If you have too many things on your to-do list, how to you decide which to do first and which to postpone?
A nurse shift is usually a very busy one, with few unimportant tasks. Taking the time to organize and frontload your day by doing the most important patient tasks first helps free up time later. Sometimes, it is helpful to delegate to others when possible, but it's never an acceptable answer if anything patient-care related is not done because there wasn't time. Future pace your day and sketch out a timeline for each activity. When you follow your plan and you realize at 10 AM that you are still dealing with some problems with your 8 AM task, then the best time to ask for support or help is at 10 AM. At 2 PM, it's too late to gather support and finish the shift completely and correctly.
"At work, I take a couple minutes to sketch out my day and I frontload the more important and difficult tasks in the morning, so I can complete them well. That gives me time to work through the rest of my shift, and if I end up having to ask for help, then the tasks that still need to get done are not the most difficult or important ones. In my personal life, when my to-do list gets too large, I sit down, weed it out, and focus on what moves my life forward and brings meaning and value."
"At the beginning of my shift, I use my shift 'cheat sheet' to help me organize and prioritize my day. This helps me determine which tasks should be done first, based on both how important they are and how long they might take. If tasks take longer than I anticipated, or I run into a situation where a patient's condition takes a downturn, I will need to ask for help. I can delegate tasks like blood glucose tests or a patient bath to a patient care tech. I can also ask my coworkers or the charge nurse to take on a task that only a nurse can do. In an inpatient unit, we have to work as a team to make sure all patient care tasks are completed. I am comfortable asking my colleagues for help because they know I always offer to assist them with tasks when I can."
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Anonymous Answer
Prioritize based on ABCS see most unstable patients first, give critical meds first, ask for help/delegate easier faster tasks. For instance, if a patient is hypertensive and symptomatic I want to give their antihypertensive meds before giving a bed bath to my other patient.
Cindy's Feedback
Yes! Prioritization is key to handling the important issues first. Can you add to your answer by discussing what ABCs are and why that method is important here?
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