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?

Specializes in Rehab, Neuro, Travel Nurse, Home Care.
I can relate to A LOT of this, since I work on nights in med-surg. *Mandatory* inservices and educational classes are *never* offered on our shift- usually they are scheduled right after our shift- starting at 0730 when our shift is supposed to end. We usually don't get out right on time, and after being up all night most of us could not sit through a 2 hour class and comprehend it all. Or else they are scheduled in the middle of the morning or afternoon when we are sleeping.

:banghead:This burns my hide. I am an Educator. I work in a rural community hospital. I have tried every schedule I can think of and night shift at my hospital responds as above. :twocents: Come in on their shift, they don't have enough time to attend, not enough to cover the floors. :uhoh3:Okay, start at am shift change--They can't come, kids to get off to school, or too tired. :rolleyes:Come in an hour early before shift start, They can't come, have to spend that time with family, can't--makes my shift too long. :wink2:Okay schedule on days off--"Can't, it is on my first day off, Can't it is on my only "feel good" second day off.:zzzzz--Scheduling inservices for night shift is a PAIN. :bowingpur They cannot be pleased, no way. I asked them to choose and I would accomodidate them, they never did get back with me after 3 weeks. Well, now (after 4 years of trying) I am over trying. I schedule to my hours now.

My unit clinical specialist is good with this. She comes into work at 6am everyday. When she has to do little inservices for night-shift, she comes in at 5-5:30. My nurse manager does the same for our unit meetings. When new products are being introduced the people come in, in the middle of the night and teach us. Sometimes she just prints the mins of the meeting and have us initial that we read it. Now the hospital inservices or confrence(sp), not to many night-shifters attend because it is not night shift friendly. That's like telling a day shift person to wake up in the middle of the night to go to work to sit and learn. These confrences are usually 8am-4pm. Since the only shift I do is nights, my body is programmed to sleep during the day, even if I'm off.

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I'm a unit secretary (and a nursing student) and I work from 3-11 pm.

Every shift the day nurses complain about the night nurses and the night nurses complain about the day nurses and I hear it all. They always vent to me and I just smile and nod. It's funny because they just assume I agree with them, but I don't. The truth is: they ALL work really hard. They ALL think that if they don't do something it's because they were too busy, but if the other shift doesn't do it then they're lazy and/or incompetent.

I don't know why it's like this because 99% of the nurses I work with are caring, competent, and hardworking. The teamwork between shifts just isn't there. It's sad because there's a lot of negativity that really doesn't need to be there.

Some previous posters mentioned that management encourages this kind of thing (in order to 'conquer and divide') and this really interests me. I'm going to keep my eyes open and see if the management on my unit does this too--would kind of explain why such great individuals are having such a hard time with teamwork...

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I can relate to A LOT of this, since I work on nights in med-surg. *Mandatory* inservices and educational classes are *never* offered on our shift- usually they are scheduled right after our shift- starting at 0730 when our shift is supposed to end. We usually don't get out right on time, and after being up all night most of us could not sit through a 2 hour class and comprehend it all. Or else they are scheduled in the middle of the morning or afternoon when we are sleeping.

:banghead:This burns my hide. I am an Educator. I work in a rural community hospital. I have tried every schedule I can think of and night shift at my hospital responds as above. :twocents: Come in on their shift, they don't have enough time to attend, not enough to cover the floors. :uhoh3:Okay, start at am shift change--They can't come, kids to get off to school, or too tired. :rolleyes:Come in an hour early before shift start, They can't come, have to spend that time with family, can't--makes my shift too long. :wink2:Okay schedule on days off--"Can't, it is on my first day off, Can't it is on my only "feel good" second day off.:zzzzz--Scheduling inservices for night shift is a PAIN. :bowingpur They cannot be pleased, no way. I asked them to choose and I would accomodidate them, they never did get back with me after 3 weeks. Well, now (after 4 years of trying) I am over trying. I schedule to my hours now.

Get a video camera and tape the dang inservice/meeting or class and make a few copies of the tape and then night shift can check them out and watch them and take a quick 10 question quiz over the info provided and be done with it. All of the excuses that you mentioned are pretty valid. Yes it makes your job harder, but that's why creativity is needed.

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

OMG, I am so glad someone else has said it. Those of us who work nights really do work. Who do you think has to calm down the dementia pts on the floor? Sundowner's? Full moon? Yep, night nurses. Not only do we have to do all the care plans for day shift but we have to do our own too and take more patients. Talk about a rock and a hard place. I think every single day shift nurse should once a year spend a week working nights.( just so they can relax)Just thought I'd throw in my two cents.:twocents:

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I work in a very busy ER, that most of the time has a high patient flow rate, and as a result of this, I believe the night nurses work just as hard as the day nurses.

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I have worked day and night shift. I find that day shift is much busier...more meds to pass, 3 meals to help with and give insulins, bath/bed changes, tons of physician orders, all testing, dealing with all the family, etc. Night shift can be busy for other reasons. For instance, there are usually fewer nurses on night shift. But, it was almost guaranteed that you would have a few hours of down time where you could surf the net, do bills, eat, gossip, etc. All shifts leave things for the next shift to finish up. That's why we are in operation 24/7.

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

Owensmommy, what hospital do you work at? Seriously, I'd love a night shift where there is down time. I have NOT had a "lunch" break in 7 years. Where I work it is NON-STOP all night. OMG! We run 8 patients to 1 RN and 15patients to 1 CNA. And still, I'd call it lucky to be able to take just a bathroom break. Usually by morning our bladders are at the top of our minds. :no: I also have worked first and second shifts and don't doubt for one minute that they are working equally as hard ( just with different stuff ). :p

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Specializes in ER.
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?

not in an ER. We're equally killed.

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Owensmommy, what hospital do you work at? Seriously, I'd love a night shift where there is down time. I have NOT had a "lunch" break in 7 years. Where I work it is NON-STOP all night. OMG! We run 8 patients to 1 RN and 15patients to 1 CNA. And still, I'd call it lucky to be able to take just a bathroom break. Usually by morning our bladders are at the top of our minds. :no: I also have worked first and second shifts and don't doubt for one minute that they are working equally as hard ( just with different stuff ). :p

I work for a Catholic Health Partner's hospital. Nights shift nurses have 5-6 pt's with or without a CNA. It's a telemetry floor. I feel for you, being so busy and with so many pt's!

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I'm sorry, but this post was way too long and I lost interest.

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Specializes in ER.
I'm sorry, but this post was way too long and I lost interest.

ha! how honest! :yeah:

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

:zzzzz Yep! Night nurses do work but so does each shift. I have worked all shifts and each one is equally busy. But what gets me:angryfire is when this one nurse ( who used to work nights ) comes in in the morning and says something about how quiet the floor is or wow you guys had extra time on your hands, the rooms are so clean. :banghead: Yeah, they are clean because someone on second shift left a mess for us. Or how we have soooo much time to do the careplans. Sorry, but I know something has to be done, I don't leave it for the next shift! ( except, if there was a code or another emergency ) However, at the hospital I work, most 95% of the nurses are team players and would never say anything negative about the next shift or shift they followed. A few even clock in early sometimes to help out.:yeah: The same goes for the CNAs. Could not ask for better co workers but you know the saying, " One bad apple spoils the bunch ". ( or something like that ):oornt:

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