People usually bring the 'thank you' gifts and goodies during the day shift. It's not unheard of for patient's families to leave a box of chocolates, boxes of cookies, whatever for the nurses as a 'thanks' for taking care of their loved ones. I wish it were more often, naturally, but sometimes, they do this very nice thing.
Except, of course, that the evening staff might see the last bits of it, and then there's NOTHING left for the night shifters. This is the third time in the last two weeks I've found a nice card on the break table, addressed to "the wonderful nurses" who took care of Patient X....and an empty platter of whatever used to be on it. Guess the only "wonderful nurses" are on 7-3!
Then again, on the VERY rare occasions when someone sends something in for all three shifts (different boxes or baskets), we STILL come up short: somehow, it's already been opened and partially eaten before the FIRST night shifter gets there. The evening's answer to that? "oh, it was like that when I came in". Ok, whatever.
Just a bit of consideration for other co-workers would be SO nice. Vent over.
