Nurses that are late for report

Cherybaby · May 31, 2009

Wow. I have run into the same situation SO many times. I am completely cool with the nurse that calls in and says she is running a little late because of kids, car or other last minute calamaties. However I once had a nurse come in late to report because she was getting her nails done. ARGH! Are you kidding me? Then there are the ones who feel the need to just have ONE more cigarette before coming in. I'm sitting there waiting to give report...hello? A little consideration please? I have children. Family. A life I would like to get home to.

Another problem I have encountered are the nurses who fly out the door and leave their report sheets behind. Have you ever encountered that? I am supposed to decipher your notes and scribble? Had a co-worker who would leave the second I showed up and just say "here's my notes". Well, I let it slide a few times...but eventually I had to call her on it and tell her she needs to give me report properly. She got really nasty with me as if I was disrupting her life! :) Oh well!

In my 10 years in the medical field I have encountered patients who make me cringe, doctors I wanna slap and family members that I want to kick in the rear. None of those things get me as angry as the inconsideration that nurses show to one another.

Aren't we all on the same team, after all?

chicookie, BSN, RN · May 31, 2009

I understand if its once but all the time! That gets so annoying!

I usually have a brain for the on coming shift, highlighted with things they have to do, labs and etc. It makes shift change go so much quicker. That way I am only a couple minutes late if they are late. If they get snippy I tell them "don't get snippy with me, you're late!"

I Have an Attitude problem though..........

eh nurses are special.....

Cherybaby · May 31, 2009

I understand if its once but all the time! That gets so annoying!
I usually have a brain for the on coming shift, highlighted with things they have to do, labs and etc. It makes shift change go so much quicker. That way I am only a couple minutes late if they are late. If they get snippy I tell them "don't get snippy with me, you're late!"
I Have an Attitude problem though..........
eh nurses are special.....

:yeah:

caliotter3 · May 31, 2009

I am there at least 10 minutes early so I can receive report and the offgoing person can leave on time. If I am more than 10 minutes early I will sit down and relax until it is time for me to start or, in a facility, do my own walk through, if not required to do a walk through with the offgoing nurse. There is no reason for anyone to leave late because of me. In contrast, a nurse I knew had a reputation throughout the community for coming to work late. In at least one situation that I knew about, her reputation kept her from being considered for a job. It's pretty bad when your bad habits are talked about in the community, by people who are responsible for hiring and firing, no less.

BEDPAN76 · May 31, 2009

Don't you love it when: 1) the oncoming nurse shows up at 7:05 instead of 6:45. 2) slowly walks into the pantry to put her lunch in the fridge 3) Hangs up her coat and puts her lab jacket on 4) walks over to the desk looking for a report sheet 5) Then proceeds to question every damn little thing in your report. "What was the albumin level yesterday?". Thankfully I'm not at that job anymore. I feel your frustration, though! :yelclap:

allnurses Guide · May 31, 2009

I consider it a courtesy that report happens quickly enough the off going shift can leave before 7:30. Our assignments are made at 7 by the charge, and then we get report. The majority of us get to leave well before the end of the half hour overlap, but expecting people to come before their shift actually starts bugs me. We overlap by 30 minutes for a reason. Its a courtesy, not a right! Some of our charge nurse meetings were about charge having to come 15 minutes early to make assignments; "of course, we can't require it of you, but..." Ah, no.

No, I also have a life, and I do my best to be there at 7 ready to start, but getting there early just so someone else doesn't have to work their whole shift is a bit much.

Years ago I used to be consistently 5-10 minutes late, but decided I just wasn't going to do that anymore and cleaned up my act without anyone having to tell me to. If I blow it, over sleep or something, I call ahead, but that is pretty rare anymore.

It all comes down to respect.

Fortunately, the (newish) manager started monitoring late clockins, when there was a clear pattern of lateness, a whole bunch of nurses got called in (one at a time but on the same day) and counseled about it. Things have shaped up a bit

vashtee, RN · May 31, 2009

No, I also have a life, and I do my best to be there at 7 ready to start, but getting there early just so someone else doesn't have to work their whole shift is a bit much.

???

