Passing things on

[Nanz_B]

I have a question for your all. How do you feel when a nurse from the previous shift passes something on to you? I work 3P-11P and there are times when something could not get done during the day shift....or maybe the nurse simply forgot to do it. I don't know if it is because I am a new nurse...but I am happy to do whatever it is that needs to be done. I find that the night nurses tend to get a little perturbed when something is passed to them. Is it because patients should be sleeping at night? It isn't like the nurse has to give meds every hour of the night and doesn't have time. I've reviewed the eMar for some of my patients and see that the nurse doesn't have to give meds until 0600 sometimes. I work at an LTAC and alot of our patients can't do for themselves and need incontinent care and turning...and all that jazz.

But, I thought that we are all part of the same team. Why the rolled eyes and attitudes when something gets passed on?

[Rnis, BSN, DNP, APRN, NP]

It is never okay to pass on scheduled medications that are late unless pharmacy hasn't sent them up to the floor............regardless of the shift you work on. We have a nurse that when you come at 11 pm still hasn't given her 9 pm medications.........okay to pass on ? nope. she will have to go do that. I am a day shift nurse. i expect the night shift to get their 7am medications but i will gladly give it on occasion if they have had a rough night.

As a day shift nurse over time everything has fallen on day shift. Tubing that needs changed, picc line dressings, iv changes, baths, ostomy changes ect................. I try to never pass those on to pm shift but once in a blue moon it happens and they are clearly annoyed....It is what it is and some of those things are actually 'assigned' to their shift we just tend to do it for them. also if a patient comes back at 3pm and I leave at 3:30 I obviously won't get their admission done.....but it still leaves the next shift frustrated.

I don't get my panties in a bunch anymore when someone rolls their eyes at me or is annoyed with me..........most of the time that response is more to the their stress of their busy day ahead rather than anger. We all have stressful jobs.

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

It makes a difference to me if some attempt was made. I don't like coming in and hearing, the antibiotic was due at 0600 but the IV was bad and the patient said they were a really hard stick so we didn't try because I'm not at IVs and the supervisor was busy. At least make an effort, people!!

[sammiesmom]

The level of irritability of your next nurse is a measure of their character not mine. I am a hard worker and does everything I can on my shift. I work days on a total care floor so I do extra work than my night shift counterpart just because patients are awake during the day. I do baths, feeds, admission and discharges are more frequent, dressing changes, etc. I know night nurses who can finish a book during their shift and the irritation is probably from their pleasant night being altered by work which is what we are supposed to do right? I even know nurses who pushes sleeping pills on patients and Ativan and haldol at night so they will not be bothered while they cross stitch. If this is not you, then don't get mad at my post. If this is you, shame shame shame.

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

The level of irritability of your next nurse is a measure of their character not mine. I am a hard worker and does everything I can on my shift. I work days on a total care floor so I do extra work than my night shift counterpart just because patients are awake during the day. I do baths feeds, admission and discharges are more frequent, dressing changes, etc. I know night nurses who can finish a book during their shift and the irritation is probably from their pleasant night being altered by work which is what we are supposed to do right? I even know nurses who pushes sleeping pills on patients and Ativan and haldol at night so they will not be bothered while they cross stitch. If this is not you, then don't get mad at my post. If this is you, shame shame shame.[/quote']

I want to work night shift on your floor! It is NOT like that on my floor. I do PICC line and other dressing changes(we are an Onc floor so plenty of central lines), many patients are up all night, we get a ton of admissions, etc. If I'm lucky enough to have a good assignment I help other people with their tasks, lab draws etc or I do clerical work because we don't have a clerk on weekends. I've never read a book or cross stitched at work! But I love you continuing the stereotype that night nurses don't do anything.

[sammiesmom]

I'm not stereotyping. I'm talking in particular about my floor and not every hospital in United States of America.

[Rnis, BSN, DNP, APRN, NP]

Our night shift nurses are pretty busy. where i used to work I was the night shift and we could read books and crochet sometimes.....but definitely not where i am now. every environment is a little different.

[SwansonRN]

Days and nights are both busy in my unit, but busy in different ways. Its a 24 hour job, but as a rotator I know that certain things should be handled during the day while some should be done on night. Everything just runs more smoothly that way. I try to not give people a hard time during report, because I know how awful it feels to get berated after working hard for 12 hours. The only time I've ever had words with a nurse was when she passed on all her 6 o clock meds (lazy excuse) and didn't bother getting a fingerstick for the insulin she skipped. I also had 3 expired IVs (patients blood pressures was 80s systolic) and she left the patients temperature at 94 degrees with no rectal probe (another lazy excuse) and no warming device. Not to mention he was sitting in BM, laying practically sideways in bed, and his o2 mask was pushed up on his forehead sating high 80s. My blood was boiling. She played the "I had a busy night card" but I wasn't having it especially because I had to wait to get report until she was done chatting with another nurse for 20 min.

[MECO28, BSN, RN]

I will never understand this...not only is it illegal but you set yourself up for a lot of liability; you are not covered by the facility if something happens while you are off the clock. I get that you're all under a lot of pressure from all sides, but something else has to be worked out to make this stop happening.

I know it's wrong, Sapphire but in my defense it's just charting that I'm doing off the clock. I don't have a better solution; I can't skimp on charting, I refuse to skimp on patient care, and I get tired of being told I have poor time management skills. I would rather chart off the clock than be written up for constantly clocking out late.

[CrossCountryRN2008]

I've finally just cracked and will now clock out and continue to work like everyone else on my unit does. I know it's wrong but I prefer that to having management on my back.

And if something happened ie fire or shooting, the hospital is not accountable for anyone off the clock being there and can come after you for trespassing.

[MECO28, BSN, RN]

And if something happened ie fire or shooting, the hospital is not accountable for anyone off the clock being there and can come after you for trespassing.

Well then I guess I'd be out of luck. Like I said, I recognize that it's wrong; so is mandatory overtime, understaffing, the customer service model, and the healthcare system in the USA. But not being independently wealthy nor irreplaceable in a crappy job market I'm not about to make waves right now. And despite my bitterness at times, I actually do like being a nurse.

[sammiesmom]

There is a nurse in my hospital who stays 3-4 hours to chart every single day! I'm normally working the unit but I've done the floor too and it is doable to get out in time 99% of the time.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

I work nights and try to create good relationships with the day nurses. If a tube feeding will run out at 8:30AM, I change it before I go. I do the same thing with IV fluids. If an antibiotic is due at 8AM, I set it up on the pump so the day nurse only has to press "start". I set up a plan for dressing changes during the night with people who need them...even if they're usually done during the day. Our vitals are taken at 4AM, so people get woken up for that, anyway ...and they're usually waking up and calling for pain medication, too. Night shift is not responsible for giving breakfast insulin, but unless the patient drops low at times, I give it.

When there's something I can't get to and have to pass it on, the day nurses are always happy to take over. And if they're not happy, they at least don't roll their eyes. Likewise, the day nurses are always considerate of us and we don't mind when things get passed on. We are all very cooperative on my unit and I am very grateful for that fact!