Mandatory night rotation - legal?

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I work the day shift in a smallish community hospital (nonprofit). We are unionized. Our contract does have language that allows for days to rotate to nights in the event of a night shortage. I have worked here for 10 years and have never been in this situation and so have thought nothing of it. About 5 mos ago we lost our night nurse. We have had a traveler for part of that time and another one is coming in Jan. We have been filling in - each of us usually picks up 1-2 nights/wk to minimize the stress for one another. This is extremely hard on me and many of my co-workers. My body clock is such that I can only sleep between the hours of 8pm - 5 am. I am incredibly sleep deprived when I have to work nights (patient safety?) and the half hour commute home in the morning is downright scary for me. Here is my question - do we have a good chance of ending this practice if management is put on notice that we are doing this under diress and that, regardless of what the contract says, we cannot ensure safe patient care in our sleep deprived state and that, further, we are not safe to drive home. If everyone affected by this signed a statement to this effect would they not legally have to stop this practice if only to protect themselves? Any lawyers or nurses out there with any opinions or experience on this matters? Thanks!

I'm afraid I'm with the majority. I know it's awful to work nights, especially when you're not used to it....but in the end it MUST be covered and you need to honor your contract. The institution you work in AND it's nurses must have agreed to it. And like a previous poster said, you know there's an end in sight. I worked nights for eight years and in all honesty I HATED every minute of it! Now I'm straight days and I will fill in on nights with a big 'ol smile on my face, knowing it's just temporary and I'll make it though somehow....and it's not permanent anymore!! LOL Meanwhile, while you wait for the end, search allnurses for all the tips on working nights. I know there have been MANY threads on tips and tricks to make it through the night, from sleep schedules to what to eat to meds to room darkening and the list goes on! Good luck with your night shifts and I hope you safely get through them. Nothing lasts forever, this won't either. :)

P.S. I work about 40 minutes from home too, if I have to nap before getting behind the wheel, I do. God knows there are plenty of beds! Sometimes I've even stopped about half way home in a parking lot to nap in my car!! LOL This may not be feasible for everyone (if they kids, etc.) but it worked for me! :)

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Thanks for all the replies!

I would like to state that I certainly am not looking for sympathy in regards to my situation.... I realize that many other nurses have and have had it much worse. I also realize that this is currently part of my contract and I will continue to work my share of nights. I do intend to persue this topic when our contract is renegotiated as I do feel it is a huge safety issue. whether I get anywhere or not, remains to be seen. I can't help but wonder if this has been a practice for so long that it just becomes part of the background and is never questioned. Kind of like manadatory overtime....Perhaps if a little presssure were collectively applied, management would find ways to decrease this practice. Worth a try anyway!

I am curious if there are nurses who work in hospitals that don't require night rotation?

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Maybe you'd be better suited for a job in a clinic/phys. office where there is no night shift. To take a stand that in the future you want to be completely exempt from having to rotate even in an emergency situation seems a bit inflexible, and not caring toward your night shift colleagues.

No job situation is going to be perfect, and emergencies do happen. It's a little disappointing to read this...I feel sorry for the night shift staff, who've had to work short/work with people who clearly resented being there.

We all knew going into nursing that situations like these could come up. It would be one thing if the hospital was permanently rotating people with no intention of filling that shift, but in this situation, that's not the case. To be unwilling/resentful of helping out in a temporary situation just doesn't seem right to me...sorry.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I think it's a horrible idea. No one is rested and mistakes can therefore skyrocket.

Glad they do not do that where I am. I could not handle it---and there would be mass uproar by the staff, I think. On the other hand------Unfortunately, I know esp in rural hospitals, this is the only way things can be handled at times, having been a rural nurse myself.

I do think it's horrible, however.......

I believe I noticed you signed a contract including language that basically says you will agree to do this as needed. Seems to me, you have little choice in the matter, but to comply or find another job. I am sorry.

