Do Day Nurses Really Feel that Night Nurses Do Nothing All Night?

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. Do day shift nurses feel that night shift nurses have nothing to do?

    • 30
      Night nurses do nothing all night but twiddle their thumbs and drink coffee.
    • 249
      Night nurses work once in a while.
    • 740
      Night nurses work very hard.

649 members have participated

Having worked the 12 hour night shift in many hospitals I find the same things. Day shift nurses leave us so much work to do that we're playing catch up all night. We start off 2 hours behind because we're finishing things left over from the day shift. I've had times when I'm still giving 9pm meds at almost midnite because things were so screwed up starting out. Then we have to do our night shift paperwork and deal with the patients who do NOT "sleep all night". Part of the night shift paperwork involves getting things proper and ready for the day shift to use. And I swear if something gets missed by us we WILL hear about it. It really burns my butt when they come in in the morning complaining about what the night shift didn't do because we ask their secretary to make a call or two for a consult. BUT it's ok for the day shift to pass things to us because it's a "24 hour care hospital". I'm just curious. How many day nurses out there believe that the night nurses should be able to do it all because we have nothing to do anyway?

fgr8out,

after 25 years of trying to set that example, going those extra miles and giving the benefit of the doubt, you just get tired out especially when no one picks up on it!

management doesn't care anymore. they may sit and listen until you're cyanotic, but nothing ever gets done. the only way anything gets done is with teamwork and it seems that is something no one is willing to do anymore. it's always, "he's not my patient" or "it's not my job" and this one which really kills me, "they don't pay me to feed two meals!" pretty sick philosophy if you ask me.

i'm not saying that the previous shift intentionally leaves work for the next shift, but when a stat order for a urine c&s/ua is ordered on days which wasn't obtained, wasn't obtained on eves. guess who goes that extra mile??? and we let them know about it, but nothing said, nothing done. then it happens again, the same thing. the third time we say "no way!" reply,"well you should have obtained the urine." our reply, "teamwork, you do it this time." once you do it, they expect you to keep on doing it and as long as nothing is said, they will always expect you to do it. i don't mind picking up the slack once and a while for my coworkers, but all of the time? after awhile they take advantage of you. when you put your foot down, they get annoyed. i say teamwork. you have to tuffin' your heart when you see the "let's take advantage syndrome" moving in. you're only a "victim" if you let yourself be a victim...

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Originally posted by Fgr8Out

And why do Nurses always make the assumption that the shift prior INTENTIONALLY leaves work for the next shift? Shouldn't a Unit be a TEAM? And shouldn't we, as "Professionals", have the GRACE to understand that, when a job wasn't completed the shift before it was more than likely due to too many tasks needing attention all at the same time, rather than some conspiratorial effort on the part of the previous shift Nurses to "dump" on the next shift?

Brita, no, I didn't forget you and your dilemna. It's horribly frustrating when teamwork isn't the norm, and shifts pit themselves against one another. BTDT, and of course, whenever you move to a new facility or unit, you may very likely encounter the same scenario all over again. All you can do is be the example... even the exception sometimes, and ignore the invalid complaints and comments that come your way. Look at how your own shift is run and see if there aren't things that can be changed to make the night shift routine flow a bit more easily. Talk with your Supervisor or Manger and ask for input. And please, please, give your coworkers the benefit of the doubt. Their day may have been just as chaotic as your night.

Peace :)

I agree with what you're saying about teamwork and giving co-workers the benefit of the doubt. I always do until I see a pattern emerging. When the same nurses and the same unit secretary are leaving the same things undone, that's a pattern. I'm the nurse that tries to fix everything that wasn't done even though it takes time away from my patients, which I hate. And when those same nurses come in the next morning complaining about this or that wasn't done on the night shift, I just want to start grabbing necks and shaking. I wish everyone could "do unto others..."

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Night Owl, I just saw your post and I couldn't have said it better.

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Where are the 39% of you who say we twiddle our thumbs and drink coffee, or work once and awhile and why do you feel this way??? My and other inquiring minds would like to know.

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Originally posted by Brita01

I agree with what you're saying about teamwork and giving co-workers the benefit of the doubt. I always do until I see a pattern emerging. When the same nurses and the same unit secretary are leaving the same things undone, that's a pattern. I'm the nurse that tries to fix everything that wasn't done even though it takes time away from my patients, which I hate. And when those same nurses come in the next morning complaining about this or that wasn't done on the night shift, I just want to start grabbing necks and shaking. I wish everyone could "do unto others..."

Yep, I do know what you and Night Owl mean... And I certainly don't want to come across as goody two shoes.... as a matter of fact, I've envisioned my fingers around certain necks as well. :X

Just do what you do best... provide quality caring for your patients. And if management isn't assisting you with your respective issues... I'd consider moving on. There is supposedly some sort of nursing shortage and I can't imagine an employer wanting to lose good Nurses such as yourselves.

Peace:)

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Originally posted by night owl

Where are the 39% of you who say we twiddle our thumbs and drink coffee, or work once and awhile and why do you feel this way??? My and other inquiring minds would like to know.

Here, here!! This poll should show 100% of voters agreeing that ALL nurses work hard!!!!

