Night shift vs Day shift: stop the hate

[Jack Hawaii]

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?

[loricatus]

Everyone has different styles of work and can still be productive. Some work slow and steady, others in spurts of intense activity and rest periods in between, still others move a lot and get nothing accomplished and still others talk about how much they work and others do not. We should not judge others by standards we have for ourself. That is, unless patient safety is at stake because someone isn't pulling their weight.

In reality, every shift has nurses who make us wonder how they stay employed; but, to judge an entire shift of nurses because of the few lazy or incompetents is equivalent to predjudice/stereotyping-so, I agree with the OP in that the hate should stop. We only bring ourselves down as a profession if we fight amongst ourselves.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

The point is work not getting done. As long as the work is getting done, and I'm not being handed a big stinkin pile of poo, I couldn't care less if the previous nurse spends a few minutes on the internet. It's the nurse spending time on the net at the expense of getting their work done that I would object to.

BTW, it's "clique".

[kcochrane]

I worked days for 2 years and then switched to nights, so I don't usually complain about days. I know they have their own pains. I only get mad when stuff is not done and no one is told. The eve and night shift has no problem helping out - if we know we need to.

On the other hand we have problems with days complaining about nights - actually one day staffer. She was a former CNA on nights that did not do her job, complained about her job and was a safety hazard. Now she works days as a new LPN (kicked out of RN school, but had enough to sit for her LPN boards). She is quick to complain is something if forgotten at night - even though when she worked nights, she never even attempted to do those things. And she is still a safety hazard, but with bigger weapons.

Each shift have thier own pluses and minuses. Days are busier where I work, but there is also more staff to deal with emergencies. If the **** hits the fan on nights, we are screwed. I have had to work the whole floor alone at night - that would never happen on days. And honestly most people just don't want to work nights.

I'm with those that think everyone should try out the others shifts. :wink2:

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

When I worked as a CNA in LTC on noc shift, there was definitely a lot of intershift rivalrly. The day CNAs assumed that the noc CNAs did nothing, since the residents all "slept at night" (the biggest crock of you know what). While some of my coworkers were pretty lazy (one would sleep on the couch, and another took hourly, fifteen minute smoke breaks), I worked my tail off! I had twenty residents to care for, fifteen of whom were incontinent and needed changing Q2 hourly. If it takes fifteen minutes to change a resident (which it usually did, since I typically changed them with no assistance), and there are fifteen of them, that's 3 hours and forty five minutes to do one pass, then it's time to start all over again. Not to mention the residents who needed frequent toileting throughout the night, or those with wandering behaviors who needed supervision. Just by doing the math, you can see it's not humanly possible to do it all. In addition to this, the day shift had convinced management that night shifters should have to start getting residents up for breakfast before day shift arrived. I had four residents on my hall that I had to dress and get up for breakfast by myself, and I had to start at 4am to get them up on time. One had spastic hemiplegia from a previous stroke and I literally worked up a sweat dressing her, because even though I could turn her myself, she would push against the side rails while I had her on her side. The second was 300lb and could not even roll side to side to assist with getting her pants on, and her bed was ancient with little metal wheels that would slide on the linoleum floor when I tried to turn her on her side just enough to quickly stuff an extra large brief under her bottom. The third could stand and pivot into her WC, thank goodness, but had fecal urgency issues where if I didn't get there in time, as in, the second she put on her call light, I would have a big mess to clean up. The fourth was a very nice lady who could stand/pivot to her WC, but had orthotics to put on and was very particular about her outfits. Then she had to be wheeled to the smoking area with her mug of coffee prepared in a very specific way, and I'd have to keep checking for her to signal she was ready to come in. I only lasted three months in that job.

[Mikey31079]

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Also I agree that we are not at work with trauma, but if your not on your break then what are you doing on the internet? Anyways, I just think that everyone no matter what their shift should get their work done, so the next shift isnt overwhelmed before they even see their patients!

:igtsyt: Wow, someone has either a superiority complex or a guilty conscience.

[ams02]

i hear you all about facebook!! i would love love love to know how a nurse...at work....gets on facebook and says "1 more hour to go" or "uggh i hate 12 hour shifts" and that sort of thing! i just cant understand that one bit, it repulses me....you mean to tell me you have time for that...but not to start that new IV or label/change that tubing???? that stuff is banned at our hospital too, i would totally say something to a coworker if i saw him/her on there..like "do you think you could help me for a sec" lately every single day i work, my 12 turns into 13 13.5 and i literally only sit down for 5 minutes getting organized for the day, getting assignment and hopefully i get to sit for 15 min for lunch and im constanstly on the run all day long.....when i see someone else not busy (more than 2-3 times that day) im not afraid to ask for help, and 10x out of 10, they are happy to help, because chances are i helped them before...if your not busy, getting adequate breaks, then you need to help your coworkers out, it makes your team so much stronger and happier, atleast thats my opinion...thanks for letting me vent!

[RN1982]

This was my problem the other night. I got an admit from ER who need various blood products. Meanwhile I had another patient who was also vented and I had him as a single patient assignment the two nights before. Anyhow, after the ER patient arrives and is settled sort of, everyone leaves. Why do I need to ask for help when you can clearly see me running back and forth between my patients? Get off your ass and help. Get off facebook and help your co-workers. I have no problem with people using the internet when no one is busy and when there is downtime but not when there is an unstable patient. I shouldn't have to ask for help when it's clear I need it.

[RN1982]

Anyhow have any suggestions on how to approach management about it. I made it clear to a co-worker who took over the patient in the a.m. that I was very stressed. The patient had an elevated INR, was hypothermic and I didn't get a temp on the patient until 5am because I couldn't get one rectally either. The one particular nurse I worked with that night has sat on facebook for four hours and did little facebook games back and forth with a clerk. It's ridiculous. We are suppose to be a team. Work is not done unless everyone is done.