So I am having an issue with giving a particular nurse report. The problem is that she expects the reporting nurse to "spoon feed" her every minute detail beginning with circumstances surrounding reason for admission up to the current time. She's expects this from everyone, not only me and it's well known throughout our unit that if you see that you're giving report to this person, you know you will not be leaving on time.
Some of our patients have quite lengthy stays and are very complex, depending on their circumstances and you can imagine where it then becomes tedious to review every single thing/test/lab/etc that has occurred.
Recently, as one example, she was receiving three patients and another nurse had started giving her report on two of those patients. I also had to give report on three patients; I gave report on two of mine to another nurse in fifteen minutes. I go over to where the nurse who takes forever is getting report and wait for about ten minutes. Finally, I say something like, "all done?" or "You ready for me?" and I am told they have just finished report on ONE patient. So it's now 25 minutes into the half hour we have to give report and I am expected to wait likely another 20 minutes to even begin. The nurse giving her report kind of rolled their eyes as they know how it is.
I know that the charge nurses and manager are aware of this but everyone accommodates her repeatedly.
My question is....how can I put my foot down and refuse to stay over every time I give her report, based solely on the fact that she asks a million nonpertinent questions, interrupts constantly and wants to be informed of every little detail? I would like to say to her, when it's time for me to leave and it's obvious I'm not going to get done anytime soon (or haven't even begun yet), "I have updated the report sheet....any further questions can be directed to the charge nurse as I have obligations at home and I must leave on time today." Of course I would notifiy the charge nurse also. I don't want to to be accused of patient abandonment.
this isn't some Jeopardy quiz show. I don't like how you badger me in report for old labs, her first echo and irrelevant information.in fact it sucks. i don't do that to you.
You need to be quiet and listen so we can get through it in a timely manner.
If I ask you about the morning ABG or for the last H&H on a GIB do not tell me it's in the chart!
I will tell YOU to go get it.
It is your job and common courtesy to provide the pertinent information for transfer of care.
I don't think a soul would disagree with you on that score. It does seem, though, that the degree of inquisition, the extent to which non-relevant information is requested is making the report situation unbearable.
Once upon a time, I used to report to a charge nurse who wanted EVERY.MINUTE.DETAIL of my patients' life experiences since entering the hospital. Information that was old should stay old; if you've heard it before (and it was days ago) why are we discussing it again? Memory Lane? If it's relevant, I'm SPEAKING. If you're not hearing something you think relevant, please by all means ask. However, if you continually request the previous two days' Foley outputs (and this is a stable non-kidney-function impaired patient) by all means look it up in the chart and let me go home.
Time's moved on, I no longer work the floor, and I definitely feel for the OP with this kind of report hound. Painful.
Honestly... She sounds like a NICU nurse. We're like that. OCD-ish.
Trust me, I'm with you there.... I am about as OCD as they get. I just don't expect others to provide me with the information I want/need to know. I can read therefore I find it on my own.
What sort of unnecessary information are they asking for? I find it useful sometimes to spend some extra time in report on one day to discuss what information should be, and shouldn't be in report, this just makes that report take longer, but hopefully it shortens report in the long run.
I have been in this situation myself and, although I hate to say it, it often times is with a lazy nurse. She drags out report because she don't "officially" begin until after report. I have many times stayed over for this and then have a pt fall (which was my responsibility since she hadn't gotten report) causing me to stay over longer. Then after giving this lengthy report with every little detail, which she of course writes down and has right in front of her, a phone call comes in from a family member or doctor I had left a message for. At this time (while I'm documenting the incident from fall trying desperately to finish and leave because I gotta be back the next morning) the other nurse says on the phone "I'm sorry, I just got here, let me have you speak with the nurse that was here and left the message. Sometimes this action makes me wonder what they do when families call after I'm gone. Sometimes I'm surprised that I don't get calls from families at home or I wonder if they tell them to call back tomorrow. I don't know if this is the case in the op. It could be a number of things but the above is my experience. Sometimes I just deal with it and go on because I know it will be done if I do it. With the phone calls I will often say look at your notes and you can tell them what the call was for because you just wrote it down and if you need to you can also refer to the chart because it's in there too!
Sent from my iPhone using allnurses. Angi/LPN (?RN)
Trust me, I'm with you there.... I am about as OCD as they get. I just don't expect others to provide me with the information I want/need to know. I can read therefore I find it on my own.
Exactly. If the off going nurse doesn't have a detail I want, I'll just look it up myself.
What's so hard about looking in the chart and in the computer for impertinent information? I would really put my foot down on that! Working med/surg or tele, who has time for that?
Sounds like the spoon fed nurse is lazy. I've worked with nurses who are like that. If a patient has been there a long time all you will get from me is some basic background info, and a detailed report on what the problems are today. If you need more than that, there is the chart. Buh Bye.
Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.
As I said before the reality is that incidental overtime reflects poorly on you and is being caused by this "I gotta have you tell me everything nurse". You need to tell her she cannot ask any questions until you finish the report and do not wait until she writes everything down...just keep talking ...she gets the remainder of the time allotment oft that patient to ask questions. will sh be frustrated and anxious Yes!.... she will an hopefully that will prompt her to make changes. If she does have the skills necessary to work in this fast paced complex environment then maybe she needs to find another job. I love to make my own work forms..all the work flow and report foams ad data collection tools we use I made. I would make my own report form ...write it out for each patient....then read it to her then hand it to her...so you will eliminate the need for her to write everything down...say..look I already wrote it for her so just listen for now...maybe you can eliminate the written from if she can get her act together but I doubt it since she has been a nurse for 20 years and can't seem to get this right yet. This way you take control of your exit plan and can get out on time.
ICURN3020
392 Posts
Nope, not new to the hospital or ICU. From what I've seen, she does take good care of the patients and is not afraid to advocate for them.