Tips that apply to ECH 5-East only Payton Wong)

• I'm not sure about the other floors, but I always had time on 5E during shift change to continue and finish my prep work. We're supposed to be on our unit by 1500 for report. If you're on 5E, don't panic about not getting your prep done during pre-conference, you'll have more time upstairs.
  
• Reports during shift change are minimal. Find the handwritten sheet on the break table that has the nursing assignments to locate your nurse and CNA. 5E nurses "report" on the left table (as you walk in the door), 5W nurses report on the right. Maybe I'm a little slow, but I didn't catch on to that right away.
  
• The CNA's, are mostly helpful and I got along well with all of them. The nurses are mostly helpful too, but not unanimously.
  
• Lots of PRN pain meds (mostly Vicodin) and IVPB antibiotics. Primary bag as well as tubing changes are common. I did quite a few saline lock flushes too. If your primary bag is going to be changed during your shift, be sure the next bag was ordered by the day shift and is in the med room. Otherwise, order it early, rather than later.
  
• Seems like 5E had a fair number of 2100 meds. We cannot give meds after 2100 (per the instructor) so plan accordingly. The instructor will be very busy after 2000 when the clinical assistant leaves for the evening.
  
• I also seemed to have a wide variety of wound drains. ...Some familiar, some brand new.
  
• The med room is pretty small and gets crowded easily. I tried to do my first two checks elsewhere.