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.
Even if you are successful at training your coworkers not to call you in the day... what about the rest of the world? The telemarketers, old friends, dentist's office, and other people who assume that daytime is fair game?
I'm puzzled by people who can leave their main phone turned on in case of emergency calls - don't you get a few calls a day from telemarketers? I don't usually pick up in the daytime even when I'm not working nights, because it will almost always be a telemarketer, and if not, that's what voicemail is for. Friends and family tend to call in the evening.
Even if you are successful at training your coworkers not to call you in the day... what about the rest of the world? The telemarketers, old friends, dentist's office, and other people who assume that daytime is fair game?
I'm puzzled by people who can leave their main phone turned on in case of emergency calls - don't you get a few calls a day from telemarketers? I don't usually pick up in the daytime even when I'm not working nights, because it will almost always be a telemarketer, and if not, that's what voicemail is for. Friends and family tend to call in the evening.
Before I recently moved, I had a landline and a cell phone. Businesses, creditors, employers, everyone had my landline number. ONLY my family (and a very few others) had my cell number, and I had that number automatically blocked from showing up on caller ID when I used it for anyone else. I left the ringer off on my landline 24/7 unless I was expecting a specific call; otherwise, I let my machine take a message and I returned calls at my convenience. Once I got my mother trained not to call me during the day unless it was an emergency (by MY definition :)), I had no problems being able to sleep during the day without interruptions.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
QUOTE=rhymeswithlibrarian;4530786]Even if you are successful at training your coworkers not to call you in the day... what about the rest of the world? The telemarketers, old friends, dentist's office, and other people who assume that daytime is fair game?
Have you tried the no-telemarketer call registry? It does work well for random cold calls like from aluminum siding companies. Political robo-calls are allowed through though grrrrrr I've kept my land line which is Vonage now, and they send my calls as email .wav files as well as the voice message machine. No VIP calls go to that line anymore, and I don't let my work know my cell- well until I forget they have caller ID with memory sighhhh
When my kids were young and more recently with my mother's decline and passing I kept my cell phone next to my ear as the situation changed from hour to hour, and that number I protect. I cannot imagine much more maddening than just drifting off to be startled awake by a chirpy voice, "Well, hello ma'am how are you doing today?" You really don't want to know how I am right now sir. . ..
Even if you are successful at training your coworkers not to call you in the day... what about the rest of the world? The telemarketers, old friends, dentist's office, and other people who assume that daytime is fair game?
I don't pick up if I'm sleeping. The ringer in the bedroom is easily turned off. If it's important, they'll leave a message. If it's an emergency, they'll call my cell. Work/dentist/telemarketers don't have my cell number.
Turning a ringer off is easy or removing a landline a cinch. Try sleeping when your lovely neighbour starts mowing his lawn then whippersnipping to his little heart's content, at 6.45 am on your day off. NOBODY in their right mind should be thinking about getting up and doing their lawn at this time! It just is not NATURAL!
Turning a ringer off is easy or removing a landline a cinch. Try sleeping when your lovely neighbour starts mowing his lawn then whippersnipping to his little heart's content, at 6.45 am on your day off. NOBODY in their right mind should be thinking about getting up and doing their lawn at this time! It just is not NATURAL!
Good idea. I will go get some tomorrow. I hope my neighbour ends up in hospital where I can give him a nice suppository, ha ha ha! (laughs in an evil sounding and malicious tone!!)
Good idea. I will go get some tomorrow. I hope my neighbour ends up in hospital where I can give him a nice suppository, ha ha ha! (laughs in an evil sounding and malicious tone!!)
Cool! I like the ones from Meijer (if you have one in your area). I get the ones that are orange/red and yellow striped; the kind that you roll and squish to fit into your ears...very comfortable!
The other thing I do is run a fan in my room. I like a fan on me most of the time anyway, but I run it for the background noise even if I don't have it blowing in my direction. I used to live in a rental on the ground floor where they would mow and then use the weed whacker right below my window, so I know what you are going through and these two things worked great for me.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
The first thing I do as soon as I walk in the door after work - turn the ringers off both home phones (work does not have my cell #). If my husband needs to reach me in an emergency, he has my cell #. He knows not to try to call me before about 1530. I also go to sleep almost immediately after I get home, so if you try to reach me at 0900, I will most likely already be sound asleep.
I'm VERY protective of my sleep when I work nights. Do NOT try to call me! My extended family has had the fear of G-d put into them, so they pretty much don't even try to call me anymore because they never know when is a good time.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
it's not just dayshifters . . . night shifters do this to each other. and families, and neighbors and friends . . . i've had to return a few calls at 3am to get the point across.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
What I find bizarre is I see a lot of my coworkers texting or talking to people (friends? spouses? coworkers?) at 2 in the morning at work. Who, other than people right here in this department, are you talking to that are awake??
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
what i find bizarre is i see a lot of my coworkers texting or talking to people (friends? spouses? coworkers?) at 2 in the morning at work. who, other than people right here in this department, are you talking to that are awake??
i've been known to call, text or email my friend penney who works nights in the er in another hospital. sometimes it's even about work. ("is dr. dullwitter as clueless in the er as he seems to be in the icu?") and my husband works nights sometimes, too, i've texted him at 3am to complain about my sciatica or share something funny that just happened.
I've kept my land line which is Vonage now, and they send my calls as email .wav files as well as the voice message machine. No VIP calls go to that line anymore, and I don't let my work know my cell- well until I forget they have caller ID with memory sighhhh
HealthShepherd
183 Posts
Even if you are successful at training your coworkers not to call you in the day... what about the rest of the world? The telemarketers, old friends, dentist's office, and other people who assume that daytime is fair game?
I'm puzzled by people who can leave their main phone turned on in case of emergency calls - don't you get a few calls a day from telemarketers? I don't usually pick up in the daytime even when I'm not working nights, because it will almost always be a telemarketer, and if not, that's what voicemail is for. Friends and family tend to call in the evening.