Practice

Your shift is short-staffed and several patients need you at once. How do you prioritise?

Read first: a sample answer

Fictional sample answer written by JoRoute to show the shape of a strong answer. Do not copy it: replace every detail with what is true for you.

First I would check who is most at risk, because safety decides the order: a patient with chest pain comes before a routine dressing. Then I would ask the charge nurse for help early instead of waiting until I am overwhelmed. For example, I would hand the two stable medication rounds to a colleague and tell those patients when I will be back. I would keep notes as I go so the handover is clear. On my unit in Ohio I worked short shifts with eight patients about twice a month, and asking for help early kept every medication round on time. Prioritisation and planning is about telling people what will wait.

Use only details that are true for you. The benchmark below is fictional.

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