Here is what I see, or at least how I feel about what goes on at the hospital where I serve:
Night shift:
gets left over scraps from dayshift celebration, vendor, recognition etc
gets left over items from Nurses week, if there are any left
gets treated as if they are just filler for the real heroes that work during the day
gets to clean up after dayshift gets done leaving unfinished business
Just to name a few. No I don't need a cookie to avoid a "chip on my shoulder,"...it speaks more to irresponsible management. It does NOTHING for moral. Do any other night shifters see this disparity which is disheartening when it happens consistently? And it DOES happen consistently where I serve.
i dont care at all about any left over food. I dont like eating things other people bring in. day shifters tend to be the managements favorites where i work but that makes sence since they are who management sees. i rather my mamager not have a clue about me, then be a favorite. day shift brings in the food and throws "parties" so when there are left overs they leave them. very very very rarely does anyone on nights bring anything in. even during holidays . 2-3 nurses and aides might but not like on days where they seem to bring in food for every occasion.
Our night shift has way more parties than the day shift crew. Everyone's birthday is recognized, and they have elaborate potluck holiday meals. I loved the people I worked with on nights, and the teamwork that went along. I just couldn't handle actually working at night.
Our night shift has way more parties than the day shift crew. Everyone's birthday is recognized, and they have elaborate potluck holiday meals. I loved the people I worked with on nights, and the teamwork that went along. I just couldn't handle actually working at night.
Yes. Although the leftovers are from management "recognition," the real food and comaraderie is from the nurses themselves.
I'm also with you on working at night. The shift, not the people. :)
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
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Our night shift has way more parties than the day shift crew. Everyone's birthday is recognized, and they have elaborate potluck holiday meals. I loved the people I worked with on nights, and the teamwork that went along. I just couldn't handle actually working at night.
This is how nights are where I work too. It was a blast working with night shift.
My hospital does the same for nights as it does for days. Italian ice cream catered in for nurse week? It runs until 11:30 PM so night shift gets some too. Meetings are at 7 AM and 2:30 PM for each shift to have a workable time to attend.
As far as working being "left over", there is no "left over" work in nursing. There is just work. All of it has to be done. Of course some things are going to have to get done on night shift. There seems to be an expectation that no tasks should ever be passed on. That isn't realistic. I've worked both shifts. Both work hard and have complicated jobs. It is nursing after all. The "nights vs days" argument is so unproductive.
While I understand your frustrations, I think that this could easily become a day vs. night shift spat.
I have worked in my hospital night shift for several years, and around one year ago switched to days. All I can sa to the night shift complainers where I work is walk a mile in the other shifts shoes first. Nights have it made at my hospital. No drs, families, tons of phone calls and mutliple interuptions/new orders all day long.
And to top it off, our night shifters get paid a huge shift diff. So while I know that we often leave work for the night time ppl, walk a few day shifts in your unit and then see how ya feel :)
ps-not trying to sound hateful. Its just that I've been on both shifts and I know that there is a huge disparity in the work load of the two shifts.
I agree and have seen all of the above. But I do believe that nursing is 24/7 and there is no such thing as left over work. I work both days and nights and days can be really tough. So many doctors, and families and tests and .......... I'll take my little night shift with less chaos, less management, fewer doctors coming through. And sometimes nights can really be a ***** too. The beauty of nursing is there is a little niche for all of us.
There were several times we came into the breakroom to find the pick-over carcasses of trays of treats and food as well as a terrible mess... and then be scolded for not cleaning up after ourselves when we just left it all as we found it.
I also grew weary of being expected to do all the QC checks and restocking, even if they hadn't been busy at all during the day while I was hopping all night.
My only real complaint was the fact that all mandatory meetings are held in the afternoon. Sorry but your 2 pm is my 2 am. So you probably won't see me. However if I don't show up I get dinged on my evaluation and get a lesser or no raise, but woe to me if I show up for work too tired to think and am just plain unsafe. The classic no win situation!
We always get the "dayshift scraps" and end up cleaning up the break room because dayshift always leaves it a mess... But on nights we sometimes bring our own food and have night shift potlucks.
My biggest gripe are staff meetings or other educational inservices that are offered only during the day. Our staff meetings are always offered at two times, 0730 and at 1500 to accommodate for night shift which is nice, but everything else happens to be during the day. They always tell us there will be times for the nightshift staff but that isn't always the case...
My only real complaint was the fact that all mandatory meetings are held in the afternoon. Sorry but your 2 pm is my 2 am. So you probably won't see me. However if I don't show up I get dinged on my evaluation and get a lesser or no raise, but woe to me if I show up for work too tired to think and am just plain unsafe. The classic no win situation!
We once had staff meetings that lasted four hours...until we were under new management. I LOVED those 16 hour days! Especially when I had to come back that same night...
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
I did not read all the posts so I apologize if it has already been written: I just wanted to add that night shifters are also not to dare hand over a messy floor/rooms (Never mind the fact that you are handed messy rooms/floors every shift from day shift), hand over any task that has not already been completed no matter when the task started at the end of night shift (such as the admission of a new patient mid shift), or any patients (if you work ED) to day shifters. However despite this, I prefer nights to days!
But on nights we sometimes bring our own food and have night shift potlucks.
Especially when I had to come back that same night...
monkeybug
716 Posts
Our night shift has way more parties than the day shift crew. Everyone's birthday is recognized, and they have elaborate potluck holiday meals. I loved the people I worked with on nights, and the teamwork that went along. I just couldn't handle actually working at night.