A co-worker peeve- VENT!

[perfectbluebuildings]

Okay, this is just at my facility, and I am not generalizing to your experiences or your facility at all, so please don't take it that way. I just have to say it here so I don't scream it at work.

If I hear the "More money, less work" phrase about night shift from ONE MORE day shift co-worker, I don't know what I might do. If the pay is so much better for work that is so much easier and we just don't know how good we have it, please, come join us- why isn't there a waiting list for day shift to transfer to nights? Put up or shut up. (And yes, I HAVE worked day shift as well at this facility.)

Also, please stop scheduling semi-mandatory classes or meetings in the middle of the day and being surprised when almost no one from night shift is there!

Also, please don't tell patients' families- "I used to change diapers when I was a PCA, but now that I'm an RN, I don't do diapers any more."

And please, understaffed unit elsewhere in the hospital, PLEASE hire some more staff so every one of our unit's nurses doesn't end up floating there at least once every two weeks!!!

Whew. I feel better already. :)

[inshallamiami]

I would LOVE to hear from a manager as to WHY they schedule these mandatory meetings at like 1pm. What are they thinking? OP have you asked your manager why?

[caliotter3]

Managers are not thinking about night shift workers when they schedule the mandatory meetings at one pm. If they were, the meetings would be at eight am or eight pm. So it is obvious that participation by night shift workers is not considered to be important.

[JBudd, MSN]

On the other hand, being asked to stay for two hours after a 12 hour night shift is not much better. Half an hour, 45 min tops, let me LEAVE!

How many day shifters have to stay until 10 PM for staff meetings after a 12 hour day? (yes it has happened to me, 12 hour noc, and just got up and left when the meeting hit 10AM- had to be back at 7)

Here's an idea: get rid of staff meetings alogether. Put together a friendly newsletter with whatever you want us to know; we'll have it writing and be able to review it. Have accessability for feedback, and let people make suggestions. I suggested having all the staff gather in the lounge for assignments and announcements at the beginning of the shift, and it seems to be working out well; but we still have staff meetings.

OP: we all hear ya. :hug:

[focusedvalpn]

I would LOVE to hear from a manager as to WHY they schedule these mandatory meetings at like 1pm. What are they thinking? OP have you asked your manager why?

Because it is what is best for them and they get to say they did have the meetings you just didn't show when they find something wrong even when it wasn't covered of course

[nelpn2rn]

I worked nights for a while. I miss never seeing the bosses :) But now I hate getting report from certain nurses because i know that it will be a mess to clean up. Its not that great getting yelled at by the doctors because the nurse discontinued a cardizem with no order and said she talked to the doctor. (who of course denies speaking with her)

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I have to say, even though I was never able to get used to third shift, I really liked it. I was able to actually be a nurse when someone needed it.

That's exactly one of the big reasons I went back to third. (That and the money meant I could cut more hours without losing as much pay while I'm in school.)

At night I'm a nurse. During the day, I'm more of an air traffic controller. :)

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Nights on pediatrics.... no MD offices open, so any snotty nose comes to the ED, and if less than 30 days old admitted for full septic workup- with less staff to get blood, a sterile I&O cath, and hold for an LP...while parents stand in hall crying as you "hurt" their baby (and they're understandably upset, and need some TLC....so one admit = at least 2 patients).

Also the time for the experimenters w/dextromethorphan to show up dazed and confused with p-o'd parents in tow. OR the suicidal teenage girl who was dumped by the only boy she's ever loved (at age 14).

The fresh appy, whose mom doesn't care about the O2 sats and demands IV dilaudid or morphine BEFORE you call the hospitalist re: sats, and possibly a different med - since the kid is snoring when mom isn't hollering for meds.

There is always someone awake and either inconsolable (mom went home for the night for the first time in 3 years of intermittent admissions), seizing, having apneic episodes, desatting, spiking a temp, doing the hydrocephalic screech, throwing poop in the cribs, needing 2 nurses to start an IV on a 6 pound baby, looking out for non-custodial parents - OR the parents you hear about on the news who are under investigation, etc.

Yeah- nights on pediatrics is a cakewalk

Vent away (I haven't worked pediatrics since 2003- and I can still drum up some frustration about the "night shift" being so nice - HA... the biggest perk was not working with the folks on days- LOL (serious 'sorority house' atmosphere.... I grew out of that in the 80s ).

Hang in there- just focus on the kidlets- and imagine the jerks getting hurled on by a reflux kid

[LaylaHendrix23]

Lately our floor has been staffing all the other floors as well. It sucks! I don't understand why they don't just hire their own nurses for their own floor. Then, ironically our floor has at least 2 extra nurses on every night, so someone is always getting pulled. Lame!

[Poi Dog]

My manager schedules the mando meetings at 1400. If we do not attend, it is considered insubordination

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Because a 2am mandatory meeting would be well attended by dayshift!

I do have to say that my managers are pretty good about scheduling our meetings for night shift ok times. The ones I dislike most are those at 8am before I go into work that night, but didn't work the day before. If I'm not exhausted from working a shift, if I don't fall asleep by about 7am, I won't fall asleep until about 2 in the afternoon. 5-7am is the sweet spot for me. Staying up until 9am, even when I get to call into the meeting, totally messes up my sleep.

[morecoffeepls, BSN, RN]

The main reason I love nights is because I don't have to work with a few other staff members on my unit. I couldn't do it. Rotten people with awful attitudes, garbage work ethics, who wallow in their own bloated self-importance all day. (Of course there are others who are wonderful.) I invite them to change lives with me - work the graveyard 5 nights a week, go to school, have 2 small kids and 1 cooking inside my lovely wife, not be able to sleep more than 3 hours at a clip, et cetera and so on. Sure, everyone has their sources of stress, but trade day for night & try to juggle, see what happens. I oriented for months on days, I know you don't work half as hard as you think you do (I'm on a 14-bed cushy psych unit in a suburban area, not terribly demanding compared to other nearby units). Sure, I have more consistent downtime than you, that's why I'm the unofficial night unit clerk. But when I'm busy, like, say, I get 3 admissions & everyone else is acutely awake or there are multiple 1:1's or some behemoth needs restraints & the in-house psychiatrist is writing orders all night (bizarre man, stays here all night with me sometimes, must hate his wife or something, been doing this for years; brilliant, though) & the MHW (tech) is new or from another department so I have to do their job as well & I don't have time to drink a coffee or eat or urinate or drink a coffee ... nothing you've ever done individually on days can touch that. So if after a night like that something unimportant that takes 3 minutes and isn't really my job to do anyway hasn't been done, please don't feel obligated to wave it in my face, or complain to our nurse manager, or write me an email about it. If I was as hypercritical, that is all I would be doing all night, truth be told. I clean up so many missed orders, mistakes, unentered labs, and so on, but since we're a team and no one is perfect, why mention it unless it's consistent or a really big deal? Also, if you elect someone on nights as chair of the unit council, why is that person the only one who remembers to show up in the middle of the day for a meeting? Oh wait, I know ...

Anyway, these people are getting to me and this is not my first rant about it, so I think I'll get over myself real soon. I am over my quota and abusing the privilege. I guess misery loves company, so thanks for putting this out there. Sorry for your troubles, OP, & good luck. Oh, another reason I couldn't work days is because I would be paid about 30% less. Suckers.

[Carefreeliving]

Amen to each and every one of you.

Finally, a thread that explains how I feel down to the core about night shift and the attitude of day shifters, upper level management and what not. Whew.

What a joy to read lol