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Discussion

Nights in the OR

Hi

I am not usually scheduled to do the night shift. This last schedule and into the next I have my fair share of nights and I am finding it brutal. Maybe I need to get used to not sleeping; but I am finding it inhumane.

I would like to know how others cope (tips on when you sleep? ) what you do to stay sane.

We are two nurses on nights and the other night we finished a case (from 11:00-03:00) then followed with a "category 2" wash out of infected incision (03:30-04:40)

We got our "break" from about 05:00 until 06:20

And this was a "good" night according to my colleagues. Most of the times the case are a lot more hectic and it runs non-stop. Most claim they don't get a break during the whole shift.

What works in your OR? do you have an on-call for breaks?

Our management does not want to staff 3 nurses just for breaks.

Looking forward to hearing from you

-dreading Nights

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    Well, my OR only staffs 1 team for night shift. If case(s) are underway, call team(s) come in as we need to keep 1 circulator and 1 scrub free for traumas and emergencies at all times. The third shifters get their breaks when they can.

    However, when I worked evening shift, we did not call in the call teams for breaks or meals. If a scrub had to come in to maintain the trauma requirements (charge RN was the free circulator), they were expected to help with breaks instead of sitting in the break room. Other than that, it was get a break when you can. We just work with it.

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    As for sleeping, I will only do 3 shifts in a row for nights, not broken out through the week. I slurp all day between shifts. So two days of the week are basically gone. On Friday before work I will wake up at normal 8am time and take a nap for a couple of hours before work. Work Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. I will nap for a couple hours mid day Monday but get back onto a regular sleep schedule for the week.

    It is hit or miss at work sometimes working in trauma centers. Some nights you get slammed all night and others you dont. We also call in a backup if we get a case so they are available for trauma and we are in a room. We get a good lead time from ems on them though so we don't automatically just call them.

    I have called in lunch relief twice. If we are tied up all night I call someone in and they work for 2 hours. Our cafeteria opens at 2am so I do it around then. No one complains about it. Your state labor board will dictate what you are legally supposed to get for breaks.

    It's just me and a scrub on all night, if a true trauma comes in I will call in a backup crew for running a level one and helping scrub multiple surgeons at a time.

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