Check Lists

Checklists can be really important.  In fact, I live my life with lists all over the place.  If it's not a list or a calendar chances are it's not going to get done.  But, what good would it do if we all just carried around "To Do" lists and we just crossed stuff off, as if it were done, but really didn't do it.  On paper our list of tasks would be seemingly organized and complete, when in reality there would be sheer chaos occurring.

This is my argument with nursing documentation.  We are taught to document, document, document.  But what good is documenting if you didn't really do anything.  It's like writing a fiction novel -- just because the story happens on paper doesn't mean that anything actually occurred in real life.  Granted, I am still a student nurse and I have not entered the workforce yet -- so I haven't been faced with the task of trying to balance patient care with documentation -- but in my opinion the patient care is the most important thing.  My philosophy is provide care now, document later.  Unfortunately, the movement in medicine to computer based documentation forces nurses to spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer monitor instead of being at the bedside of the patient.  I find this frustrating!  I fully understand the importance of documentation,    to prove that you carried out a task.  But if you spend so much time writing stuff down that you don't actually have a chance to really do anything then where are you?  It's like a dizzy mess.

This rant is precipitated by my experience yesterday of being with a nurse who spent 70% of her day sitting at a computer -- and she made me sit there with her!  I just wanted to go see a patient.  It was very frustrating!  My frustration level by the time I left the hospital was very high.  I don't like being frustrated!
I addressed it with my professor and I am hoping she has some words of wisdom for me!

Everything else is going along swimmingly for school.  I can't believe that February is almost over.  This semester is flying by -- NO COMPLAINTS FROM ME!  Every day that passes is one step closer to graduation!

Hmmm, do I have any words of wisdom this week?  I'm trying to think back. . .  Maybe just a quick tip. . .
-- Put a pair of kelly clamps through a roll of tape and then lock the clamp hanging upside down from the waistband of your pants.  You are now left with a little "holster" that you can put your scissors through.  Now you are prepared with Kelly clamps, scissors and tape!  Happy clamping, cutting and taping!