Night shift nurses are lazy and NICU isn't real nursing!

[NICU_Nurse]

Anyone else out there been hearing this crap from other people? I am surprised, I admit, to find out how many people (at least where I work and went to school) look down on neonatal nurses as not being 'real' nurses, and night shifters as lazy do-nothings. I don't know, perhaps I expected some camradarie (sp?) or something from my 'fellow' nurses, but I have been hearing disturbing things lately. I have a 'friend' who keeps desperately trying to impress on me how neonatal nurses aren't real nurses, but in fact are merely overpaid babysitters (her words, don't kill the messenger...) who do nothing but burp and feed all night long. Sadly, this is not the only person who feels this way; her sentiments have been echoed time and time again. I have also been hearing bad things about the night staff from some of the day people, who suggest that we merely sit on our duffs all night long buffing our fingernails and OCCASIONALLY getting up to change a diaper. Am I naive to not have expected this? It's making me very angry!! Our staffing managers seem to agree, frequently pulling from our abundantly staffed roster to all areas of the hospital. I was told that other units actually PURPOSELY understaff, because they know that in a pinch, we always have enough nurses. They'll pull from our unit to staff another, leaving us short and running wildly around all night. I had six babies on Level II the other night, and literally didn't stop moving all night long. In the morning, I could have stayed three more hours catching up on stuff I didn't or couldn't finish!! Talk about horrible nursing care. I actually said a prayer for my babies to forgive me because on average, each one got about ten minutes of my time every hour, if they were lucky!!! Can anyone relate to any of this?

[Momma_Penguin]

Originally posted by thisnurse

well gee folks where i work et night we alls sits arownd skratchin owr bellies and eatin vittiles and drinkin joe. iffin de ER kawls and sez we are fixin to git an admission we justs tells em to hold dem on down dere until de break of day.

weuns night nurses dont do nuthin moren we have to. thats why i reckon we works at nights

I couldn't sez it any better meself...... itz dem vittles.... I have a feelin yuns r one fine bunch of nursez.......:chuckle :chuckle

Laura "hillbilly" LPN

[h2ogoddess]

I worked nights for about 5years as a CNA. Everyone thinks these dear, sweet folks sleep all night! I can tell you many, many nights I fed them walked them, played cards with them, held their hands and cried with them, along with usual nursing care and the CLEANING Duties. Have even taken them outside for a walk, or just because they were confused about whatever and the outside time would sometimes help. And if we had potluck, who ever was up, also had potluck.

[eldernurse]

Alright, a noise from someone who has done it all. My short experience with NICU showed me that bagging and tagging a baby is not a job for some lazy, good for nothing nurse. It takes skill, humanity, strength and compassion (not to mention a h--- of a lot of knowledge) to take care of these wee people.

Then there is the night thing. What do you call work? On nights we have very little physician back-up. You better know your sh-- or people could DIE. That pertains to Med-Surg, Cardiac Step Down and ICU. Not to mention the fact that they expect you to provide night cleaning, massive paperwork distribution, along with taking care of more patients than on a normal daylight shift.

Now, I work in the ED. It is the hardest physical labor of any other job I have done. But, there is always someone around to help you with situations and there is ALWAYS a doc around.

I can honestly say that in all the jobs (and I forgot Oncology, which is another area of high-end learning to properly do your job), I have worked very hard. And I have all the respect in the world for the people I have left behind. Day shift, night shift, any unit I can imagine, WE ALL WORK LIKE DOGS!!!!!!

Let's stick together to make this a better profession and quit being the catty bitc--s that we know we can be.

[adrienurse, LPN]

Nurses, please. Do not play into this mindset and feel that you need to justify the area that you love. I gave up a long time ago trying to justify why I chose to go into geriatrics right after graduation and why I'm not in ACUTE CARE. Because I don't wanna be that's why. If you don't get it you never will. Do not devalue the talents and skills of your fellow nurses. It's your horn, toot it if you want to.

[nrw350]

The simplest answer to this debate is that simple fact that these people have nurse in their title and job description. Now, how can you argue that they do not nurse?

Nick

[BadBird, BSN, RN]

Unfortunately day shift workers have those thoughts for years, the only cure is rotating shifts and then they realize that night shift is indeed difficult, ususally understaffed, patients do not sleep, the elderly aka sundowners go nuts around 10pm, it's okay if there is no secretary for new admissions on nights this is unheard of on daylight night shift is responsible for 24 hour chart checks and if there is a mistake that needs a doctors notification it is the night shift that get their asses chewed out even if the mistake was not theirs, not to mention MAR checks, the computer always goes down at night so you must hurry up with your data imput. Did I mention that it is okay to pull the only aide on the floor to sit with someone who went nuts because the nurses can handle all by themselves, tend to codes, comfort those in pain and lets not forget the 400 pounders who want you to cook a meal at 2am because they can't sleep. Please stop me, I just got started, I could go on forever. Okay one more, how about transporting a pt. to CT in the middle of the night without help, who is to watch or medicate your other patients. And I love when the day nurses said I gave the ducolox at 6:50 pm and you clean poop all night. Okay I promise to stop.

[nrw350]

I hope this does not offend anyone here (or that this is the wrong thing to say). If I am having trouble sleeping, just give me something to help me sleep and then I will be good to go.

Nick

PS: Sleep sounds good right now, but I can't. I must wait until I get home.

[adrienurse, LPN]

That's really easy for you to say because you are not caring an 80 lb, falls risk, rummaging alzheimer case hollering at the top of your lungs that the coleslaw's not gonna be ready on time for the picnic. Or how about 4 of these people all awake at 0430 in the morning. Not so easy to drug, I'll tell you!

Unfortunately, night nursing is full or all these little nuances and properties that are not tangible to those who are not performing them, but sure are missed if there's nobody there to do them. It's a little like nursing itself. Not always so easy to explain what it is you do, but somebody sure misses you when you're not there.

[nrw350]

Huh, is it just hard to get them to take the medicine or something? Are they not willing or what? I hope I am not irrating poeple again. When I cant sleep, the only thing I want is sleep. And I would do almost anything to get it.

Nick

[night owl]

Complained once to the HN that all the scut work was given to the night shift and her reply was, "Isn't that why you're paid night differential?" {{{{{HELLOOOOOOO?????}}}}} :stone :stone :stone

[nrw350]

That came out wrong. I mean, when I want sleep things like covers being straight, and eating do not matter. But I will not be rude in order to get sleep. Heck, one time I drove somewhere where no one could find me and just slept in my car in order to get some rest and peace and quiet. When I am tired, is when I have the most difficulty.

Nick

[adrienurse, LPN]

The point is, I'm assuming that you are a rational person who is aware of your needs and have no behavioral problems. Not all people are. Sometimes these people are patients. Sometimes a unit will have 6 of these people awake at the same time, all needing your attention.

I'm not going to argue with you anymore. You can either relate to this or not be able to relate to this.