30 Nurse Life Hacks Every Nurse Should Know!

There are no shortcuts to good care, but there are plenty of tricks that make the work faster, cleaner, and less painful for your patients. Here are 30 worth keeping.

1. Prime your IV slowly.

Running the line full blast traps tiny air bubbles in the tubing. Clamp the tube, fill the drip chamber, and let the fluid flow slowly.

2. Pad a tourniquet with gauze.

Friction from a tourniquet pulls on hair and hurts. Lay a thin sheet of gauze between the tourniquet and the skin.

3. Stop the commode pinch.

Fold a washcloth and tuck it under the front of the bedside commode seat to keep the seat from pinching.

4. Lift blood stains with hydrogen peroxide.

Blood on a white uniform or your favorite scrubs is its own problem. A few drops of hydrogen peroxide works as a stain remover.

5. Double insertion for a tricky Foley.

Veterans miss the mark too. When you insert a Foley in a female patient and get no return, leave the first catheter in place and repeat the procedure with a second catheter, aiming higher this time.

6. Powder the bedpan.

A light dusting of powder before you place a patient makes evacuation easier, especially for obese patients.

7. Slow breathing for needle phobia.

Have the patient take 10 slow, deep breaths before you stick for a blood draw. Breathing lowers fear and anxiety.

8. Wiggle the toes.

If breathing alone does not settle them, have the patient wiggle their toes as a distraction.

9. Hang a Foley for ambulation.

Tie a clean glove or tourniquet to the bottom of the IV pole and hang the Foley there while the patient walks.

10. Triple glove for code brown.

Three pairs saves time and keeps your bare hands off excretions. Clean the patient with the first pair, strip it, and apply the new diaper with the second. Strip that pair and use the last to place a fresh sheet and dispose of the waste.

11. Neutralize odors with coffee grounds.

Ground coffee absorbs odor, whether from an emesis basin or a whole room. Set a small open container of grounds in the center of the area.

12. Alcohol swab for nausea.

Swipe an alcohol swab under your nose for fast relief from nausea. It also helps with sinus pain.

13. Peppermint oil in your mask.

A few drops of peppermint oil inside your mask covers a foul smell. It also helps patients who feel like vomiting from bad odors.

14. Or double up with toothpaste.

Wear two masks and smear toothpaste inside the second one. It helps you tolerate the smell without getting toothpaste or oil on your face.

15. Alcohol on matted hair.

When a brush will not get through a patient's tangled hair, work in a few drops of alcohol. It breaks down whatever is binding the tangles. Rub it in gently and thoroughly.

16. KY Jelly for dried blood.

Lubricant lifts dried blood off skin so it wipes away with a cotton ball. Keep your gloves on and wipe the area with a good antiseptic afterward.

17. Clamp a catheter with a syringe barrel.

Out of Kelly clamps? Take the needle off a syringe, pinch the tube between your thumb and index finger, and push it into the barrel. Useful during bladder training.

18. Dip to lube a Foley.

Instead of squirting lubricant from the syringe onto the Foley, pull the plunger out and dip the Foley tip straight into the barrel. More control, a well lubricated tip, no mess.

19. Give hovering family a job.

Families feel helpless when they cannot do anything. Hand them a small task in the patient's care. It eases their worry and builds rapport.

20. Bag a pediatric patient before the stick.

Put a urine bag on the child before lab comes to draw blood. The stick makes them cry and usually pee, and you get your urine sample. (HerpieMcDerpie, Reddit)

21. Pause before you leave the room.

Take a few seconds at the door to check whether there is anything else you can do now. This saves real time when you are gowned.

22. Prime new tubing without bubbles.

Clamp the tubing, spike the bag, and partly fill the chamber before you prime. That keeps air bubbles out of the line.

23. Count respirations while you take the pulse.

Do not announce that you are counting breaths. Act like you are checking the pulse and count respirations at the same time. A patient who knows you are watching their breathing will breathe differently and skew the reading. Resting their arm across the chest lets you feel the rise and fall.

24. Bring a partner for wound assessments.

On a patient with multiple wounds, bring a second person to record each measurement and dressing as you call them out. You avoid touching pen and paper and regloving between wounds.

25. Shaving cream for feces in body hair.

Lather the area with shaving cream, then wipe with a wet cloth. It comes right off.

26. Remove a ring with an elastic strap.

Use the elastic strap from an oxygen mask to work a tight ring off without cutting it.

27. Warm your stethoscope.

Cold metal on skin makes patients jump. Rub your hands together and cup the diaphragm to warm it first.

28. Heated blankets for confused or elderly patients.

Warmth eases restlessness and keeps them from roaming or climbing out of bed.

29. Keep a spare uniform in your car.

You will need it eventually. Always carry another set of scrubs.

30. Strip sand from a soaked patient.

For a patient brought in from the water, lay a sheet over the pillow and bed, dust dry cloths with baby powder, and the sand lifts away. Roll up the sheet and remove it.