Day shift lists, night nurses unsafe to move to days

I think it can be unsafe to have an entire ICU shift made up of all novice nurses, but I'm not sure why it would be safer to have most of your novice nurses working on night shift rather than evenly distributing them between both shifts. Is day shift already full of novice nurses?

I just don't get "unsafe". If all the nurses on NOC are new, then THAT is unsafe.

I get it. She's undermining the night people - insinuating they don't do as much work because it's nighttime and nights are "slower" or something stupid like that.

I have news for her - I pick up day shifts on occasion, and the workload in critical care is the same. It's a total pile of spit to hint at anything different.

1. Our NM states that it is not safe for the patients to move night shift nurses (many of us being 1 yr out of school or less) to days.

If I myself had heard her say that I would (PLAN A)

1. Request a meeting with her and ask specifically what she thinks I need to work on to be safe.

2. If she gave me a list. I would ask for the details of what she would like to see and how to show competency/safety in those areas.

3. If she was unable to give me a list, I would very politely request that my spot on the list be put back into place, since she deems you safe.

4. If she gave a list but was unable to define what it looks like to show competency/safety, I would go to the education nurse and ask to "passed off" according to hospital policy in those areas.

I understand that the whole thing is bogus. What I suggest is calling her on it in a mature way that focuses on your skills that are being questioned, rather then in her face. I think you'll get farther this way.

I do agree with the comments above.... there is nothing safe about staffing all of your new nurses at night when there is less support. And in critical care especially, where days and nights bleed together. But I think going directly to HR or her and trying to call her on it could make it really hard to work for her.

PLAN B

1. I would do the above and if no response, I would go to HR with what I did to resolve/show I was competent.

2. Ask what the facility policy is regarding requesting shift change assignments.

3. Then discuss my concerns.

This way you already have the proof that the "you're not safe" is completely false.

Sorry, this is happening, it's pretty crappy what she's trying to pull. I turned down a job offer when I found out all their seasoned nurses were on days and I'd be starting at nights with the RN's that had 3 years or less experience. As a new grad RN (even with LPN experience) I didn't feel it was setting me up to succeed.

I can't help but laugh when I hear someone say that a nurse cannot be safe working a day shift, but safe working a night shift. There could be an efficiency issue, but in terms of overall safety, a nurse working a night shift has much less support than the day shift if something adverse happens.

From the situation the OP described, it doesn't sound out of the norm for moves across shifts to happen by seniority as opposed to by request. As long as your facility stays consistent, you can't really fault them on how they choose.

If the list is now going by seniority, you will get your turn when you are the most senior person on the list. It sucks that they changed the policy when you were nearing the top of the list, but someone is going to get the pointy end of it every time a policy is changed. (My sister has always been aggrieved that the drinking age in our state went from 18 to 21 the same year she turned 18 and I turned 21.)

The "not safe" part doesn't make as much sense, and I'd want more information before offering up an opinion.

That is exactly what I did after posting this - great minds think alike. I voiced my concern about the vagueness of day shift competency. I then shared a few of my ideas. Here is what I suggested: I asked to collaborate with senior staff to develop a competencies checklist. Once the nurse has passed the competencies and been in the ICU full time for 6 months, that they can request placement on the list. This would be a good time for the NM to review strengths/weaknesses, and if additional criteria would need to be met to go on to days. Once you are added to the list, then it remains first come, first serve. It was a respectful conversation and the NM was willing to give it a try.