I've gone to many conferences and seminars before, but never on anyone else's dime. I've always had to clear my calendar, take time off of work and foot the bill myself. But, today, I was sent to this seminar AND paid for a full day's work at the same time. Pretty good deal.
The seminar was lead by a lawyer who represents hospitals in malpractice suits. He gave many good tips on how to document fully and responsibly.Documentation takes up about 1/2 of my day. I would say for about every minute of patient care I do, I could do a minute of charting. Everything we do as nurses and everything we witness the patient doing, is chart-able. When nurses get busy doing patient care activities, their charting time is decreased. It's sort of a hard place to be. Your job is to provided competent care to patients, but you might as well not have given any care if you didn't chart it, because "If you didn't chart it, you didn't do it."
The seminar was useful. There was a "mock deposition" at the end of it. I sure hope I am never deposed, but the chances are I will be someday. The obstetrical healthcare provider can be sued for up to 20 years after any adverse infant event. Can you imagine trying to remember the specifics of a particular patient and their care 18 or 19 years later? All the nurse has to go by is her memory and her charting. My memory is not so swift.... So, I will be focusing more on my charting so I can have a complete picture if I so need.
4 comments:
Speaking of charting - after Sarah was born she had to go for an echo. Somebody gave her formula (EEK!), which she had an adverse reaction to but nobody could tell us who did it because *it wasn't put in her chart*. How convenient (for them) is that?
It seems so ironic that 1/2 your day goes to that and not patient care.... But I guess it is really important. You do it by computer, right? You don't have to hand-write all of that??
Ashley, I would be outraged that they did that against your wishes. I remember when I had my little ones, I taped a little card to their bassinets saying, "No pacifiers please. My mommy will be happy to nurse me whenever I am fussy." I wonder if they respected my wished? There are those nurses out there, though, unfortunately who for some reasons think they know what's better for a child than their own mother does.
Caressa, Yes, it is all computerized. And, there are computers in each patient room. So you don't have to fight over a computer at the desk... You can be at the patient's bed side charting. So, you're not completely leaving them alone for 1/2 the day - although there are those nurses who spend as little time in the room as possible and do all the charting at the desk. To each their own, I suppose.
Sarah had a little card taped to hers that said "no pacifiers or bottles, please. I'm learning to breastfeed" and at that point I was cup feeding her because she wouldn't latch on. When she came back with the formula (and a paci) I just sobbed.
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