when the day shift arrives

RENEEinNICU · Jul 13, 2011

I've worked in Canada and the US and this issue is EVERYWHERE. In my workplace you get hired into nights and then get to go to days when a position opens. So, everyone one on days has done their due time on nights at one point. You would think they would remember the division.... they do not. On a whole, it's busier on days, they have the suits watching them and, like it or not, they have to answer to our mess-ups because they are the ones there in the line of fire.

Does that mean we don't earn our extra pay? Oh heck, ya we do. We get the unexpected. Our world is a little more scary, uncontrolled and unsupported. But this is what makes us a stronger team. I've heard this time and time again from fellow nurses, doctors watching us in action and parents on the side lines.

On this one we just need to grow a thicker skin. It's not going to go away, you just learn to laugh about it.

HOWEVER, I do still get ticked off when they call me at noon for something that could wait. That's when I truly know they remember none of the plights of a night shift worker.

caliotter3 · Jul 13, 2011

Too many rats in the cage and the larger rats come in for day shift.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2011

I do both days and nights. Boths have pros and cons. some weeks-. nights are ALOT easier. sometimes DAYS are a lot easier. It depends. have had many many many nights from hell, no cnas, no unit clerks, on call drs that take call at home who have no idea who the pt is and are very upset at being bothered.(is being on call the whole night for a huge facility than comming into work at 5 am , really safe...........?) One thing I like about my hospital is that it is a teaching hospital and I deal mostly with interns/residents that are at the hospital at night. For the most part. (sometimes some groups take call at home). More permanent day shift staff comes in late than permanent night shifters where i work and seem to think night shift just sits there doing nothing the whole night. We were supposed to do baths at night. But pts complained......Sure we can help out and do some of the completes that are disoriented. But the ones who take a long time, either assisting or as completes and know that it is 4am DO NOT WANT A BATH DONE AT THAT TIME. 5am-7am is just as busy as any other day shift period with meds, vitals, and labs

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2011

Just a quirky question. I worked the day shift for years. It made me precise, great at time management, almost a Supernurse....but also almost a total #$%&!.......now I work nights. When the day shift comes in; no matter how STAT the night has been......the emotional voltage goes up 150%. It is easy to get "waterfalled" into that hard-nosed, frantic energy. QUESTION: Why is it that after a long night of even very eventful negatives...the night shift folks are calm and supportive.....while the day shift folks are ready to cannabilize anything?;...It is an interesting study in human nature....what do you all think? Besides the constant drain of stress with the outer social chaos? Is it really just about "too many rats in the cage".....or what???Blessings!!!!!!

I think day and night shifters have different definitions of "being nice" and "calm and supportive".

Honestly, when I work nights, I don't have the energy to vent my frustrations when anyone is around to hear it. I'm emotionally, physically and mentally drained to the point of................I can say "Ah well" to just about anything.....anything other than being late to bed.

I also noticed, on nights, I have an easier time going into a shell and just keeping my thoughts to myself. On days though.......if you have a bug up your butt or an exposed nerve.........it is going to get revealed. If I'm unhappy with the latest email from the boss, sure enough, someone else is talking in my ear about it making it almost impossible to just keep things to myself.

steelydanfan · Jul 14, 2011

I've worked both in the same unit, ICU. Why do nights ask the morning shift to call the dr for a new med? Because they don't want to be belittled and screamed at for waking them up for a med, or simply getting hung up on. However, in ICU I will call for a different sedation.... but the point is, I have worked both sides, in the same unit with the same Dr's. The same doctors which yelled at me at night were soooo nice, handing out orders like candy during the day. respectfully. Half of these doctors I was speaking with for years on the phone at nights, introduced themselves to me on the day shift like they have no idea who I am. Their attitudes are as different as night and day (no pun intended) when asking for the same things, just on a different shift.
I had a certain cardiologist very sacrcastically thank me for waking up his crying daughter when I called him at 10pm for his patient in rapid afib in the 160's. Did he give me the cardizem drip order? Yes. Did I have to get insulted for it? Yup. Same cardiologist, treated me very nicely on day shift when I called on a different patient in rapid afib during the day.
So, please do not judge until you experience both sides of the spectrum. It's not laziness. It's lack of resources.

It's not lack of resources, it's lack of guts. I worked nights for 10 years, and yeah, you call a doc in the middle of the night, you get reamed. SOO what?

I have seen nurses who don't call for admit orders for pt.s admitted at 3 am DESPITE explicit writen orders to do so. Why? "He will yell at me". Well, wait to see what happens when that pt. has a complication and the chart shows that no doc was responsible for the pt. since his transfer from ER.

I worked with a doc who when called at night would rant, rave and hang up on the nurse who called. You could literally count to 100, and he would be calling back and give you what you needed. Scary, yes. But NOT a reason NOT to call. Somebody didn't, and the pt. died.

RENEEinNICU · Jul 14, 2011

If every single call in the middle of the night was necessary, then it probably wouldn't be the same issue. I ask dayshift to get some orders for me, not from a lack of guts, but because of the presence of respect and professionalism. I don't wake the docs up for something that can be taken care of in the day that is not a pressing issue on my shift.

nightengalegoddess · Jul 15, 2011

I absolutely LOVE the replies!!! How bout the one where you're nights, so you become so mellow as metabolic survival.....(all I could get upset about is not getting to bed -paraphrase)........Maybe nights will be my key to becoming a type B person after all these years YAY!

Actually, I personally understand the difference. Been there. I LOVE to hear that I am NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THESE IDEAS!!!!

Now I work at a teaching hospital too, and find that the young physicians are so fascinated by their journey that they LOVE to get calls in the middle of the night! YAY! And they are so desperate for direction in analysis, that they want to sincerely ask my advice! YAY!

Maybe it is just a matter of proving myself to the day RNs here. I do remember that days was the badge of courage for me at one time. And any night RN had to prove her salt to me before I would say..."don't worry about it..I can take care of that, don't ever worry about that whatever with me"....I'd have to have that feeling that if something bad happened, it definitely had nothing to do with whatever that night RN did or didn't.

So I guess that means never shirking to enable any of the resources one has at any time is the way to go- night OR day.

But,..... I AM sorry......a STOOL SOFTENER CAN WAIT !!!UNLESS HE NEEDS NG SUCTION...ok?

Thanks you guys!!!!! Blessings amany!!!!!

nightengalegoddess · Jul 15, 2011

Just noticed that I mentioned whom I give report to as "she"..........could be a He too......but somehow....I've yet to come across a mean male nurse....a little egotistical sometimes.......,,,,,but never mean or rude...........not sexism or opinion here.......just assessment.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jul 15, 2011

Just noticed that I mentioned whom I give report to as "she"..........could be a He too......but somehow....I've yet to come across a mean male nurse....a little egotistical sometimes.......,,,,,but never mean or rude...........not sexism or opinion here.......just assessment.

Hello.

How are you?

I'm fine.

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2011

I usually love "murses" but there are a few where I work that just need the living **** kicked out of them. Actually heard one that's a unit manager of a med/surg unit tell another manager (who'd said something about the M/S unit's high turnover rate) "who cares, I'll pick up a handful from this year's class, they're cheaper anyway."

Thanks for making us sound like the store brand toilet paper, you jerk.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 18, 2011

simple.

Night shift doesnt have to wake up at 5am.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2011

simple.
Night shift doesnt have to wake up at 5am.

No we go to bed at 8 or 9 am in the morning and try our best to sleep past 3pm, which is sometimes hard to do with neighborhood lawn mowing, trash pick up, and of course the sun shining. If you think it's hard to get up at 5am, go to bed earlier.