Physicians orders

I once worked the 3-11pm shift at an LTCF. While it would be nice to pass the orders onto the next shift, I am always rather leery of passing any task onto any other nurse. Here's why.

You know that you have worked hard and had a whole lot of things to do during your shift. During change-of-shift report, you pass on the unfinished portion of the physician orders. The oncoming nurse smiles and says, "Sure! I'll finish them up for you!"

However, I have encountered nothing but problems when passing tasks on to other shifts. These passive-aggressive nurses will smile at you and pretend to want to help you with the physician orders, but they go around and complain to other people, "This particular nurse had the nerve to ask me to do something for her!"

I virtually never pass anything on to the next shift because:

1. I can never be sure that they will follow through with the orders; in that case, you will get in trouble if the other person does not do whatever it was that you asked them. After all, the P.O. came in on your shift, so you are liable if the oncoming nurse doesn't follow up.

2. As mentioned previously, passive-aggressive nurses will smile and claim that they will happily finish the orders, but they will complain behind your back that you dumped some work on them.

I agree with you 100% commuter. I have recently experienced this situation exactly and have learned my lesson the hard way. Especially if you're coming on shift right after them, after asking if those things can be done. Not to mention the workload it puts on you during your shift. And the frustration, which doesn't help your day in the least. If I have to stay late to finish, I will. CYA....(cover your a..)

Maybe the facility needs to have other employees help. Like an hour here, an hour there, so that the P.O.s can be followed in a timely manner, since they are not willing to pay overtime. Thats frustrating, I would imagine!!

This is terrible. Perhaps you might want to transfer to a 'quieter' shift (such as graveyards), or find a job at another facility that will pay you for all hours that you have worked.

If I have to stay over, I stay on the clock. They want to fire me for finishing my work, fine. I will never work off the clock. It is against the law!

NEVER work off the clock, as just posted. I won't go TOO FAR (hehe) off on a tangent here, but I will say that facilities count on and exploit that common thread we nurses have. You are a professional, should be treated as such. The docs don't round for free, and you're not gonna work for free, either.

AMEN. No way - no how!