Nurses not prepared for report

As a charge nurse, I am often finding myself needing to use a computer at the main nurse's station to look something up, print off a report or write a brief note . . . but as of 6:30, the newbies of the next shift have taken over ALL of the computers (even the one with my coffee, jacket and bag plopped right there) to pre-collect data. There are plenty of computers on the unit that can be used, they don't have to use the charge computer where it's hardwired to print off my assignment sheets, transfer sheets, OR sheets, etc. right there. But they use it anyway instead of dispersing . . . . I'm grateful at least that they aren't hogging computers nurses need to finalize their charting, etc. But they take over MY computer, too, and force me to print from another computer on the far side of the unit and miss the manager and supervisor when they come by looking for me. Or else I boot them off my computer and have to deal with the attitude.

It's rude to take over the computers that the previous shift needs to complete their work, and it's poor time management to plan to do so.

Shouldn't there be a policy about how report should done? The process should be as streamlined as possible without needing anyone to clock in early.

At my facility we have SBAR type report sheets filled out by the night shift with the information that would be found on the Kardex, so the information is in front of us as report is being given. As changes occur during day shift, we add to and update the report sheet and give it to the next shift with all our notes so they know what occurred during the shift. There is a new sheet everyday and we just staple the old ones with the new ones so we have all the sheets from the previous days available and can easily look up notes and changes from the previous days.

I think report protocol varies depending on facility. I have never seen a Kardex! On my floor you are expected to take report immediately at 7a/p. some nurses come in early and look up pt info, some don't. Either way it is expected that you give the full rundown in handoff report. Giving report this way on 6 patients typically takes 20-30mins. It's unfair to expect nurses to come in early & unpaid- so unless you want to wait 15 minutes past shift change to start report? I don't think your new grads are doing anything wrong...

We use SBARs at our facility, but that doesn't necessarily mean you are going to get them before report. Some nurses are still filling them out at 0700/1900 even though they are supposed to be turned in an hour before shift change to give the secretaries time to copy them for the next shift. I actually had someone try to hand me a paper towel with info on it as report from a pt who had been there for 5 hours - I politely declined and made the person read it to me. As far as not being prepared for report, I try to subtly prompt people along by asking several general questions to get the ball rolling, then turn to the pt to verify the name/DOB - usually that given the other nurse enough time to dig through their papers to look for the answer. I do get "annoyed" when the same person is not prepared several days in a row or most of the time. I understand not being prepared once and a while, but report happens at the same time each day, learn to watch the clock and budget your time!