New handoff report- scared!

Our unit has recently started a new reporting system where the outgoing charge nurse gives report to the entire oncoming shift as a big group. Im a night charge nurse which means I have to give report to the entire day shift including the manager, oncoming charge, nurses and nursing assistants. For an Introvert like me this is a nightmare! I have been so stressed about having to do this that I've even been having nightmares! I've spoken with some of the other charge nurses who have had to do it already and they said it is like firing range of questions at them and very stressful. Especially for us night shifters who are coming off a night of being awake all night and having to give report to a fresh group of wide awake day shifters.

Any suggestions for how to get through this? I'm sooooo stressed about if.
Practice doing it in the mirror, preface the report with "please hold questions until I am done with reporting on that particular patient"....Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs!

"This is a new system that we're all getting used to. Help me out and hold your questions on your specific patients until I run through everyone." And make people stick to that.Gee whiz though ... why was this change made? This does not sound like something I would want on my unit.

Follow a format. Have your report ready early. Start on time. Hold questions till the end. I like taped reports for efficiency.

I'm guessing that this is exactly the way I used to give report (does everyone type in their own report and then you read it?) Don't let people badger you, if they are asking detailed questions to which you don't know, refer them to the previous shift RN (who should not be leaving until report is over) or the chart. What I found annoying was people would want me to talk extra slow so they could write down everything I said, which was unnecessary as the content was saved to the computer system. Once you get used to it it's ok, I prefer person to person report, but it is a vast improvement over taped report.

I would do exactly what the above poster says format - if needed make a cheat sheet - ask yourself what you would need to know if you were in each caregivers roleStart on time - great point you dont want to be giving report til 8 am or later neither do they want to be still getting report til thenAsk them to hold questions - interruptions just make it hard for you to maintain a train of thought you may very well be about to answer their questions if they would just allow you to finish.If you start your shift preparing for report and as you work through your shift jotting down pertainate info, your report should write itself, and you will be ready when 0645 arrives (ideally) lastly take a deep breath and just start talkingYou will get better as you go

Quote from Altra"This is a new system that we're all getting used to. Help me out and hold your questions on your specific patients until I run through everyone." And make people stick to that.Gee whiz though ... why was this change made? This does not sound like something I would want on my unit.

I don't know what idiot came up with that system, but there is no way that a charge nurse can give a report to the oncoming charge nurse to the level of detail that is needed for appropriate care. Charge is different from regular staffing. The "need to know" is different.I see problems in that unit's future.

With all of the push for bedside report, I am not sure why this is happening to your unit, however, make your own "brain" specific to report. Check in with the nurses under your charge often, and ask what is perteniant to report. Then just go down the lines of your brain. Remeber SBAR, which is another thing that seems to be pushed as of late. I do think that after each patient, you can say "is there any questions?" Then move on. A brain that works for me looks like a calender without the numbers. Each column going across has a different item--First block identifying information and why they are there, second PMH and allergies, 3rd pertainent test results, next what needs to happen with the patient still, and the last for notes and other things not covered. It can be kept on the computer and updated as needed for the next shift. Some EMARS also have the ability to generate a 24 hour update. You could also go off of that with some notes added if needed. If it becomes apparent quickly that this way of doing things doesn't work well, then I wouldn't hesitate to say that to the NM. As a charge nurse, I would be curious as to what necessitated the change, and perhaps see what other options are needed. There's also a push to not have every nurse hear the whole report in some facilities. Another option would be that each nurse meets with you 1:1 for report. All of it is quite time consuming, and I imagine the goal is to have the off going nurses to not leave the floor for report, due to risk of falls or some other "marker" that is being watched....

Quote from JoryI don't know what idiot came up with that system, but there is no way that a charge nurse can give a report to the oncoming charge nurse to the level of detail that is needed for appropriate care. Charge is different from regular staffing. The "need to know" is different.I see problems in that unit's future.

This is how an OB unit in my clinical rotations did report.

We do this on my ward. As the charge on the shift I get a relevant handover on all the pts clinical conditions discharge plans etc. After handover the nurses do a drug chart check to prevent the phone calls "did you give pt X drug Y?" Then I and the other charge will run through what we need to talk about staffing issues difficult discharge planning etcIt means that everyone knows the same basics in all the pts so you don't have a nurse on break and noone know anything about the pt when they crash. Also it means the aides feel more of the team.

Lila, it's pretty much the standard in AHS and every other facility I've worked in.It's actually an efficient way to do it.You don't need to give all the vitals, only the abnormals. IV solution and rate, bolus if any given. Blood sugars, usually the last three are given. Dressings, type and frequency. PRNs/Pain meds, what and how many times over the shift. Abnormal labs, any scheduled xrays, blood draws, etc. (Lilaclover, Bed 2. DAT. Bed Rest/bathroom. Vitals stable, normal saline KVO. Chem strips 9.0, 5.6, 10..0. Saline Soak BID done once on our shift. Maxeran IVx2, Morphine s/cx 3. CT and Chest xray in AM. Residents at bedside, Mother insisting on doing am care.)Oh, and we warn about the batpoop crazy relatives. A good report can get 30 patients done in 20 minutes. But we all know that AHS only cover 15.