Last Shift Outstays their Welcome!

[StNeotser]

I think this is probably a real pet peeve of mine, but we now have two nurses from the previous shift who will stay about three hours into mine "to chart".

I understand that it's very difficult to get a lot of the things we need to do done but these people can really pass a lot of the stuff on to me and then leave. One is the unit manager, and therefore my unit manager so it's a bit difficult to say anything to them.

There is also only two seats out at the nurses station where I really need to be at night to hear everything but they sit there. I have seen them reading newspapers, they both did the same dressing on the same patient last night, one at 11pm and the other at 12:30am because the first one did not measure the wound. The thing is, I could have done it and measured it myself. When my charge nurse brought in chips and dip and apple cider for New Year, they started on it without even asking whose food it was. If I need a chart one of them always has it.

They have been doing this for about two to three months. At first I thought administration would cotton on to their overtime and say something. How would you go about dealing with this diplomatically?

[YellowFinchFan]

the poor new nurse in the situation is learning some terrible time management stuff. i would somehow find a way to tell her about 'this nurse you know' who always held off her charting til the end of the shift. one day the nurse got a phone call..a beloved family member had been urgently hospitalized and the new nurse was stuck at work for over an hour doing the charting before she could rush to the loved one's side....(yes i just made that all up lol but it might put a bee in her bonnet)

or find a way to talk alone to the new nurse alone (during report maybe) and tell her that you will do the bandage change. don't ask her, tell her you will be doing it.

i would take the tactic that you can't teach an old dog new tricks (the manager) but you might just help out the newbie learn a better way of doing things.

ha...that's a good suggestion!

if i'm stuck later to do some things i never sit at "their computer" station...i move to a quiet place and get things done. i also do pass things on - sometimes we have to - but i also will do things that are easier for me to do (make a call to a doctor...give that pain med right away) etc....

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

to me, it sounds as if one or both of these women is afraid to go home. milking the clock is another explanation, but has anyone considered the first? when i was living with my abusive ex-husband, i sometimes found "reasons" to hang around at work until i knew he had to have left for work. (or at a friend's house, at school, at the library, or anywhere else that was marginally safer than home -- including a convenience store outside the air force base at 0100!)

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

to me, it sounds as if one or both of these women is afraid to go home. milking the clock is another explanation, but has anyone considered the first? when i was living with my abusive ex-husband, i sometimes found "reasons" to hang around at work until i knew he had to have left for work. (or at a friend's house, at school, at the library, or anywhere else that was marginally safer than home -- including a convenience store outside the air force base at 0100!)

that is sad but not a reason to milk the clock. if they are afraid to go home then then should find another place to hang out when work is done for the day and be mature enough to seek some kind of help rather than continue to avoid the issue.

no flaming please, i know, i know...these women feel trapped, i've been there myself, but you have to take a stand in one way or another or quit complaining. you allow people to treat you the way they do.

[Dempather, RN]

... don't they want to go home?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

that is sad but not a reason to milk the clock. if they are afraid to go home then then should find another place to hang out when work is done for the day and be mature enough to seek some kind of help rather than continue to avoid the issue.

no flaming please, i know, i know...these women feel trapped, i've been there myself, but you have to take a stand in one way or another or quit complaining. you allow people to treat you the way they do.

it doesn't sound as if you've ever actually been there. be that as it may, it's no reason to milk the clock. unless of course, they're saving money for an escape?

[sidney82]

tell them to GET A LIFE

[all4schwa]

tell them to GET A LIFE

...and then laugh like it was a joke! ...followed by a 'no, but really...'

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

I didn't consider that they may not want to go home. One is actually recently divorced (as I am). When my daughter is at the ex's house, I know my house feels very empty and I wonder if she feels the same way?

The other one (unit manager) has always had dreadful time management skills but as I didn't talk to her much to keep her company she never used to stay quite so late. Anyway, food for thought.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

it doesn't sound as if you've ever actually been there. be that as it may, it's no reason to milk the clock. unless of course, they're saving money for an escape?

when i said i've been there myself, i meant just what i said...i have been there myself when i was 26 years old. i was first emotionally abused and then the physical abuse started that's when i said "no more" i fought back and got myself out of that situation for good. i will never let anyone make me afraid to go to my own home nor will i ever allow myself to be somebody else's possession.

[joprasklpn]

When I worked nights one of the part time nurses would stay exactly 2 hours after each of her shifts. She would eat her "supper" and chart and hog up the whole entire desk. I usually had stuff to do so it didn't bother me a whole lot, but it annoyed a lot of others. I think she planned it that way so she would basically have an extra day of pay. Maybe she was just an extra long charter or a money grubber. Who knows for sure.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

I've seen this happen more than once and it seemed to be that they we're milking the clock. Once it was made known that there would be no OT for charting after the end of the shift unless approved beforehand, well, they got out on time.

That's how it is at my facility. We are responsible for letting our charge know ahead of time if we are behind and think we'll be staying late. The charge will either approve it or try to get us some help so we can get out on time.

I don't know why these two in the OP are staying late regularly, but I do agree it's inconsiderate for them to camp out at the nurses station.

I remember when I was brand new, I'd end up staying late to finish charting frequently. One night, the oncoming nurse told me point blank "Go home, you're in my way!". It definitely helped make me more aware of how my staying late can be inconvenient for the next shift, and I appreciated her directness.