[NEW NURSE TIPS] Beginning of shift time management

This is how I ended up handling beginning of shift time management, but remember this might look different for you as you get into your own groove. Lean into that, and you'll have your own specific routine before you know it. For more on time management for ICU or critical care nurses, check out this article: www.freshrn.com/perfecting-cr...

[@ada5851]

It depends on the unit for sure. At the hospitals I float to in southern Ontario, the CNAs (we call them Healthcare Aids or HCAs because they're not all certified Personal Support Workers) will take over for your "heavier" patients - you give them report on who you would like them to take at shift change. And then you're responsible for the rest. Most of the rest will be independent with setup to take a shower or wash up in bed, or just need help washing their back, but if the HCAs are short you may still have to take on care for a heavier patient. But we very much prioritize vitals, meds, assessments first. If it's a heavier day and some patients need to wait for a bed bath until the afternoon, so be it, as long as their briefs have been changed as needed so they're dry.