Ouch, I'm tired!!!!!!!

nursiev · Nov 5, 2001

Let me tell you.....I AM SOOOOOOO TIRED RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

I had the team from you-know-where tonight. Nine patients, one of which was actively having another CVA (so dealing w/dr's, ct, etc.), one developd gross hematuria, one became unresponsive, another not only became unresponsive but also developed sever resp distress, another kept yelling she needed her colostomy emptied....ETC ETC ETC. it just kept going constant one thing after another all night....BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT MADE ME SO TIRED... i walked past an empty room and saw a nurse who is usually on night shift sitting in the recliner with her feet up watching TV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes and commented to one of the pca's about it. she said that she had been in there for 2 1/2 hours stating "my work is done, i have an easy team" (!!!!!!!). Needless to say I was too busy to tell her to myself, but quickly had the charge nurse go in there and tell her to get her butt out there pronto!!! That made me realize just how tired i was all of a sudden seeing her there with her feet up! in other words:

LAZY NURSES MAKE ME TIRED!!!!!!

thank goodness our normal shift is so wonderful.

micro, RN · Nov 5, 2001

nursiev, love smilie!!! that you choose to describe yourself!!!!! me, too!!!!! what a night!!!! a nurse that would sit and watch tv for 2 1/2 hrs. whatever happened to teamwork????? think i know the answer to that. and then don't you love it when those nurses sit around and are reading magazines(easy teams), and then make comments to you about why you look so frazzled!!!!! oh, well. i am off for two days. reenergize!!!!! no more two twelves in payperiod. duhhhh!!!!!!! to me

micro:p

deespoohbear · Nov 6, 2001

I just got done doing 3 12's (days) in a row, which turned out to be 13 and 14 hour shifts. I am so tired, I don't know if I can get to sleep. I just keep staring at the computer. My problem today wasn't lazy nurses, it was arrogant doctors and CNA's. Doctor #1 chewed on me because I didn't notify him of an admission on Sunday at 7am. Our hospital policy is that the ER will contact the attending physician and inform him of the admission, unless they are unable to reach him. Then, they are to let us know that they did not contact the dr. and we need to. This pt had nothing about this in ER record that the physician wasn't notified, nor did they tell me in report he hadn't been notified. The dr said I should have noticed that he didn't round on the pt. Excuse me, but I am not running a babysitting service for people who have over 12 years of post high school graduation. I was too damn busy trying to keep up with my other 7 patients. I told him he could have looked at our census board and saw his name by the patient's name and made the connection!! Then, I left. Doctor # 2 wants me to d/c a foley on a pt who is morbidly obese with open wounds on her bottom and in the folds of her abd. She also was inflammed in the groin area and it looked raw. Plus, I doubt if this lady is able tell when she has to urinate. I informed the office nurse of the pt's skin condition and probable incont.. She said the doctor wanted that foley out because the nursing home doesn't like their pts to have foleys. So, I was suppose to do bladder training (yeah, right) and then d/c the foley. Our bladder training program is suppose to begin 36 hours before you want to pull the foley. I was suppose to have the bladder training and the foley d/c in about 12 hours. Yeah, right. So now, the NH (she is supposed to be transferred tomorrow) will be griping at us because of the open wounds she has. Just never ends does it? Thanks for letting me vent. I am sleepy now, so it is off to bed I go. No work tomorrow for me!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!

micro, RN · Nov 6, 2001

:eek: :eek: :eek: Hi, Deespoohbear!!!!!

Yikes, your dr. #2, yeah, let's just whip out a foley without any consideration and perform miracles would you to the skin and incontinence.

Worked out there in LTC also. Believe you me, the nurses on the floor aren't the ones griping about foleys being in. They wish they could stay in also!!!!!

What a fun time we have daily!!!!! Those twelves that turn into 14's are kickers, aren't they?????

I don't have to work tomorrow either. Hip!!!!!!!!!

Micro:eek: :eek: :eek:

ICUBecky · Nov 6, 2001

3 7p-7a in a row. sucks. i go home and sleep until about 5p after my last night shift and then go to bed around midnight and sleep through the whole night, b/c i am so damn tired. i'm a rotator, and my poor body doesn't get used to staying up through the night. EVER. i have one more night to work tonight and 2 weeks vacation. praise the lord!!

deespoohbear · Nov 6, 2001

I don't know how you night nurses do 3 7p-7a shifts in a row!! My hats are off to you!! About 1/2 way through the second night I would be about as useful as a fart in a whirlwind!!! I feel useless after 3 day 12's!!!

Agnus · Nov 6, 2001

Gee wiz. I logged on to ask how anyone copes with night shift, when I found this thread. I have been working nights for 3 months now. Fortunately we have a great group of professionals, CNA and Nurses. There is no such thing as, "that's not my patient." That nurse you described would not have lasted here on days or nights. By the way who has TIME to watch TV for 2 1/2 hours? Anyway I no longer have a regular sleep pattern anymore, have gained wieght I lost back because I can't get my eating pattern regular. On my day's off I don't know weather to be awake or sleep. I know this is not healthy. I sometimes stop my car to sleep on the way home. (55mile drive) I actually think I have adjusted quite well to nights but I'd like some advice especially on setting routiens for my day's off. Is'nt it funny the rest of the world seems to expect you to live a day life on days off.

VAC · Nov 6, 2001

Originally posted by deespoohbear
I don't know how you night nurses do 3 7p-7a shifts in a row!! My hats are off to you!! About 1/2 way through the second night I would be about as useful as a fart in a whirlwind!!! I feel usele
ess after 3 day 12's!!!

Working the night shifts consecutively is the only way for me to cope with having to be a 'day' person for the kids on my day's off.

KRVRN, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2001

It's either an extrememly slow night or an extremely busy night with pts crashing that makes me all worn out.

Obviously when things are really hectic and there's a lot of stat orders and things to do you get tired. But when it's extremely slow things can get really boring. I work in a level III NICU so I never have more than 2 pts. If my pts are all situated, assessed, fed, medicated as ordered and comfortable, there can be stretches of 2 hours where I have nothing to do. Then, if everyone else is okay with their pts and doesn't need help, the nights can get really long. Very few families visit at 3 AM, so there's no interaction there. Sometimes I'll go over to our level II side where they have 3-4 pts to offer help, but they're usually all caught up too. So sometimes there's a whole flock of nurses that are just sitting around chatting, reading magazines and knitting --and getting paid to do it!

There's only so much straightening and restocking of bedsides you can do, you know?

frann · Nov 6, 2001

I quit! I quit!

I quit yesterday. Oh it feels so good. I've worked 10 years on a busy medical floor. I want to have anormal life for a while. I'm tired of going 12 hours+ without a bathroom break or water break. It was so easy. Now I just need to figure out what I want to be. Walmart hiring greeters?

micro, RN · Nov 6, 2001

Good for you, Fran!!!!!!! Just do yourself a favor and keep your nursing license open. You will always have opportunity back in after a well deserved break from the trenches. I'm envious!!!!!

Greet away!!!!!!!!!

Micro:p :p