Do Day Nurses Really Feel that Night Nurses Do Nothing All Night?

Just a couple of quick thoughts from one nite shifter to another..... I like the idea of shift rotation, but if you don't get 100% agreement, how can it fly? I know several day people who could come up with valid reasons not to be able to do it. Any suggestions? I'll email my cc right away! I've worked nights for 6 years, and I feel its always going to be that night shift is the catch-all shift. Now me being a control freak and all - this worked for me, because I was able to fix the broken parts and address the problems with the person involved one to one. However! the most annoying part to this is when the same people keep making the same mistakes, then its either be the babysitter or report them. I don't like conflict, but will act accordingly when someone isn't completing tasks correctly or in a timely manner on the other 2 shifts. But I am only one person, there are others whom I feel are just fixing the problem and moving on. Is there anyone else who experiences this? I stay very busy on night shift even without the docs and paperwork. But this picking up after the same people time and again can get on a persons last nerve! ..... sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a rant! (but thanks!)
bj

i think there is hard work to be done on both shifts and a slow time as well. on my unit i feel there is more slow time on nights. days has all three meals and all the other depts to deal with. as well as family and other issues. mho j

I did 14 and half years of nights in aged care - (nursing home) - yes we did get some quiet nights however that was back in the days when the residents dependency levels were not as high - l have not done nights now for 2 and half years and l beleive that it is only now that l am coming out of the fog that it creats - the whole night duty thing - permanent that is has a hugh impact on your body - my sleeping patterns are still not good - l have to take something to sleep at times still - l put on lots of weight - l ate erractically and l belive that over a long time l became quite depressed as a side effect of it (OK there were probably other factors impacting along the way - but l blame night duty for a lot of it
The positive was that you didnt have to put up with doctros very often - the people that l worked with were great and are still great friends I loved my residents and we could often give them that little extra when we were attending to their personal needs - It also suited the family situation at the time as my children were growing up

However to get back to the orginal tread - Yes we worked as hard - but in a different way to the other shifts- however because a lot of our work was completed at the end of the shift and that is when a lot of your observations and 'work' was done you then had the subequently write up all your documentation generally after your handover and put up with the rolling eyes when you may comment about the night itself and the restless residents -

yes that is what we were there for however it is the best outcomes for everyone if the residnts have a 'good' night - they are better rested and then the day shift have better day

It would irritate me no end if l went into work during the day for an inservice to find residnt sleeping in a chair and staff refusing to wke then and give then some stimulating activity - yes l know they need rest during the day but not all day - quote - oh its better when she sleeps then she dosnt wander all day - so it OK that she wanders all night when there is less staff to watch them !!!!
(This would be often when you are supposed to be sleeping - they never have those at night -or the staff meeting)

Anyway l am sorry that l have become a little passionate about this subject - maybe someone should (or has and l havent seen it) the subsequent problems associated with night shift both permanenet and rotating

Sleep well everyone
Tookie

Boy on rereading that there are some mistake - l apoligise for that but l think the message is there - However l would be interested if any night duty nurses or anyone know of any good sites to go to that discusses the problems and side effects of night work
Thank you
Tookie

I'll start by saying I work nights, 12 hour shifts.
Both shifts are busy. Last night I did not finish passing 8pm meds until 2330. And I often here the same story from day shift.
We get alot of direct admits after 7pm as well as post op pts and families calling to check on how mom is doing after they left this afternoon. There are probably more quieter nights than there are quiet days....which is why I choose to be on nights. But by no means do we ever get bored because all the patients sleep at night.
And I will gladly do what ever I can to cover your ass because I know that there are times when I will need you to cover mine

Well without reading everything that has been posted here, I can say a few things.


I think primarily where I work, the dinosaurs on day shift have this attitude for a reason. Despite the jurassic attitude/memory of:
"Not being able to handle a few patients at night? Then unable find time to stock, and clean up after the rest of the dayshifts/evening shifts dinosaur dung is lying around all day?"
I think they just don't realize, that from their jurassic nights, things have changed much since.
It is much busier now than then, and almost always full at night.
Forget the nights of being full until midnight, down to half capacity at 0130, and only two patients after 0200.......those nights are over.
Our dayshift NEEDS their 15 minute break twice a day, and half hour lunch everyday. Something many of us never get. yet, there is always time to complain? Go figure

Don't complain, get off your butt and do something about it! As Albert Einstein said:
"Two things are infinate.............
the universe...........
and human stupidity........
I'm not so sure about the universe"





me

I think management sets up the thinking that nites works less. Afterall, isn't that why we are always staffed with less nurses? I think night nurses HAVE to work better as a team than day nurses too because we only have each other. No drs., no techs, NO SUPPORT. We help each othe or we sink!!

Yes day shift is very busy due to alot of people giving orders and getting in the way. Where night shift doesn't. Night shift also doesn't have the advantage of alot of extra help in an emergency, where night shift staffing is limited. Really you cannot compare the 2 shifts they are totally different shifts/jobs.

MANY OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE SEEN DESCRIBED ARE CAUSED BY HOSP UNDERSTAFFING. I AM A WEO RN AND THEY WERE UNDERSTAFFING WEEKENDS TERRIBLY BUT BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO HAVE A LIST OF ACUITIES AND NUMBER OF PATIENTS FOR A FEW MONTS OF WEEKENDS WE ARE NOW STAFFED ON NIGHTS THE SAME AS ON DAYS WITH ONE EXCEPTION. INSTEAD OF A UNIT RN FLOATING TO DO ADMITS WE HAVE A HSOP FLOAT TO DO ADMITS. WE STILL GET THEM DONE AS SHE HAS 12 HRS TO DO THEM AND WE HAVE FEWER ADMITS AT NIGHT. AS FFOR DAYS DUMPING ON US, ANYONE WHO CONSISTENTLY COMPLAINS ABOUT ANOTHER SHIFT IS MADE TO WORK A WEEK ON THAT SHIFT. THAT CAN BE A REAL EYEOPENER FOR ALL CONCERNED AND IT REALLY HAS HELPED. MUCH MORE TEAMWORK NOW.ALSO, DAYS DOES ODD BATHS AND IV TUBING CHANGES AND NIGHTS FDOES EVENS. NO EXCUSES AS TO WHY IT WAS LEFT FOR THE NEXT SHIFT. THIS HAS REALLY HELPED. MAYBE SOME OF THIS COULD HELP WHERE YOU WORK.