Nurse in a Hospital (General Ward) Typical Routine

Typical Nurse’s Long Day Shift in a Hospital Ward

07:30 – 08:00

· Nursing Handover from night nurse-in-charge (NIC) to day staff

· NIC allocates the staff to their respective patients

Nurse to patient ratio = 1:6

· Safety checks and washes done are given out

· Bedside handover from night nurse to incoming nurse

08:00 – 09:30

· Medication rounds

· Check medication pods or lockers for patient specific medications that are about to run out and order them with the pharmacists

· HCAs offer breakfast and assist with feeding as required

09:30 – 11:00

· If not busy, assist HCAs with:

- Repositioning

- Personal hygiene care or washes

- Incontinence care and toileting

· Wound dressing

· Chase doctors with medications that needs reviewing

· Check and update bedside folders

· Referral to MDT

· Allocated nurse checks the resus or crash trolley

11:00 – 12:30

· Usually, the doctors have finished their rounds – so check the plans and orders for your patients

· Give out newly ordered medications

· Some wards have safety huddles

12:30 – 13:00

· Lunch time – usually, everyone helps with serving lunch and feeding the patients as required

13:00 – 14:00

· Noon time medications

14:00 – 17:30

· Update nurse’s notes and care plans

· Referral to MDT

· Update NOK (next-of-kin)

· Continuation of nursing care and assisting the HCAs

17:30 – 18:00

· Assist with supper

18:00 – 20:00

· Noon time medications

· Some wards will have you prepare the 20:00 IV medications

· Update the SBAR or the nursing handover sheet. Some NICs prefer to do this with you so that they are updated as well and some will allow you to update the SBAR by yourself.

· Check the bedside folders for completion. HCAs complete this, but it’s good practice to check bedside folders every now and then throughout the day.

· Two allocated nurses do the CD checks

· Wait for the NIC to finish the nursing handover to the night staff

· Bedside handover to the incoming night staff

---

Break times will vary depending on the ward and on the trust. In my ward, which is an acute elderly ward, we have:

· 30 minutes morning break

· 1 hour lunch break

· 15 minutes tea break

---

Typical Night Nurse Shift in the Hospital or General Ward

19:30 – 20:00

· Receive nursing handover from the NIC

· Allocation of staff

· Safety checks

· Bedside handover from long day nurse to incoming night nurse

· Allocated nurse checks the resus or crash trolley

20:00 – 21:30

· Assisting HCAs to help the patients prepare for bedtime

21:30 – 22:30

· Night time medications

22:30 – 24:00

· Bedside folder checks

· Hourly rounds

· Assist HCAs with:

- Patient’s personal hygiene care

- Repositioning

- Incontinence care

- Updating the bedside folders, putting in the next day papers and charts

00:00 – 04:00

· Break time varies. In my ward, we have two-hour breaks used for sleeping.

· First batch of staff break can be from 12 midnight to 2 AM or it can be 1 AM to 3 AM.

· Update nurse’s notes

· Update the SBAR or the nursing handover

04:00 – 05:30

· Assist HCAs with washing patients

· Check and update bedside folders

05:30 – 06:30

· Before breakfast medications

06:30 – 07:30

· Prepare and/or administer morning IV medications

· Two nurses do the CD checks

07:30 – 08:00

· Wait for the night NIC to finish handing over to the day staff

· Bedside handover from night nurse to incoming long day nurse

Break times will vary depending on the ward and on the trust. In my ward, which is an acute elderly ward, we have:

· 30 minutes morning break

· 1 hour lunch break

· 15 minutes tea break