A Day In The Life Of A Registered Nurse At Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
A registered nurse at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center works 12-hour shifts, involving "timed medications, assessments, and charting," along with significant collaboration with physicians and other departments to ensure optimal patient care; the work demands both "physical work" and "mental work," requiring constant critical thinking and problem-solving.
Direct Patient Care, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, 12-Hour Shifts, Communication
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Cassandra Ritter
Registered Nurse
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
Glendale Community College, California State University, San Marcos , 2010
N/A
Biology & Related Sciences
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Medical
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. A day for a registered nurse (RN) at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center involves a 12-hour shift, typically from 7 AM to 7 PM or 7 PM to 7 AM (night shift).
2. The work includes timed medication administration, patient assessments, charting, and extensive communication with physicians and other departments (e.g., respiratory therapists, lab, x-ray, surgery).
3. The RN's role demands physical and mental exertion, critical thinking, and common sense to ensure effective interventions and timely communication with physicians regarding patient status changes, requiring collaboration with multiple healthcare professionals
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a registered nurse look like?
I work in direct patient care at the bedside in a hospital, which means I have 12-hour shifts. Not all nurses work 12-hour shifts, but in my day-to-day, I come on shift at 7:00 AM. Some nurses work night shifts, so it's 7:00 PM for them.
Throughout the day, there are timed medications, assessments, and charting that need to be done. There's also a lot of communication with physicians about the patient's status, whether they are deteriorating, improving, or if changes are needed.
I collaborate with other ancillary departments like respiratory therapists, lab, and X-ray. If procedures need to be done, I work with surgeons and the OR. So, there's a lot of collaboration involved.
You also have tasks timed appropriately for the day. It's a lot of maintaining, keeping a watchful eye, and ensuring interventions are working. If they're not, I call the doctor to inform them.
It's a lot of physical and mental work, requiring common sense and critical thinking.
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