How long does it take you to complete an order????

mom4josh · Dec 8, 2009

It would depend on a few things: did this nurse leave right on time or was she there charting for a while after giving report? does she make a habit of leaving things undone? does she have good organizational skills?

The problem is that often the next shift doesn't see any of the details that went down before to bog the process. Next time, you might just talk with her in a non-confrontational way about how her day went. This might give you a better idea if she's slacking or really not keeping up.

USMC Ret., RN · Dec 8, 2009

great question!

regarding…

>> how much "clean up" of a previous shift should we be expected to do????

all of it.

don’t get me wrong, i know how it is to clean up after others. some days are pure madness and a sprint from start to finish.

sure, we all have days where as shift change approaches we wonder how the new rn will react to the mess we are more than eager to endorse to them. but consider, nursing is a two-way-street and all of us will be on giving or receiving end at one time or another.

as for me, over time i have realized that i can salvage a bad situation more effectively by keeping the peace. so i simply ask the departing rn to tell me everything that needs fixing... and then get on with the job.

bottom line, regardless of how much is laid at your feet at the start of shift, do your best to set a positive example, if not for others, then for yourself. yes, that’s a lot easier said than done. =)

- luis

(life is a team effort)

Disco_Superfly · Dec 8, 2009

Oh I could go for days on this subject.. But I won't. I have to say, however, that many times I am left with chores to do from day shift. I don't mind.. AS LONG AS.. when I am strapped for time, they can give their own 7 am pain med as I should be on my way out the door by then.. but it doesn't work that way for me.

I thought about a 'no more ms. nice guy' attitude, but honestly, I think I do things the right way even if I get left with the crappy end of the stick quite often.

At the end of the day, it isn't the day nurse who I'm doing it all for; it's the patient.

P.S. I really believe many of them think that all we do at night is sit around and read. I think it would be nice to change places once in awhile just so everyone can see what it's like from the other side.

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2009

Everyone has a bad day every now and then, and I like to give others the benefit of the doubt.

What else did the nurse have going on? Was there a reasonable explanation for the delays?

RNperdiem, RN · Dec 8, 2009

I just read an interesting thread on this page about how everything falls to the nurse.

We can be backup housekeepers, TV repair people, waitresses, not to mention calls to the pharmacy and lab.

The non-nursing stuff and family demands can totally disorganize your shift, especially day shift.

If this is a rare thing, that is likely the cause.

Disco_Superfly · Dec 8, 2009

Very true.. These things, though minor as they may seem, are time-consuming to the nurse and take him/her away from their pt care duties. Alot of things can happen in a day. Orders are occasionally missed, a med not given on time, etc. Alot of things can play into the cause of the trouble.

Big hospitals are notorious for things like this. The main reason being that one dr.'s order goes through half a dozen hands before it gets carried out. When a med doesn't materialize on time, it is the nurse's responsibility to track it down.. same as if it is a wrong med, etc. Whereas in small hospitals.. it's you and the pharmacist. In other words.. it is a 50/50 chance it was all your fault that it wasn't done right!!:chuckle

Emergency RN · Dec 8, 2009

great question! regarding...
>> how much "clean up" of a previous shift should we be expected to do????
all of it. don't get me wrong, i know how it is to clean up after others. some days are pure madness and a sprint from start to finish. sure, we all have days where as shift change approaches we wonder how the new rn will react to the mess we are more than eager to endorse to them. but consider, nursing is a two-way-street and all of us will be on giving or receiving end at one time or another. as for me, over time i have realized that i can salvage a bad situation more effectively by keeping the peace. so i simply ask the departing rn to tell me everything that needs fixing... and then get on with the job. bottom line, regardless of how much is laid at your feet at the start of shift, do your best to set a positive example, if not for others, then for yourself. yes, that's a lot easier said than done. =)
- luis
(life is a team effort)

hurrah to that... and that is the correct attitude. it doesn't matter what happened before one's shift, but once it becomes my watch, the mantle of responsibility falls on me to do all that needs to be done.

