My RN Report Sheet
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Nursing Handoff:
an essential yet terrifying part of your job as a new nurse.
If you have ever felt overwhelmed, unprepared, or straight up shoook during handoff, you are not alone.
Giving a thorough and accurate report during change-of-shift is critical for patients, but it can give any new/student nurse anxiety beyond belief. In my early nursing days there were times I:
Cried after giving report because my oncoming nurse called me out for not knowing details
Had eyes rolled at me for taking too long giving report
Forgot essential bits about my patient while rushing through report for so-called eye rolling
Been peer pressured to not do it at the bedside
Stayed an extra hour(+) into the next shift to sort out whatever my oncoming nurse thought was incomplete
Sounds fun, right? After a long 12 hour shift overnight working your tail off, having your report torn into shreds makes your feel like garbage. Handoff can truly feel like the most daunting part of your day as a fresh nurse.
Cue Report Sheets AKA your “brain”. They are common in nursing, especially when you are just starting off, to organize your thoughts and tasks throughout the shift. Yes, it’s called a brain sheet because literally, this becomes your BRAIN.
Print it out, attach it to your care plans and use it as your guide throughout your shift. When change-of-shift comes you have everything you need to know about your patient in an organized fashion. It gets you through your shift- from the moment you get report to the moment you give it.
So here it is, my sacred report sheet. It’s the method I have used for years with patients and what I offer to my student nurses when they are starting clinical.
If you are a little confused, keep scrolling for clarification on abbreviations and formatting.
Basically, I organize my template into sections starting at the top with the most important safety information. I then go down in the way report is typically given/received: chief complaint, history of present illness (HPI) and past medical history (PMH). That then takes you to the head to toe with reminders in each system of things to cover & look out for.
On the right side I keep shift organizing topics: the patient’s plan, test/procedures, anticipated discharge, goals and med passes. At the bottom I always leave space for notes, because at some point you will need to keep track of new orders, critical values, changes in patient status, reminders for charting, education, or hey, even a reminder for you to go drink some water.
Receiving and giving report is an art that will only be mastered with time, organization and practice so do not get discouraged! I hope this template can help organize your thoughts for each patient and remind you what is necessary to ease the handoff process.
If you are a student or new nurse, please reach out with any questions, thoughts, or ideas. I have said it before and I will say it again: there are few career choices as selfless, honorable, and rewarding as becoming a nurse. Keep it up and just know there are millions of nurses that started exactly where you are right now.
Drop me a line in the comments or find me on social media, I’d love to hear from you!
XOXO,
Jac
