Night shift vs Day shift: stop the hate

Published

I can't believe the hatred between the shifts on this floor (it's a med/surg floor). All I hear when I come in is how "your day shift sucks" and then each of us is told off by respective nurses, about how much we left, how they had to do one thing or another...To my knowledge, we're all trying our best. Days is very busy. I've worked nights for years so I know the difference. I'm not going to get into the differences or who is right or wrong. I just wonder if this ridiculous hatred is ever going to stop. Or is it some tribal thing I'll have to put up with forever?

Specializes in ICU/PACU.

I don't appreciate day shift saying they are too busy to change IVs, IV tubing, give baths, etc...

I have worked both.

Tasks should be shared.

Poor management and unprofessional staff contributes to this problem.

Create both shifts equally, and never give one shift tasks the other shift doesn't have to do.

And yes, if everyone worked both there would be more understanding.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

You know, it just happens this way.

Nights has to give all baths, total care, try to catch things etc...I don't mind most of the time, but if there are a lot of orders from say 0800...and I'm checking charts at 1900...that's a problem. I can honestly say that I don't leave things for other shift as much as I can help it. However, it frustrates me when there are issues when I come on shift that I have to deal with...i.e. oh, they haven't needed pain meds since 1130...um, they're prn q4h, did you check yet? Also, oh they haven't voided since I pulled foley at 0600....um, it's 1700?

I just do what I can.....that's all we can do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in long term care, alzheimer's, ltc rehab.
Listen, nursing is a 24 hour a day job. At some point, people are gonna have to grow up and deal with the fact that some things are left undone after each shift. No shift is better than the other. And in my experience, the ones who complain the most are the ones who are the laziest.

:yeahthat:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

I'm experiencing some day shift hate right now. I cannot believe the stuff that's being completely missed. I can certainly understand how things need to be passed on occasionally, as nursing is a 24/7 job, but this goes way beyond that. And these are not new nurses pulling this crap. If the previous nurse at least warns me that she or he was slammed so there will be a lot of loose ends for me to tidy up, I appreciate it and can be prepared. But when they act like everything is totally normal and I find all this stuff that they didn't deal with, it ticks me off. I've started writing IRs whenever I see something like that. I'm tired of it. I'm talking about serious stuff, like an order for a stat echo on an MI patient being taken two hours before shift change and never carried out or followed up on, or even mentioned to me in report. Things like that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

In my unit nights can be way way busier than days. We travel more to CT and MRI. some nights we can travel more than one time with the same pt.

I just think since we are doing most of the traveling, that day shfit could pick up and do some more baths. Sometimes I go to CT with one pt and to MRI with the other. In all that who the heck has time to give a bath. I sure don't.

I also have a problem with the fact that when they do get a admit there are some that have the pt for hours (since 1 or 2 pm) and nothing is done. Database not done, excel care not started, meds not given, IV's not running, etc. They don't chart excel care at all they call it double charting which it isn't.

I had one night I walked in and received my 2pt assingment. One pt had only been there since 1730, we start at 1900. In that time there were many labs ordered including ABG's, the pt was there for resp distress, resp rate >50. Bipap alarm going off and all the nurse would do is silence the alarm, no orders for sedation, and kept telling the pt to slow down her breathing. A ton of orders written, and not done. ABG's not done, pt febrile (39.7) and blood cultures not done. Pt was on bipap and she couldn't even tell me the settings. I ended up being singled with that pt and having to fight the resident to intubate the pt. Ended up assisting with line placements, starting vigileo, pressors, etc. I know not everything can be done, but at least do the immediately important things like the ABG, and blood cultures. I have worked both shifts, and I know they are all busy, but I at least do the improtant things for my patients.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I am just a nursing student currently so I don't have a lot of real world experience. I have been told that nights were easier because there's less going on, everybody is sleeping etc. I have only done my clinicals during the day hours, and common sense would tell me it would just depend on the circumstances. There have been days were everything went smoothly and there was time to not only do everything that needed to be done, but to visit more with patients, do extra stuff ahead of schedule etc. There have also been days when there were so many new admits, patients who needed to be cleaned, crazy relatives, etc that it was just amazing that everyone got their meds on time. I just assume it's that way regardless of days or nights, and some shifts your be ahead, and some your be behind.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I have also experienced this phenomenon. I believe nurses are working so hard they cannot phathom that the other shift is doing the same. Best tool if communication. In staff meeting perhaps the charge nurses could lead a discussion on how we can help one another. One hospital where I worked would move people from one shift to another once in a while just to get the chance to walk in someone else's shoes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology.

There is a very simple solution to the nurses that log onto facebook and look at that instead of pt care. Have your IT deparment block it. That's what happened at my hospital. They did an audit and found that some people were spending hours on facebook. It is now blocked. So are any sites with games on them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro, Geri.
Listen, nursing is a 24 hour a day job. At some point, people are gonna have to grow up and deal with the fact that some things are left undone after each shift. No shift is better than the other. And in my experience, the ones who complain the most are the ones who are the laziest.

Where I work we only have day shift and evening nurses and I work the day shift. For some reason when the 2nd shift nurse comes in , there is always something on the desk that needs taken care of ( b/c I can't do a million things on my own) and she is more concerned with getting her medications ready for med pass which is an hour away. ( ohh by the way this is assisted living, not a hard med pass and the residents come to you!) Anyways, this is also not just one nurse, but all the 2nd shift nurses. You ask them to call a family or DR or to follow up on something and for some reason when you come to work the next day , it wasnt done! This has been going on for a long time. I dont understand why 2nd shift thinks that since MD offices close at 5pm that gives them an excuse not to do anything??? Sorry had to vent, long day today!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.

I really think that nurses for each shift should be periodically mandated to work the alternate shift(s). This thought applies to management and even administration. Once others find out what it is like for the other shift, maybe the wars will cease and an understanding will develop.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

It goes both ways. I came in an hour ago. I have some downtime right now so don't flame me but my patient is agitated and vented and the day shift nurse says oh he's been like that all day and when I looked at the charting from her shift she's documenting a MAAS of 1 and he's a MAAS of 4.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro, Geri.
It goes both ways. I came in an hour ago. I have some downtime right now so don't flame me but my patient is agitated and vented and the day shift nurse says oh he's been like that all day and when I looked at the charting from her shift she's documenting a MAAS of 1 and he's a MAAS of 4.

OK I dont work where you work, but I work in assisted living and no matter what time of day it is, or what kind of down time I have, I usually can find something to do at work. There is always something that needs to be done, besides being on the internet of course. :typing

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion