nursing tasks that you do the least because you are too busy

To me, it's assisting a patient to AMBULATE. I often find myself with so much crap on my plate throughout my shift that ambulating a patient gets the least priority.
Out of all the tasks that come to mind, I find myself forgetting to perform oral care. Although we have CNAs and PCTs, I'm sure they also forget the oral care at times. Ah, the joys of working at a chronically understaffed hospital...

Men patients tend to look a little scruffy from lack of shaving after a couple of days. Shaves are down the priority list sometimes.

I haven't done a back rub since nursing school.

Agree with the shaving. And enough time to provide emotional support and company to the patient- of course I do this but I wish I could spend more time on this.

Baths and showers. Especially since pts don't want to get up and shower at 1 am. But that is when I have the most time to do the little things.

Oral care, range of motion sometimes, shaving if on the care plan. We were supposed to do weekly skin checks and document them when I worked in a LTC facility. I felt so pleased when one of the nursing assistants made the comment that she noticed that I was the only nurse that actually did them! One of the few times I have ever been complimented and I remember that to this day.

Shaving with our hospital razors is a blood sport, so I rarely try it. If I do, I warn the patient first, and give them a goatee approach so they can decide to quit halfway through and still look edgy and cool.

Ambulating, IS, oral care, shaving.. check all. Our unit functions really well as a team and still we leave at the end of the day feeling like we didn't do anything for our patients. Staffing is a joke across this whole field, and nobody with the clout to change that cares about the patients.

Ambulate, IS, reminding pts not on a vent to do oral care,etc. Luckily others in the unit help out PT, OT, RT. Dear Lord yes about the shaving. I'm terrified I'll cut someone. Since quite a few of my puts are on blood thinners or have low platelets I don't even go there

Really me too. But I remember one time recently that honestly made me tear up. Had a very thin, elderly, anxious fellow as a patient. Patient was having back pain and nothing in my nursing arsenal was helping. Not sure what made me do it, but I reached over, grabbed some lotion and just sat with him gently massaging his back. He was so, so grateful and I could feel and visibly see him calm down and relax. Helped him tremendously and he was able to sleep. I thought d***, human tough really is so amazing. Hate not really having time to do these simple nursing tasks we were taught in school. Especially with our elderly, or long-term ill patients.