Coworkers that SLEEP on the job....arrrggghh!!!

Nurses Relations

Published

:banghead:

Okay, here's the thing...it happened where I worked before, (nothing was done)

it's happening where I work now, (the bosses know and don't do anything) and there's really

NOTHING I can do about it, but I just need to VENT!!

It is SO annoying and infuriating to me that some of my coworkers get away with SLEEPING while sitting

upright in a nurse's station, *OR*, even better, they sneak off somewhere for a little nap.

SOME charge nurses make them clock out and go home, but most do not. Where I used to work,

ONE time caught sleeping was IMMEDIATE termination; but again-----they let it slide many times.

I walk the hallways, I slam down coffee, I go chat with people on other floors, I offer to turn/ change

with the aides, I go listen to a patient who is lonely and wants to talk my ear off in the wee hours of

the night, I clean the breakroom......WHATEVER I can to stay awake! :yawn:

And NOW, OH. MY. GOSH.....when I didn't think it could get ANY worse, one of our new coworkers

is on her tiny iphone alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll night long, playing online ------and NO ONE DOES

ANYTHING!!!

I would LOVE to nap and play online all night, but umm....it's NOT ALLOWED! I would be so EMBARRASSED

to be so unprofessional! I keep telling myself "get OVER it, life aint fair"!! But like I said, just wanted to

VENT and see how many of you have these same coworkers................UGH!!!:banghead:

I have to clarify my comments ....

In my case we get 1 hour of unpaid break on each shift (the other 45 minutes is paid break), so we are not required to even be in the hospital so we are not responsible for our patients while we are gone, we give report to another nurse who assumes responsibility.

Of course if it is busy we do not leave for breaks if the other nurses cannot provide break relief, doesn't happen all that often.

To me sleeping on the job means while punched in. What someone does on their unpaid break, after reporting off to another nurse, is their choice.

nurses are people and people need naps. i don't see anything wrong with someone catching a few ZZZs as long as someone is covering the floor. just recently, a CNA *accidentally* fell asleep on the job (she was a very good CNA by the way) and one of the nurses took a picture of her while she was asleep and they ended up terminating her. I would HATE to work in such a backstabbing environment such as that! Also, one of the previous posters mentioned that you might be liable if I don't report someone sleeping and something does happen. That's a bit extreme and over the top, in my opinion.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I don't think anyone has any problem with people sleeping on their breaks and accidentally falling asleep does happen. It's the habit of sleeping that's a problem!

Specializes in nursing student.
nurses are people and people need naps. i don't see anything wrong with someone catching a few ZZZs as long as someone is covering the floor. just recently, a CNA *accidentally* fell asleep on the job (she was a very good CNA by the way) and one of the nurses took a picture of her while she was asleep and they ended up terminating her. I would HATE to work in such a backstabbing environment such as that! Also, one of the previous posters mentioned that you might be liable if I don't report someone sleeping and something does happen. That's a bit extreme and over the top, in my opinion.

Umm, you are at work to WORK, not catch up on your sleep. Where I work, it is grounds for termination. It is a type of job abandonment in my opinion. Say you go somewhere and go to sleep and no one is aware that you are off the floor and not watching your patients closely and they code. I can not honestly think that anyone would think that it was ok to sleep 1) While on the clock and 2) While you are responsible for the lives of other people. Day shift does not get naps at work so why should you expect night shift to get naps? It is, of course a different story if you only take a quick nap on your break but blatantly sleeping in the open or sneaking away to sleep when you are not on break is wrong and unsafe.

Specializes in MSP, Informatics.

I feel your pain. I worked with nurses that took naps all the time. Some just dead exhausted, and nodded off at the desk, and some that went off to get a nap. I would have to answer their lights while they were gone. they make the same money I do.... grrrrrrrr... :angryfire but what can you do... be the bad guy and repor them?

One Tele nurse was sleeping so soundly, I drew eyes on two post-it notes, and stuck them on her monitor while she slept. When the supervisor came arround, she woke up in a hurry. acted like she hadn't been asleep...and saw those drawn eyes looking at her from the monitor. Said What the Heck??? I told her, I though someone should keep an EYE on the monitors. :rotfl:

Specializes in nursing student.
One Tele nurse was sleeping so soundly, I drew eyes on two post-it notes, and stuck them on her monitor while she slept. When the supervisor came arround, she woke up in a hurry. acted like she hadn't been asleep...and saw those drawn eyes looking at her from the monitor. Said What the Heck??? I told her, I though someone should keep an EYE on the monitors. :rotfl:

:yeah::rollSorry, that's just toooooo funny.

I went into a LTC facility the other night for a visit to a Pt actively dying. Found 3 CNAs asleep in the hall, and one LPN watching TV.

This isn't unusual at all. I've been with agitated Pts while two CNAs spent a full two hours sitting at the end of the hall, and moved only to take their break. That place reeked of urine. :banghead:

Naturally, Pts don't get any prn meds at night, and some of these places will call hospice to send a nurse to sit with an agitated Pt because they "don't have anyone to do it." Well, you would if you WOKE UP.

Also, if you assess Pts pain and give needed pain medication they would not be so agitated. :down:

BTW, some of the worst offending facilities got good marks in the Medicare rankings. Why am I not surprised.

Day shift people get sleepy too. I've seen more than one person hit the desk and even fall out of their chair. So "switching to days" is not the catch all solution for sleep deprivation. Either way people have lives and responsibilities out side of their jobs that make getting enough sleep hard.

I didn't know it was wrong to take a brief nap while on break if one needs to. It beats scrwing up maybe fatally coz you're so tired you literally can't see straight or because of sleep deprivation induced hallucinations.

Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

I'm going to admit here that I have fallen asleep at the job. :(

I worked in ICU when I first started nursing. We had rotating shifts so you'd work early, late and night shifts. In many areas of nursing in Australia you have to work rotating shifts, and you HAVE to do your share of night duty.

In the ICU I worked you have one patient, when your not doing patient care you sit at a desk and monitor the screen. All I remember was looking at the screen, watching all the numbers and then I was out like a light. It happened several times. I just couldn't keep awake at my desk. The co ordinators didn't really mind because there is always a nurse next to you who can view your patients vitals anyway.

I no longer work the night shifts because I can't stay awake and the most annoying part about it is that as soon as I get home I can't even sleep in the daytime.

People who can't handle staying up all night like myself should not work nights. They should stick to day/afternoon shifts.

Umm, you are at work to WORK, not catch up on your sleep. Where I work, it is grounds for termination. It is a type of job abandonment in my opinion. Say you go somewhere and go to sleep and no one is aware that you are off the floor and not watching your patients closely and they code. I can not honestly think that anyone would think that it was ok to sleep 1) While on the clock and 2) While you are responsible for the lives of other people. Day shift does not get naps at work so why should you expect night shift to get naps? It is, of course a different story if you only take a quick nap on your break but blatantly sleeping in the open or sneaking away to sleep when you are not on break is wrong and unsafe.

We agree to disagree! If you can work your entire shift without a nap, then more power to you, sister. Do you work nights? It's hard to stay awake when the floor is dead quiet, patients are sleeping, and there's nothing to do. So take a nap, I say.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

inland...are you saying it's ok to sleep while you're at work but not on your break? I just want to get my details straight!

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