would you finish work from previoius shift?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Hello

What would you do if a co-worker from the previous shift didnt finish their work and give it to the next shift nurse, like admissions, treatments etc... Would you do it, or would you say something about it?

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I agree with most of what's said already. For the patient's sake I would do it. The patient deserves their treatments.

If they were truly busy and asked me, I wouldn't question it and move on.

If they are chronically doing this and are lazy, then I confront.

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If you've had a long day, and that does happen, I don't mind picking up the work so it gets done. Now, if you routinely leave me stuff to do, I'll get irritated and let you know it.

My own philosophy, or whatever you want to call it is this (usually): I do my meds, and all patient care (treatments, assessments, etc.) first. I do not begin charting until all my work is done. I do have a tendancy to be a little late getting out of work, but I don't generally leave work undone, and if you offer to help at that point, I usually say no because I wouldn't want to chart someone elses assessments so I'm not going to ask onyone else too chart my assessments.

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Like most people - I would have to look at the full picture. And I would

be intolerant of having to finish someone else's work if it was, indeed, not mine.

What is the definition of what work belongs to whom on your unit? There does need to be some cutoff time, I think, so the offgoing shift can get out on time. Especially since some employers don't want to pay OT any more, now that we're all "supervisors" and are expected to work for free if we don't get off on time.

Don't allow anyone to dump on you, especially if they are going out smoking and getting extra breaks that you do not.

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I would finish the work. I have been there and done it for a previous shift and it did not hurt me any. It is give and take. Although sometimes what comes around goes around (I mean literally). One time I passed on part of an admission (the part the next shift could do) and the next day I got it and then finished, so the nurses did not do it. Hopefully, nurses will help each other out because we do whats best for the patients, well we better. Overall, where I work we try to finish and be team players :)

Some of you do, anyway, LOL.

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I am always willing to help out the nurses that are on the previous and I do it without question, and I hope they did take their breaks as scheduled and if they took a couple of extra minutes that is fine with me. I never assume to know what happened on someone elses shift or what is going on in someones personal life maybe they are moving a little slower because something is going on with them that they are not sharing... I also think that most people are run a little ragged at the end of the day and I am coming on fresh with more energy than they have so that is the best time to catch me for help.....all of this is not to say that I will be taken advantage of if someone is truly slacking then I will bring it up to them and then on up the chain of command if needed.

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Hello

What would you do if a co-worker from the previous shift didnt finish their work and give it to the next shift nurse, like admissions, treatments etc... Would you do it, or would you say something about it?

It never fails that when working in LTC an admission will arrive at around 230 pm 30 minutes before shift change. As the am nurse u should try to contact the physician to confirm orders and try to write out the MAR and POS and fax and call phramacy to make sure that the medications can be sent ASAP. The assessment and documentation forms, TB and misc stuff is usually completed by the PM nurses in this situation. Its just the reality of nursing

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I feel like some days I am always passing on work, and I always feel bad about it, but I'm trying to get over that. I do everything I can and prioritize during my day, and some days I get a scant 30 minutes to eat and rest (out of 12 and a half hours).

If I don't get things done, it isn't because I'm avoiding them, it is because this is a crazy, demanding job and sometimes you just CAN'T do it all. I have no problem when night shift tells me they didn't get something done. If it wasn't done, for WHATEVER reason, of course it still needs to be done by whoever is caring for that patient.

I have good coworkers (well, most of them) and I respect if they were too busy. I hope they do the same for me when I leave uncompleted things at the end of my shift!!

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It's all true. It's a 24 hour job that requires good communication from shift to shift. I work evenings so I often come on and have to catch up on work that was left behind from the day shift. By the time I get to my shift's work I often have already fallen behind. All I know is that I don't sit around, as a fact, I never really even take a break (I stuff a snack down sometimes when my stomach keeps shouting at me) and I do my best to keep up.

As long as we all try our best and are fair to each other I think we are ok.

Our job is such that you can't NOT DO important things that get left behind, like specimens, consents, treatments, meds?, maybe paperwork can slide....

Take care all! ;)

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We get lots of heat when we work overtime, frequently admissions come in after lunch it is difficult for that shift nurse to even start the assessment. A quick admission note is all they can do,sometimes. Our day to day work load is terrible and our aquity is so high, now we have a new admisson or someone becomes acutely ill this throws a wrench in getting out on time. So, we have been told to give to the next shift, but depending on who on, it just comes back the next day. We also have a lot of part time day/pm nurses, they come in 1-2 days then off for 4-5 days. When they come in it takes a while for them to get organized, takes longer to pass there meds and little follow through. We have 60 resident two nurses and the ADON which helps us alot, but she has her own responsibilitys.

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.

Nursing is all about TEAMWORK so yes, I continue on with the tasks not completed by the previous nurse. We really have no choice, do we?? It's all necessary. To be confrontational about unfinished tasks would only invite trouble...from the nurse AND management.

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I try NEVER to leave anything much for the day nurse at the LTC where I'm at now - she is seriously overburdened!

I don't mind giving a few meds, etc. at the beginning of nite shift, because that time on nites isn't usually crazy.

When I worked in ICU at the hospital, both shifts passed things on from time to time - that was the best bunch of people I've ever worked with.

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Specializes in Long Term Care.

What is a Break? and When can I have one?

The other day, we were in a nurses meeting and we were chasitised for being out on break longer than we are supposed to be. My retort to my DON was that I don't generally take my 15 min breaks, and my lunch is almost always short ten minutes. We were also chastised for not clocking out when going out of the building.

I almost always leave soemthing that needs doing the next shift. Not because I am lazy but because we are just that busy.

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