Routines: autopilot for the boring parts

What you’ll do

Build a routine. A bundle of recurring tasks like q4h vitals, the 0900/1300/1700 med pass, daily weights, and end-of-shift charting. Then assign it to today’s task list with one tap. The repetitive parts of your shift end up scheduled automatically.

Why nurses use this

A big chunk of every shift is the same: q4h vitals, scheduled meds, daily weights, hourly safety rounds. You don’t need to think about what to do. You need a reminder when. Adding these tasks by hand every morning is the kind of slow tax that pushes nurses back to paper. Routines pay the tax once.

How to get there

• Assign an existing routine: Tasks chip menu → Assign routine.
• Edit a routine you’ve built: Tasks chip menu → Edit routine.
• Create one from scratch: the same menu gets you to the create flow.

Step-by-step

Build a routine

1. Open the create flow. From the Tasks chip menu. Name your routine (“ICU dayshift” or “Med-surg 12 hour”).

2. Add the recurring tasks. For each task, pick:

   • Title: “Q4h vitals,” “0900 med pass,” “Daily weight.”
   • Time: when it’s due, and a repeat frequency if it recurs through the shift (every 4 hours, fixed times like 0900/1300/1700).
   • Category: medication, vitals, charting, and the rest of the task categories.
   • Subtasks: optional. A med pass routine can hold a subtask per scheduled med.

3. Save. The routine lives in your account, ready to assign.

Assign to today’s shift

1. Open Tasks chip menu. Single tap the active Tasks chip → tap “Assign routine.”

2. Pick a routine. The picker lists your saved routines. Tap one.

3. Synapse drops the tasks onto today’s list. Each task lands with its scheduled time, tagged to the current shift window. Open the Tasks workspace. They’re all there.

4. Work them through the shift. Filter to Medication for med pass; clear the routine ones first, then the unpredictable ones.

Edit a routine

1. Tasks chip menu → Edit routine.

2. Pick a routine. Edit the recurring tasks. Change times, add new ones, remove old ones.

3. Save. Next time you assign this routine, the new version is what drops.

Tips from the floor

• Build the routine after a couple of weeks on a unit, not before. The routine you’d build on day 1 is wrong; once you’ve worked a few shifts you know what actually happens at 0900.
• One routine per shift type. Dayshift and nightshift have different rhythms. Build two routines, assign the right one at start-of-shift.
• Don’t assign the same routine twice in one shift. It drops duplicate tasks onto your deck. Once per shift.
• Subtasks on a med pass are gold. Each scheduled med as a subtask means you can tick them off individually as you administer. The Watch can toggle subtasks too.
• Save routines named clearly. “ICU dayshift” reads better at 0700 than “Routine 2.”
• Routines don’t have an end date. Once assigned, the tasks live in today’s window and end with the shift like any other task.

Common questions

Can I have a routine per specialty? Yes. Build a routine named after the unit and assign it when you’re working that unit. No automatic specialty switching. You pick.

What if my shift has 3 different med pass times? Build the routine with three medication tasks at the three times. Each becomes its own card in the deck at the right hour.

Can a routine include patient-specific tasks? Routines work best for the general work (vitals, weights, charting) that applies across your assignment. Patient-specific tasks are one-offs you add directly; a “Q4h vitals” routine task is “do vitals on everyone.”

Can I share a routine with another nurse? Not currently. Routines are personal.

Do routines interact with the EHR’s MAR? No. Your routine in Synapse is parallel to the EHR. It’s the brain-sheet reminder, not the official MAR. Synapse complements the chart, doesn’t replace it.

Where this fits in your shift

Routines are how Synapse handles the predictable 60% so you can focus on the unpredictable 40%. They sit on the Tasks workspace and apply during working your shift. Assign one at starting your shift; see them clear at ending your shift.