sleeping staff

RN~in~CT · Sep 15, 2003

Originally posted by sbic56
I'm willing to bet these nurses would have given you the same courtesy of taking a nap if you desired. Working just one extra shift you realized how tired you were. I never appreciated what it took to work nights when I only did a few doubles now and then. It is not until I worked just nights for awhile that I truly understood. You can run on adrenaline long enough to get through an occasional double, but it is awhole different story when you try it indefinitely.

In my opinion, sleeping is simply not an option while you are on duty.

sbic56, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2003

Originally posted by RN~in~CT
In my opinion, sleeping is simply not an option while you are on duty.

OK...I see. I'm not talking about sleeping on duty, though. Discussion on that debate has been depleted, so I'll let it go.

Mama Val, ASN, RN · Sep 15, 2003

In MOHO sleeping on duty is just not professional but if you think its ok then lets let it apply to all professionals, think what we would have to deal with...

Sorry lady by the time we woke the police officer he was to late in arresting the speeding drunk and they ran over your child..

Sorry sir by the time we woke the paramedic and she got to your house your mother had allready bled to death..

Sorry to the victims family that our officers were taking a nap when the inmates broke out of the jail...

Sorry parents your child was killed by a terrorist because the guard on duty took a nap and the bad guy snuck thru and detonated a bomb....

I realize firefighters get to sleep while they are on duy at the house, but they are aid for this and its a 24 hour duty sometimes, thats a little different. Work hours for doctors, pilots and truck drivers are legally mandated by federal law, this is supposed to allow them to get enough sleep in between shifts, if you can't get sleep enough off duy then you should think about working another job or take shorter hours. I have never taken a nap on duty, I am to paranoid, have nodded off for a few moments when I haver sat down to do charting thats when I get up and do stuff to wake up. But 98% of the time I don't have time for a break and when I do its spent in the bathroom not the breakroom...priorities people.

big sweet life · Sep 15, 2003

Amazing........At the time I'm reading this it's 15 screens of responses. ! 15!...in a nutshell my hat is in the ring w/ the belief that it's irresponsible and unprofessional to SLEEP while people are counting on you to take care of them. UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR!

fergus51 · Sep 15, 2003

So what do you like to do on your break time? Coffee?

Good_Queen_Bess · Sep 15, 2003

There is a difference between sleeping when you are ON duty and when ON YOUR BREAK. It's your own business what you do ON YOUR BREAK. You are not getting paid for it and as long as the ward is covered wih adequate staff, what's the prob?

nurse62 · Oct 1, 2003

I agree, you need to report this. I wouldn't feel one bit bad about it either. This is totally unacceptable. Take a picture and or get another nurse you trust to come with you to confirm what you are witnessing. This is grounds for termination no ifs' ands' or buts'.

rebelwaclause, ASN, RN · Oct 1, 2003

Originally posted by Good_Queen_Bess
There is a difference between sleeping when you are ON duty and when ON YOUR BREAK. It's your own business what you do ON YOUR BREAK. You are not getting paid for it and as long as the ward is covered wih adequate staff, what's the prob?

^5. Why is this a issue? Because those who aren't doing something bad..."sleeping" for the topic of this discussion, want to feel as though they are better than those who sleep and/or just want to have something to gripe about.

If I asked you to watch my patients while I took a break and went to the other side of the hospital to smoke...Would you be pissed at that? Are you pissed when I take a break?

(Grrrr....Why is this even an issue?)

sbic56, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2003

You stated it exactly, rebel. Those who gripe because some choose to nap on their break are certainly not nurses I want to work with. They will always be making waves; where there is a non issue, they make one. They scream patient neglect and other such nonsense in order to make themselves feel better than. These are the very same coworkers who criticize their peers for the way they document or give report or whatever else. Drama. Pure and simple and totally unnecessary.

azgirl · Oct 2, 2003

Sleeping on company time is theft. So amazing how some can justify this. I once had a fellow worker who helped herself to peoples money from their purses. When she was caught she said "you would have done it too".

nurse62 · Oct 2, 2003

I noted 153 replies to this thread already. This alone speaks for itself. Sleeping on the job should not be tolerated by anyone. Even though this may not be your unit, you are still required to report because you witnessed it first hand. Rest assure, many other HCW have witnessed it as well beside yourself. However, no one has taken any action to correct it. Not to bring guilt upon you, but say someone does die on that unit and the death possibly could of been prevented if someone responded. Knowing what you know, how would you feel? Do you think a court would agree with you if you stated "this wasn't my unit so I didn't report it". If you want to remain anonymous, then slip a note under the DON's door with what you witnessed with the names, time, and date. Do the right thing.

carcha · Oct 2, 2003

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"