Organizing the day shift (transition from nights)

I'm finally going back to day shift after working nights for over a year. I'm busy on nights with 6-8 patients-definitely not much sitting around. On days, there will likely be 4-6 Med-Surg patients.

Any tips on how to organize the day shift routine and "stay afloat"? (I've searched the threads and found some helpful info ... but nothing real detailed on organizing the day).



I recall the specific day shift duties are:

• 3 meals a day (none on nights)
• Surgery prep, pt's to OR in the early morning; postops in the afternoon
• Procedures (xrays, MRI.... ) during the day
• Dr orders to check off
• Lots more meds on days, espec 9am
• Dressing changes
• Discharges to home / nursing homes
• Multiple new admissions at times
• Draw labs / IV starts for new admits /IV restarts for expired IV's
• Update POC / Teaching plans
• 3 blood sugars on days vs 1 on nights
• Baths / beds on days vs PRN on nights (but 3-4 cna's on days vs 1-2 cna's on nights)
• Deal w/ families, case managers/social workers, upper mngmnt making 'rounds'

Geez! Any helpful hints if greatly appreciated.
Good luck you will develop a routine, give yourself a few weeks and it will become second nature.

As someone that has gone back and forth between both shifts:Keep up with your charting as much as possible as you go. On nights, the busiest time is always at the beginning of the shift, then of course the sprint at the end. On days, it tends to be a sprint to start, then at the end of the shift it's go go go. The hardest part for me when I went to days was figuring out how to know which doctor to call for which patients. Once I got that down, life was much easier!!

The first hour of your day sets the tone for the rest of the shift. Getting report, vitals, assessment, and meds passed by 10am is the benchmark that I use. Some days I get it some days I don't.Good luck to you!!

Quote from dadfirstThe first hour of your day sets the tone for the rest of the shift. Getting report, vitals, assessment, and meds passed by 10am is the benchmark that I use. Some days I get it some days I don't.Good luck to you!!

Thanks for all the tips!

Great information there. Very good idea to get to the unit as early as 0630 to get your data organized for report. I think staying ahead of the day is the best bet. No matter how you roll, you are going to get your ass handed to you on either shift. The reason its called "nursing" is because "stressed out and ready to have a stroke" was already taken.

Oops, sorry. Thought you were asking how to help the day shift while on nights.

Quote from dadfirst The reason its called "nursing" is because "stressed out and ready to have a stroke" was already taken.