and critical care environment.
Perfecting Your Craft – Week 2, ICU Time Management Tips
Craft beer this week: Coffee is for Closers, an iced coffee stout by Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC. The ICU is dynamic and things change constantly and quickly. Patient conditions and staffing change significantly in an instant. No two shifts will be the same. However, it is important to know what your routine would be […]
Nursing Time Management for When You’re Totally Overwhelmed
This post contains affiliate links It never fails. You start your day with the best nursing time management intentions. You started your assessments and meds on time (woo hoo!), and then all of a sudden three doctors round at once and expect you to implement their orders immediately. One patient needs to pee, one needs […]
Why Are Nurses Always On the Computer?!
A nursing student recently emailed me and asked me, “why are nurses always on the computer?” It seemed like a silly question at first, but then I realized that unless you’re responsible for charting on multiple patients (or if you have students or preceptors, making sure it’s accurate), you don’t really understand all that is […]
Becoming An Awesome Nursing Preceptor: Phase Three
This is my third and final post in my nursey series about precepting new graduate nurses. Here’s the link to the first post. Here’s the link to the second post. Thanks for catching up! Onward.. Once your orientee has mastered caring for 1-2 patients, it’s time to start putting the on the heat. Phase three is […]
Becoming An Awesome Nursing Preceptor: Phase Two
Hello good friend! Welcome to my second post in a series of three about how to become an awesome nursing preceptor. Please keep in mind that this is aimed towards the orientation of a new graduate nurse on a general medical-surgical floor. However, it’s pretty general so it can be adapted to fit the needs […]
Becoming An Awesome Nursing Preceptor: Phase One
I was very fortunate to have some amazing preceptors both when I started nursing and again when I transitioned into critical care. I’ve also had the privilege of precepting people myself. I pray I was a tiny fraction of the awesome that my preceptors were to me. Because of an awesome question I received via […]
Tips for Switching From Night Shift to Day Shift – From a Nurse!
Many nurses start out on night shift but then transition to day shift. While the work is technically the same, the flow of the day is quite different. Here are some tips/tricks for the nurse transitioning from night shift to day shift. #1 – Pay attention to meds with meals Insulin is the major medication […]
How to Manage Your Time in Critical Care for Nurses: Part II
This post contains affiliate links One of the most important things to master in critical care is prioritization.. what do you do first? It’s kind of like prioritization on the floor, except the stakes are higher. Instead of doctors rounding, patients being hypertensive, patients in pain, families wanting you to discharge them 10 minutes ago, […]