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Deb,

Consider yourself lucky, too. This has been going on for years, also depends on which service that you work on and what the staffing is like. If it is a unit that is only staffed by 1 RN at night, then it is very hard to get agency to come in and cover when there is no one else ther with them, unless they have worked at your facility for years.

What happens when you get slammed with work on your shift in L and D. Do you get any extra covereage from somewhere or does your manager aske some of the others to come in and help? What is the back-up plan for your unit?

What if a nurse actually needs to work nights for a week, due to something going on in her life, will others from nights trade with her?

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I also think rotating is a bad idea, Deb. But in this situation, it's not like the nurses are routinely expected to rotate...they're being asked to accommodate a temporary situation, and a night shift nurse is on the way. So to me, it's bad form to complain about being asked to pitch in temporarily, especially when it's part of the contract.

We are nurses, and sometimes that means having to work off-shifts, w/e, holidays. The fact that this individual hasn't had to rotate for 10 years and is now comlaining about the first time she's being asked to do so...sorry, to me that's just demonstrating a really poor attitude and not being at all supportive of her night shift colleagues. I'd hate to be a nurse on that shift and know that the people coming to help me were po'd and resentful.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Folks, I don't argue the point, as you can see, that it is temporary and there is little to no choice here. And I did note that the OP did sign a contract allowing for this to be done. So there really is not argument from me.

I AM saying: Fortunately, none of the hospitals in the area where I practice do this to their staff. Probably because they have more resources at their disposal, such as PRN'ers (like me, just try and mandate ME--- lol) and travelers and agency nurses. There ARE advantages to being a rural nurse---you learn so much and know your patients well---but this situation is definately a distinct DISadvantage. One I would not be able to tolerate as an FTE personally.

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And I just keep coming back to the fact that this is the first time in 10 years that the OP has been asked to pitch in, and she's making an issue of it.

She should consider herself lucky, actually. Ten years is a long run of not being asked to help out. And that's what bothers me...a lack of team spirit.

I guess we see things differently. I find it more unacceptable for someone to be put out about being asked to help; it shows a lack of respect for her colleagues, IMO.

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I agree that if she's never had to float in 10 yrs she should thank her lucky stars & not make an issue. Why should she be exempt from floating? Long past time to step out of the comfort zone & be flexible I'd say. If this is the attitude being harbored I can see why there's a lack of people choosing nursing. We have to pick our battles, and to make an issue out of this one is rather petty, IMO.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

This is why I am PRN. I can pick and choose when I can/am able to help. No contract binds me to work any particular shift, just 2 weekends a month is all. Its a distinct advantage that works well for me.

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I agree that if she's never had to float in 10 yrs she should thank her lucky stars & not make an issue. Why should she be exempt from floating? Long past time to step out of the comfort zone & be flexible I'd say. If this is the attitude being harbored I can see why there's a lack of people choosing nursing. We have to pick our battles, and to make an issue out of this one is rather petty, IMO.

This isn't a petty issue to me or I would not have taken the time to place a posting.Safety is not petty to me. As I have said and implied in previous postings I have been very fortunate that I have been forced to work some nights only recently - however, I have become aware that for MANY nurses this is an ongoing issue. Lets just for the sake of argument take my experience out of it. What I had hoped to do was start a dialogue about this practice (night rotation) in general and maybe brainstorm some ideas/solutions. Lets focus on ALL of the nurses who are impacted by this practice all of the time and keep in mind that for some nurses this practice is more difficult for others and can even feel unsafe.

By the way, I am not inflexible and I frequently step out of my comfort zone..... I just have a really hard time working nights.

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Now that I've adjusted to nights, I have a really hard time making it through days. But I'm still expected to suck it up and go to classes/meetings/etc. during the day. Yup, at 9am, my body says it's time to go to bed. Just like yours does at 9pm. But if I want to keep my job, I do what I have to do. Patients need care, suck it up and work the night shifts. It will be over soon. Do what you have to do and get the sleep when you can, just like I do when I have to do a class or meeting during the day at work.

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