FOREWARNING: this is a rant. I understand not all dayshifters do this. I just need to get this off my chest so I dont call back and ream the nurse who woke me up.
Dayshifters,
Please as a common courtesy do not call someone past 0800 unless it is something you absolutely cannot do your job without knowing. If Im being called after 0800 I expect to have made some gross error or to have nearly killed my patient. I only leave my cell phone on as a courtesy to day shift so that they can reach me if they really desperately have to.
Do not call me to ask about something you could have figured out yourself by looking through the chart. Do not call if you are an administrator at my midnight just to chat.
The end result of your insensitive call times is a part of my soul dying a little and most importantly, I end up being so infuriated that I was woken up for something so benign that I cant even fall back asleep.
Nightshifters always take care whenever they place a call to a doctor, administrator, or staff nurse. We dont call unless we darn well have to. We try to exhaust all other options and think autonomously before we wake someone up.
How would you feel if we called you late at night and woke you up after a hard shift?
Thank you for listening. I know most of you dont do this but lately it's been happening a lot at work and I need to get it off my chest and maybe some people will think twice before they call and wake the hibernating bear.
On days I work here is my course of action: When I'm sleeping, my phone is in "silent" mode. It doesn't even vibrate. If I wake up to use the restroom in the middle of the day I'll look at the phone sometimes, but usually not. I wake up and instantly go over to my phone and check and answer anything I can before I jump in the shower.
If I'm at work my phone is on "airplane" mode (I get junk reception in the hospital so it saves a ton of battery but is still on and takes less time to turn the antenna back on vs turning on the phone).
I've had people call me during the day many times, and I've never had a problem with it. I've only had a few instances historically where they have called, but for most if not all things considered, there is NO reason to call a person after 9:30 on EITHER shift.
I do this purposefully (don't answer my phone) because I am NOT a nice person when I wake up. I, at minimum, need 1hr to be totally pleasant. It has something to do with me waking up. I'm evil, my humor is off, and I'm just plain mean.
In short, I do this for others sake.
FWIW I *ONLY* have a cell phone. You can call 911 just as easily from that than anything else. Also, if you're interested, you can give them your google voice number, and have it forward to your house number. In this case, you can set permissions from your phone and have it NOT allow anybody on your ban list, OR allow only people on your good list.
Finally for those that are scared their kids can't call in an emergency, if you purchase a smartphone (Android, iPhone, Blackberry, etc) most have the ability to allow only the selected contacts through to your phone. If an emergency person (ie- ambulance, ER staff, etc) call they'll usually do it from your kid's phone - most people are more apt to answering their kids' numbers than a strange off the wall #
Geez,... how rude of those individuals calling you at all hours. I would talk to those people for calling you for inane reasons and let them know... in a kind and respectful way... that you don't appreciate their calls. I say, "in a kind and respectful way", because you'll still have to work with them as a team in the future. Going off and exchanging angry conversation (not that you would do that) with those individuals will just break down bridges of communication you'll want to maintain in the long run.
"With care and compassion, a warm heart and determination, difficult things can change and healthy, happy people can talk through their differences, reaching a compromise that all can live with."
I've never had to call any one for anything at all and don't think I ever would, that just seems so unreasonable to me. We've had nurses leave with the PCA keys before but we always have a back up set.
What irritates me is when management or other nurses on their high horses get on me for missing a staff meeting that was at 1 pm the day after I worked. Um hello?! If I set up a meeting at 1 AM would you be there?? I think not.
I work day shift and wouldn't think of calling midnight staff during the day! I've waited until 1400 or later to call midnight staff having had a question. If there were something drastic going on, I'd imagine that management would be involved, and they'd make the call earlier in the day prn.
For each shift, when the shift ends, the shift should end without having to worry about work. It seems like there's a lack of respect and a lack of professional boundaries going on where you work. Hope it gets better.
Day shift people don't typically go to bed right when they get home, and neither do I. Calling me at 2 pm would be right in the middle of my sleep time. Even if I did manage to get to sleep right when I get home, calling at 2 pm would still wake me up after only 5-5 1/2 hours of sleep, which is still not enough. I appreciate that you are trying to be courteous and THINK you are waiting long enough if you call at that time, but you aren't.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I always turned the ringer off on my phone when I worked nights.
Me too. I used to feel guilty about it, but being woken up by someone at work who wanted to know if there was an "end" date for the anti-fungal cream ordered for a guy's one affected toenail cured me of that.
I worked with a day nurse that would call at 1400 just to see if I could come in at 1830 to relieve her so she could go to one of her kids games. I finally got it through her head that was my sleep time after I started calling her at 0200 just to see if she could come in at 0630 to so I would not have overtime for covering for her. I admit it took about 6 times before she got it. after that she never called me until 1800.
Mean I know but I did the same thing to my mom. She used to call about 1400 to see if I wanted to go have coffee. After a week of these calls, I turned the tables. I would call her at 0200 to see if she wanted to go have coffee. She told me no I was sleeping. I replied, so was I but you kept calling now didn't you. Problem solved.
I just worked nightshift. I could NOT sleep the next day, (even though I got tired later) so decided to go to bed that night. I rang my agency/work and told them send me a text message with all the details ONLY IF YOU NEED ME URGENTLY, as I will have the phone on silent. That way you hear the phone beep next to the bed, and you can turn the vibrator off if you want. Then you can check the message - if it's not urgent, don't call back. They will soon learn they are wasting their time.
I LOATHE being woken up at night or whenever I'm sleeping after a hard shift. I cannot get back to sleep once I am woken up. I can only doze a bit on and off, then I usually wake up with a rotten headache.
Why do you have to have these people ringing you? Can't you turn your phone off for 8 hours? Surely nothing is such a life or death situation (or what they think is urgent), that they must call you all the time?
You need to start turning your phone off and telling people firmly you can't be disturbed at certain times. The place where I worked had a big notice saying there were 2 nurse managers (one for clinical issues, one for admin) who were ONLY to be called with urgent matters. At the facilities I have worked, the RN in charge is expected to deal with all clinical matters AND staffing issues. That is why we get paid extra (with agency anyway).
Perhpas you need to educate them in how to be more autonomous - after all, they are not babies and shouldn't need their hand held for everything.
My phone is on silent all night at work, and when I get home in the morning it just stays on silent and then I don't have to worry about anyone waking me up :) I only have a cell phone, no land line, so there's nothing to worry about.
I'm usually home from work before 0800 and asleep by about 0845, I don't know how people can stay up much longer! I can't seem to sleep past about 1400-1500.
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diane227, LPN, RN
1,941 Posts
I turn my phone off, period.