nurses have always complained about being "left" stuff to do by a previous shift. on multiple occasions, i've seen demands that an off-going rn "finish" his or her work before departure from the unit. in several instances, i've also encountered emotionally weak colleagues being bullied into doing the next shift's duties and frankly, i get royally incensed by it. if i happen to be in charge of the on-coming shift, i will ensure that the oncoming duty rn is in receipt of a full report, then order the off-going rn to depart the unit at once.

when a previous rn leaves and gives a report on what remains to be done, i too, do not want surprises. just say it plainly, and it's then my job to carry on with the care regardless if left with nothing or a hundred things to do. in 25 years, i have never once questioned the work ethic of an off-going nurse (that's management's job). the flip side of this of course, is that i likewise expect not to be insulted or questioned by the oncoming rns with demands that i "complete" an assignment before i depart; or not to "leave work behind" for them; or to justify my report. this isn't the work of any individual rn; it's the hospital's work, and the hospital is a 24 hour institution.

like another respondent stated, there could have been a multitude of events that happened in the preceding shift that impacted on the time performance ratio of the previous nurse. so, unless i was there, i have nothing to say, and neither should any other on-coming staff member.

no offense but, after giving report on what still needs to be done, my obligation to the institution, and the next rn, is complete. how the oncoming shift then chooses to conduct itself is their business. imho, they can carp about how much stuff was left for them to do, or just behave like professionals should, by getting on with doing it.

newtelenurse · Dec 8, 2009

Thanks for all the replies. This particular nurse has a habit of leaving things for the oncoming shift. Yet she is the first to make sure that we call labs (which usually come up around 6:45) to the doc, etc. I can appreciate that the hospital runs 24 hours and that it is my responsibility to take care of the pt. That being said...if I spend the first hour or so of my shift chasing my tail it is the pt. who is affected. Not in the immediate care so to speak but in the connection that we try to make with them. Even when I get in report why they are there... I ask them. I look them in the eye and let them tell me their story. It makes it personal between us and builds trust. If I am left with several things from previous shift I don't have time for that. Which cheats me and the pt. Now I understand there are days(and nights) when there just isn't enough time to get everything done. I guess I am just referring to the nurses who habitually seem to leave things....

bubblymom373 · Dec 8, 2009

I have the same problem where I work. One coworker always leaves things for the next shift and never tapes report due to not having time". She seems to have time management issues cause this is even when the resident load is manageable. On the nights I follow her I just expect to have extra to do before doing my own shift work. In my experience people with time management issues usually always have those issues even when spoken to by management numerous times. I try to look at it as a personality quirk.

BluegrassRN · Dec 8, 2009

I have no problem cleaning up after the previous shift.

I personally would only say something if it is an ongoing issue with one particular individual. In the past, when someone has repeatedly left me a lot to do, our conversation has gone something like this:

Her: Sorry, I didn't get X, Y, and Z finished on these patients.

Me: Can I assume you are staying to complete those tasks?

Her: Uh, no, I wasn't planning on it.

Me: Okay, then. I'll do it. But I've noticed this has become a habit with you, to leave a significant amount of work for the next shift. I'll be honest, you're getting quite a reputation about it, and people are starting to complain. Could you work on leaving fewer tasks for the next shift, please?

This seemed to work rather well, and I haven't really had to ever have this speech again with her. I'd rather talk to the person directly, before going to the department head about it. If it's an across the board issue, then that is something the director needs to be aware of. Maybe it is a culture of "leaving it for the next shift", but it could also be an issue of not having enough staff, or that the timing of tasks are inappropriate.

Becca608 · Dec 8, 2009

Ultimately, none of us are perfect and no shift is ever the same. It is a 24 hour job and the client is the priority. I agree that the client suffers when we spend the first hour doing 'cleanup', but that is the nature of the beast with the understaffing these days.

Peace.