One of the things that you will need to be very organized about is anything that needs to be delivered or administered at a specific time. This can be medications or treatments. This might be an IV medication or oral or injectable meds. It could be a dressing change that needs to be performed several times a day. Other things such as lab draws, breathing treatments, or whirlpools are usually handled by other staff, but if your facility is very small, these might be your responsibility as well.

You should always be aware of when your patients will be having any therapy or tests in order to coordinate care. Check them before they leave the floor and when they return. Freshen their beds while they are gone, or delegate this to the aide. Prioritize all your timed events and then make sure that all the supplies and meds you need are available. Order any missing pieces or ask your unit secretary to assist you in obtaining them.

If you have a PDA, cell phone (if allowed to be on), or timer on your watch set it for the timed events. If not, you will need to keep a mental note and frequently check your watch. You might also ask the unit secretary to remind you, but don't put all that responsibility on someone else. Anyone else should just be as a backup reminder.

In many instances, you should have the patient watching the clock as well. They can call for you if you're running late. This helps to involve them in their care and gives them some responsibility.

Check with your coworkers to see what and how they keep track of any timed events.

Chances are, you may have more than one thing to do at the same time. You will have to prioritize these as well. Try to do the quickest one first and perhaps a few minutes before the time is okay. Anything that has to be more exact will have to be planned for. This could be an IV med or an insulin dose just prior to a meal.