Night shift/..........new....report.......vent

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

So I worked last night im still on orientation but taking a full load. It was insanely busy last night and I barely was hanging on because of 8 of pts 7 needed prn interventions ...1/2 of those needed multiple interventions (were talking 5 to 6 times) so needless to say i didn't get a break and i didn't get everything done that i would on a quiet night. I gave report and the day shift was obviously not impressed. after report we have to do some narc checks and one clearly was talkign about me. So i left her with my precp... and i went with the other nurse. That nurse basically inisinuated that we don't do much on the night shift in this really weird way when a pt asked my opinion on pts condition while we were in the pts room doing a shift change.......i gave my opinion/(pt is actively dying, she had to run and errand but didn't want to go if they were going to pass ) but after the nurse had said that the pt looked unsure and said she would appreciate if that nurse came back and reassess..........later in private i restated my assessment and my belief im correct and the nurse said 'i definately agree' (before she had gone back to reassess) so why did she undermind me in front of the pt's family?. im sorry but im working my rear off and all of my patients were very acute last night except 2. they had 3 nurses for the same number of pts im taking ....im not sure why they were so harsh. I swear i don't sit around all night....

[ScrappinSpidey]

This is the thing that drives me batty! Shift Wars. Someone always wants to start them. (not you) I think there is a huge misconception that night shifts are slower and don't need the help. Some nights this is very very true. Some nights I even have a chance to clean up! lol. However, most nights are NOT this way.

Where I work they have 2 aides, a secretary and 2 Rns during the day. Then at night it drops to 1RN (me) and 2 aids till 10pm, when it drops to 1. No secretary to speak of at all. Yet I still have the same meds, the same IV/PICCS to handle, family members don't leave with the day shift, docs writing orders etc.

Night and Day shifts are busy. Sometimes the busy is different shift to shift, but its still busy. I don't understand why there is such a lack of compasion for either shift. Some days we just get overwhelmed with the work and have to pass things on.

Im sorry you had to deal with this on top of a rough sounding shift.

Lynn/BW