Started keeping a work diary 6 months ago and it changed how I handle night shift handoffs

I used to scribble notes on random scraps of paper during my night shifts and then try to piece together what happened for the morning nurse. Six months ago I started a simple notebook where I write down every patient change as it happens, with the exact time. Has anyone else found a simple habit that made a big difference in how they pass off information?

2 comments

2 Comments

miab871mo ago

My night shift friend at work started using a dedicated "brain dump" notebook about 3 months ago and she swears her morning handoffs got way less chaotic. It's funny how one little change like writing things down in real time can stop that awful feeling of forgetting something important right when you need it most. Honestly I think this kind of simple habit beats all those fancy apps and templates because it fits YOUR brain and YOUR workflow without any setup time.

diana_black221mo ago

Had a coworker at my old job who started doing this with sticky notes she kept in her pocket. She'd scribble stuff down all night and then just transfer them to a master list in the morning before shift change. Said it was the only way she stopped forgetting to restock the supply closet or follow up on patient requests. She swore by it even though the rest of us thought she looked crazy walking around with little yellow papers sticking out of her scrubs. But honestly nobody could argue with her results because her handoffs were super smooth and she never missed a thing. She even convinced one of the supervisors to try it and that guy was a total app snob so that tells you something.