Calling in for no sleep

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Sep 30, 2017

I recently read a story on reddit of a nurse that had a psychotic break at work after getting too little sleep. I don't think it's someone anyone should risk.

Garden,RN, ASN, RN · Mar 23, 2018

It is acceptable and it is exactly the right thing to do. That is a part of "First do no harm". Lack of sleep is likened to being intoxicated. Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication The real question for me is why is anyone expected to be able to perform without sleep or ill? It makes no sense, we all know it, but sadly it is often expected. I am not saying you ever leave your patients without care, but I am saying that as health care workers, we know better, we just need management to be honest about it.

Trix8323 · Jan 3

I am in the boat of no sleep and having to go to work. I don't think I should go in because #1. I would be endangering patient lives; #2 It is like driving drunk and I could kill someone, including myself. #3 If someone is forced to work OT, it is not the fault of the person that called out but the employer who is at fault bc they should have adequate back up, a float staff, to cover. Let's stop blaming each other and give our co workers a break. It is not a moral issue. It is a health hazard.

DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 3

Trix8323 said:

I am in the boat of no sleep and having to go to work. I don't think I should go in because #1. I would be endangering patient lives; #2 It is like driving drunk and I could kill someone, including myself. #3 If someone is forced to work OT, it is not the fault of the person that called out but the employer who is at fault bc they should have adequate back up, a float staff, to cover. Let's stop blaming each other and give our co workers a break. It is not a moral issue. It is a health hazard.

Agree 100%.

What strikes me about the original post is that a shift was allowed to go on until 3.30am (presumably this was a standard 12 hour day shift or 8 hour late shift that over-ran due to the unit being hectic?) and the nurse was expected to go home, get adequate slep and be back the same morning fit to work.

This a bad management, understaffing issue. Wholeheartedly agree, nurses should stop feeling guilty for being abused.

FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN · Jan 3

Yes, it's okay to call out. I firmly believe it's your employers job to have an adequate pool of per diem staff to cover you when you can't work for any reason, and we contribute to the problem when we hate on each other for calling out.

Wuzzie · Jan 3

DavidFR said:

What strikes me about the original post is that a shift was allowed to go on until 3.30am (presumably this was a standard 12 hour day shift or 8 hour late shift that over-ran due to the unit being hectic?) and the nurse was expected to go home, get adequate slep and be back the same morning fit to work.

Maybe I read it differently but I don't believe that's how it was scheduled. She worked over on Friday night but had both Saturday and Sunday night to sleep prior to going back to work on Monday morning. She added details later about a GI illness that caused her to not be able to sleep. Big difference. Sure, staying over sucks but I'm not seeing how the hospital scheduled her was at fault.

DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 3

Wuzzie said:

Maybe I read it differently but I don't believe that's how it was scheduled. She worked over on Friday night but had both Saturday and Sunday night to sleep prior to going back to work on Monday morning. She added details later about a GI illness that caused her to not be able to sleep. Big difference. Sure, staying over sucks but I'm not seeing how the hospital scheduled her was at fault.

You are correct, I mis-read.

In any case however, a shift that goes on until 3;30 am is wholly unacceptable.

Wuzzie · Jan 4

DavidFR said:

In any case however, a shift that goes on until 3;30 am is wholly unacceptable.

In re-reading the first post I also don't think she was forced to work over. That would have been a 20hr shift. She said she was scheduled to work until 0330. Everyone assumed she was working 7a-7p but I think it was more likely 3p-3a. Some units do schedule like that (EDs come to mind) I don't think her schedule had anything to do with her problem. I think the real issue was she was salty about having her Friday shift eat into her weekend (which does suck) and came here with a bad hospital/abused nurse story looking for support and justification for calling off. Which she got...at first, until people figured out the math wasn't mathing. Then the story changed to having a GI issue preventing her from sleeping which is a totally legit reason to call off. Heck the GI issue alone was enough to call off. But why not say that in the first place? I'm guessing it's because she was beginning to get called out so she switched tactics and it worked. I'm skeptical about the GI thing because most people don't come here for justification for calling off due to legitimate illness. They come here when there's something sketchy going on and they know it. Also, she wouldn't answer clarification questions and then got prickly. But I wasn't there so, for all I know, she was sicker than a dog. I think the bottom line here is if someone has to go to the internet to get justification for their actions from total strangers then maybe they should reconsider their plan. It probably isn't a good one.

Just to be clear. Yes, I think people should call off when they are too tired to function for any reason but along with that there is also a certain responsibility to make good decisions about protecting your sleep, circumstances beyond your control not withstanding. Yes, staffing is a management problem and not the employees responsibility. Unfortunately most hospitals don't see it that way which is wrong on so many levels.
Regardless, this thread is also over 8 years old and the OP hasn't returned since May 2016 so whatever happened has happened. I do have to congratulate her/him on an excellent "rage bait" in absentia. 😂

DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 4

Wuzzie said:

She said she was scheduled to work until 0330. Everyone assumed she was working 7a-7p but I think it was more likely 3p-3a. Some units do schedule like that (EDs come to mind) I don't think her schedule had anything to do with her problem.entia.

I remember some A&Es (EDs) and other departments in the UK having the "super-late" or the "twilight" where you were scheduled until midnight.

I realise ED's, like many departments, quieten down on a night shift after a certain hour, but is such bizarre scheduling getting the best out of the staff? A 3:30 finish is worse than working the whole night. What if you're dependent on public transport? A single female (or any gender for that matter) going home alone in the middle of the night.

Is it such a crime to have that extra staff member at the end of the night, even if all they can be doing is tidying, stocking, or simply just being there on hand for whatever may come through the door at any hour, or whatever "stabilised" patient takes a turn for the worse? As we all know, patients don't deteriorate according to a timetable.

To me, this is cost containment at the expense of patient safety and staff wellbeing. I'm pleased to say that here in France this would never pass. Our very strong unions would be on to it.

Wuzzie · Jan 4

DavidFR said:

I realise ED's, like many departments, quieten down on a night shift after a certain hour, but is such bizarre scheduling getting the best out of the staff? A 3:30 finish is worse than working the whole night. What if you're dependent on public transport? A single female (or any gender for that matter) going home alone in the middle of the night.

It was actually a shift I worked (well 5pm-3:30am). It was staffed that way because the bulk of ED patients are seen in those hours. It wasn't really as bad as you seem to think and I'm a single female.

DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 5

Wuzzie said:

It was actually a shift I worked (well 5pm-3:30am). It was staffed that way because the bulk of ED patients are seen in those hours. It wasn't really as bad as you seem to think and I'm a single female.

Each to their own. I'm glad it worked for you. I personally can't think of a worse shift!!