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i couldn't agree with you more! ;)

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Specializes in Everything except surgery.

I also have worked every single known to man! I have found that EACH shift has it's own demands and stressors! On nites pts do NOT sleep as a rule! You have Sundowners Syndrome alive and well in many! For the last two nites I have had a pt who calls on the light Q 30-60 secs or more!!! He is confused at nite...and alert during the day! He's on tele...why I can't tell you...as he has been in SR & in the 70's with no ectopy since he has been there. NO IVF...no acute distress...just flunked a dysphagia gram...and had a dobbhoff until he pulled it out and they re-evaluted and placed him on pureed diet. So why is he on a tele unit...NO CLUE! I also had 2 fresh post cath pts...one going for PTCA/stent in the AM. An admission of a R/O CP at the same time I had just found a pt in resp distress after receiving ATIVAN 2m IVP at 2250! Unable to narcan as he had Hepatic and Renal diesease...and MD felt it would do no good to give. Why he was given the Ativan I have NO clue...but thank GOd he refused the Ambien 10mg she was going to give him also! Trying to keep his O2 on to keep sats out of the low 80's...keep him in bed..pulls out foley and starts spurting blood from member...do stat H&H...get ABG's...Neb tx ....give IVP Bumex...draw AM labs from 6 pts.....finish admitting my new pt...running in and out of the freq callers room...incont of BM.....NEVER sat down the whole nite...no potty break...no water...NOTHING..but running all nite!!!:o

On nite many times we have no CNA...and have to do FSBS q6 or the AC FSBS...daily wts...chart checks...MARs...draw all am labs...and any CE ordered...or PTT. We have family members who stay with the pts overnite...and call every few mins for this or that...BR assist for the pt...THEY the visitor needs a blanket...the pt is having this problem or that....and if we don't come ASAP they're on the light again! or at the nurses station demanding help NOW! We have had up to 9 pts each with the CN also taking pts. A lot of the times the am or pm shift has been too busy to change IV sites or hang new tubing per protocal and guess who this falls to??? I KNOW ALL nurse work hard no matter what shift they work, and the least of these is NOT nites!!! :o

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Specializes in ICU, PACU, ED, Peds.

Just a couple of quick thoughts from one nite shifter to another..... I like the idea of shift rotation, but if you don't get 100% agreement, how can it fly? I know several day people who could come up with valid reasons not to be able to do it. Any suggestions? I'll email my cc right away! I've worked nights for 6 years, and I feel its always going to be that night shift is the catch-all shift. Now me being a control freak and all - this worked for me, because I was able to fix the broken parts and address the problems with the person involved one to one. However! the most annoying part to this is when the same people keep making the same mistakes, then its either be the babysitter or report them. I don't like conflict, but will act accordingly when someone isn't completing tasks correctly or in a timely manner on the other 2 shifts. But I am only one person, there are others whom I feel are just fixing the problem and moving on. Is there anyone else who experiences this? I stay very busy on night shift even without the docs and paperwork. But this picking up after the same people time and again can get on a persons last nerve! ..... sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a rant! (but thanks!)

bj

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i think there is hard work to be done on both shifts and a slow time as well. on my unit i feel there is more slow time on nights. days has all three meals and all the other depts to deal with. as well as family and other issues. mho j

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I did 14 and half years of nights in aged care - (nursing home) - yes we did get some quiet nights however that was back in the days when the residents dependency levels were not as high - l have not done nights now for 2 and half years and l beleive that it is only now that l am coming out of the fog that it creats - the whole night duty thing - permanent that is has a hugh impact on your body - my sleeping patterns are still not good - l have to take something to sleep at times still - l put on lots of weight - l ate erractically and l belive that over a long time l became quite depressed as a side effect of it (OK there were probably other factors impacting along the way - but l blame night duty for a lot of it

The positive was that you didnt have to put up with doctros very often - the people that l worked with were great and are still great friends I loved my residents and we could often give them that little extra when we were attending to their personal needs - It also suited the family situation at the time as my children were growing up

However to get back to the orginal tread - Yes we worked as hard - but in a different way to the other shifts- however because a lot of our work was completed at the end of the shift and that is when a lot of your observations and 'work' was done you then had the subequently write up all your documentation generally after your handover and put up with the rolling eyes when you may comment about the night itself and the restless residents -

yes that is what we were there for however it is the best outcomes for everyone if the residnts have a 'good' night - they are better rested and then the day shift have better day

It would irritate me no end if l went into work during the day for an inservice to find residnt sleeping in a chair and staff refusing to wke then and give then some stimulating activity - yes l know they need rest during the day but not all day - quote - oh its better when she sleeps then she dosnt wander all day - so it OK that she wanders all night when there is less staff to watch them !!!!

(This would be often when you are supposed to be sleeping - they never have those at night -or the staff meeting)

Anyway l am sorry that l have become a little passionate about this subject - maybe someone should (or has and l havent seen it) the subsequent problems associated with night shift both permanenet and rotating

Sleep well everyone

Tookie

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Boy on rereading that there are some mistake - l apoligise for that but l think the message is there - However l would be interested if any night duty nurses or anyone know of any good sites to go to that discusses the problems and side effects of night work

Thank you

Tookie

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