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

Originally posted by Brownms46
Fgr8out the statement about the CNA's doing the baths on days wasn't meant as an RN's do this and CNAs do that. It was meant to show that days has more help then nites! I have always been amazed by the number of folks who come on duty in the morning....and what the nite shift has been expected to get by with!

But you know what?? My organizatonal skills have improved greatly on this assignment....now I manage to get out on time.. every morning. It took a while to get use to...but now...I can do an admission in 20 to 30 mins... including all labs and consents..... no matter how talkative they are....get the first admission at the beginning of the shift....receive two post ops.....and many times a second admission... give a report I feel good about at the end.. and still do the extras for my pts/families! Sometimes I can even squeeze in a few mins break for myself...if I'm lucky!

So I must say this assignment hasn't been a total waste...I have learned a lot here. But even so...I still have only 8 more weeks!

Originally posted by Brownms46
Yes....and I have worked ALL shifts also! And guess what...If I was a day person I would still being working days! Why? Because I have worked days when....most of my pts were D/C'd...went to procedures...rehab....out of the facility for txs...and by the time they came back it was time to go home!!!

Next...right now on the unit I work on...I have stayed over on days...to watch nurse after nurse come in and sit down and eat BREAKFAST !!!

Our shift:... many pts are awake. and Sundowner's is alive and well! ..TV's on...family members in the room..or calling the unit...to see if they can come up.....or at the desk...demanding someone come and get them a blanket...or answer their questions...get them coffee, or food for they're family member who has been in the ER ALL day......etc..etc..! We give med ALL nite long....get admissions .....up to 7 in 2 hours one nite...and with only 3 or 4 nurses...and one is the Charge Nurse...who also has pts...but NOT on the day or evening shift! Many times there is NO aide...and so the calls lights are going off constantly! There is no Secretary to answer the phones...no pts leaving the floor for anything...unless it's a trip to the unit...and rarely any time to sit and have so much as a potty break... let alone breakfast!!! We also do all the AM labs with sometimes on as many as 6-8 pts each...the chart checks..find all the orders not taken care of...expected to get the stools for OB/sputums...consents signed.. chg IV sites...TF bags...get pt's ready for OR/ procedures in AM...review the MARS...ALL the BS and SS in the AM..and the daily wts...which amount to about half the unit!!! On days they have an admissions nurse....WE DON'T!! Many times when the heart caths come back to the unit...it's about the time the 12hr nite shifts comes on duty...so we're the ones doing the Q30min Q 1 hr...etc..etc....not days..on at least two different pts.!!!

YESSSS I totally realize that there are hospitals where the work is distributed differently.. and that some days or nites are better or worse than others...BUTTTTTT.............
PLEASE ....... give me a break when you start to speak for everyone who works nites!!! If YOU have it better on nites than days...more power to ya...but speak for you Pleeze..and where YOU work

One good thing I can say about the day shift where I'm ...NO ONE has made any such statements!! Especially since the nurses on days.. don't do baths....their 4 CNA's do!!! And the ones they don't get too?? Guess what??