I'm not sure you understood my post (if that's what you were referring to). The oncoming shift is due at 7pm, and day shift has until 730 to give report on all their patients. When a night nurse shows up at 715 (late), it causes the day nurses to get out late. No one is getting out of their shift early.

Also, I don't expect anyone else to get in early. I personally chhose to go in a few minutes early so that I am ready to receive report at 7am, just as I am hired to do. After all, I am being paid to work beginning at 7 - not to come strolling in later than that and take my time getting down to business..

Rabid Response · May 31, 2009

I often have to give report to a nurse who is nearly always late for work. This particular nurse is late by 15 minutes or more. She does call but only AFTER 0700, and never gets onto the unit until after 0715. The first thing she does is clock in and then instead of rushing over to get report(!) she takes her sweet time putting her stuff away in her locker, visiting the break room, etc... as if there is no one waiting for her at all. To add insult to injury, giving report to her takes forever because she is one of those nurses that asks a million stupid questions that she could look up the answers to herself. Every time I see that she's taking over my assignment, I have to groan.

Our management recently warned us about accruing "incremental overtime" by staying past the end of our shifts. We were told that if the oncoming nurse is late, we should be giving report to a manager or charge. Last time this nurse was late on me, that is just what I did. After 0715 I grabbed the ANM and told him, "I'm giving you report on my patients because X is late, and I don't want to accrue overtime." He was bummed, but what could he say after his big lecture? Sure enough, near the end of report, tardy girl strolls onto the unit. When she saw her assignment and that I was giving report to the ANM she tried to rush on over for a change. She actually tried to interrupt report! I told her, "Sorry, I'm nearly finished and due to clock out in 3 minutes. You need to get report from HIM (ANM)." Boy did that feel great. I can't wait until the next time I have to give her report; I won't even wait until 0715 to grab a manager!

SweetLemon · May 31, 2009

I figure everyone gets one unexcused late pass in which you can sneak into report and not need to explain yourself every 6 months or so. Otherwise as stated above if your going to be late you should at least have a darn good excuse for it and call and let us know. One thing that drives me a little batty though are people who are constantly calling in and asking for favors because of an "emergency". If your emergencies are occurring on a weekly basis I think you may need to do a little bit of reflection on how your life is run and ways to prevent this kind of thing from happening ahead of time. I don't mean to sound cold hearted and I realize that people with children and busy lives outside of work have much to juggle but I refuse to constantly pick up the slack because you refuse to get out of bed 20min earlier. :trout:

caliotter3 · May 31, 2009

I often have to give report to a nurse who is nearly always late for work. This particular nurse is late by 15 minutes or more. She does call but only AFTER 0700, and never gets onto the unit until after 0715. The first thing she does is clock in and then instead of rushing over to get report(!) she takes her sweet time putting her stuff away in her locker, visiting the break room, etc... as if there is no one waiting for her at all. To add insult to injury, giving report to her takes forever because she is one of those nurses that asks a million stupid questions that she could look up the answers to herself. Every time I see that she's taking over my assignment, I have to groan.
Our management recently warned us about accruing "incremental overtime" by staying past the end of our shifts. We were told that if the oncoming nurse is late, we should be giving report to a manager or charge. Last time this nurse was late on me, that is just what I did. After 0715 I grabbed the ANM and told him, "I'm giving you report on my patients because X is late, and I don't want to accrue overtime." He was bummed, but what could he say after his big lecture? Sure enough, near the end of report, tardy girl strolls onto the unit. When she saw her assignment and that I was giving report to the ANM she tried to rush on over for a change. She actually tried to interrupt report! I told her, "Sorry, I'm nearly finished and due to clock out in 3 minutes. You need to get report from HIM (ANM)." Boy did that feel great. I can't wait until the next time I have to give her report; I won't even wait until 0715 to grab a manager!

Get the manager at 0710. The third time it happens, get the manager at 0705. Encourage your coworkers to do the same.

SweetLemon · May 31, 2009

Oh and another thing I have found to be really helpful is when anyone at my facility is late they are required to call in and they cannot call in directly to the unit. It is policy that if you are going to be 5 or more minutes late you have to call the shift supervisor and that I suspect it is not a fun thing to have to do. But the only thing you must do to remedy it is show up on time :yeah: