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Discussion

Getting out of work on time

I've been a nurse for a few years and STILL struggle with getting out of work on time. I was wondering if we could start a thread sharing advice about how to get out of work on time.

It's usually not that I am behind on my work or charting - that is pretty much always done unless I got a late admission or had an emergency. This is what happens:

The night shift arrives between 6:30-6:45, we have a brief huddle and then we give report. The problem is that usually I have to give report to 2-3 different nurses so I will give report to one nurse, then I am stuck WAITING to give report. Then, since I am still the nurse for those patients, I end up getting stuck toileting them (because the nurse techs do NOTHING during shift change) or talking to doctors or whatever, because as you know, EVERYTHING seems to happen at shift change.

I have tried to round on all of my patients at 1800 to make sure they are toileted, not in pain, don't have any questions, etc. I explain that shift change will be happening and that the nurses will be tied up for about 45 min. That normally works with the AAOX3 crowd (which is only like 20% of my patients) but the sundowners and the confused patients obviously don't know what's going on and they always choose 1900 to go bonkers.

Soooo. . .waiting to give report. . .tending to patients. . .it will be 1945-2000 before I leave.

I want 2014 to be the year where I finally take control of this issue and walk out the door at 1915 like we are supposed to. Looking for advice from seasoned RNs or new RN's who have this figured out!

Thanks in advance. . .

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    I will give report to one nurse, then I am stuck WAITING to give report. Then, since I am still the nurse for those patients, I end up getting stuck toileting them (because the nurse techs do NOTHING during shift change)....

    Why are the techs allowed to get away with this? Especially if them not doing their job is the reason that you are late leaving.

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    It is a part of the problem - not the whole problem - but definitely a part. They turn in their phones at 1845 on the dot and the techs coming on usually don't get a phone until 1915 or even later so there is this time period where there is no way to get a hold of any tech. It's so frustrating.

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    That's ridiculous. Where I work the nurses and techs must keep their phones on until 7:30 and then it becomes the responsibility of the oncoming shift nurses and techs after that time. The techs should not be turning their phones in until their shift is officially over.

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    On my unit we tape shift report. The last place I worked we taped too, and it seems to work well. That way the off-going shift doesn't have to wait around for the nurses to be ready, and the on-coming nurses don't need to rush to get their things together. Technically we're supposed to wait until they listen before we leave, but that rarely happens, and we will just get a call if they have any urgent questions.

    We usually tape about an hour before shift change (or whenever you have some downtime), then write any updates on a post-it note.

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