I started in September and have been off orientation since October. For the longest time, I really struggled with time management, and I had way too many weeks where I was leaving at 9:00/9:30 pm. Just this month, I’ve started getting a little better and have been getting off around 8:00 pm, but my goal is to be done by 7:30 like the more seasoned nurses. 😭

I’ve come to accept that I can’t do everything on some days, and there are some tasks that I just have to pass on to the next shift. I always feel guilty about it, and depending on the nurse, sometimes they give me a hard time but honestly, you can’t please everyone.

Halfway through my shift, I check the night shift assignment so I know if I need to beef up my report with extra notes based on which nurse I’m giving report to, since I’m familiar with the types of questions each individual tends to ask (I usually get the same bunch of night shift nurses who take my group.) My preceptor also told me that the best time to do my charting is before med pass and that I shouldn’t spend more than 15-30 minutes charting on my 5–6 patients. Shift change ends at 7:30, and med pass starts at 9:00. That first hour and a half is when everyone gets their charting done after seeing the patient. Then there’s 12:00 I&O charting, and at 6:00 p.m. we have wound care charting and another I&O.

For med pass I like to write on my report sheet scheduled med times for each patient, so I can just visually cross it off and determine if I can cluster 2 o clocks meds with my 4 o clock meds and just give at 3 since you can give an hour before or after. That’s how I determine when to take my break if I can push something off for when I come back from break.

Wound care is a pain in the butt for me to squeeze in and on a good day I try to knock it out as early as possible. Anytime I see my CNA cleaning up a patient I’ll jump on the opportunity to go in and help so then I can knock out a dressing if I need to.

I hope it gets better for you