Last night I had to work as a sitter at a hospital 7p-7a and it was pure torture ! I've done it many times before, but it has been awhile since I did this.
Its soooo hard to sit in a dark room, in a recliner, and just sit and stare at the walls. No TV, NO internet, and definetly NO SLEEPING...I did bring my books, but reading about genetics counseling will put me to sleep in a heart beat. I know the above are not acceptable and I never do those things( or else I wouldn't have that job), but its just so darn hard to stay awake for 12 hours, in the dark, with nothing you can do to help yourself get through the shift.
My patient was pretty easy, all I had to do was make sure he did not get OOB. From 2-6 I found myself fighting sleep and my eyes were drier than the sahara desert.
I will try my best to never work that shift again as a sitter. I rather be a tech working a floor.
And then I come home to try to sleep and I can't. I slept for a few hours, but I was right back up again. I feel like a zombie.
Well thanks for letting me vent, and please share your advice with how to stay awake during a sitter case. :banghead:
I have never fallen asleep at work in my life, never. But there is a first time for everything and I am sure a 12 hour sift in a dark room sitting in a chair would be it.
i recommend the iphone. a wonderful device, i wish i had one when i used to do sitter duties. I was never lucky enough to have pt that didnt have to go pee 15 times thru the night, or try to climb the bedrails etc.
Back when I was a PCT, I all ways got stuck sitting because I was one of the few that didn't mind sitting. I used to get so much homework done that way.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
Because I am an avid reader, I would probably not be bored, but, eventually, it I have to say that would be hard to stay awake for an entire 12 hours. 8 maybe, but 12 is a bit much. I have had sitting cases where, while it was not a breeze, I did not dislike them because if the patient was quiet, I would complete entire novels with rapt interest (these were the days when I was a CNA, and before these modernized cell phones were available). If those cell phones were readily available those days, I probably would have opted to have a computer on my cell to communicate with allnurses.com all night long and do web surfing just to stay awake, after awhile.
I had a friend (an LPN), who had a home care assignment with a pediatric client. She quit in a week because it was a one bedroom railroad apartment where the entire family (including the nurse and client) remained in the living room for the entire day. The mother prefered that she, rather than the nurse did the treatments and suctioning. She had to watch whatever they were watching on television, listen to their preferences on the radio, etc... I guess she didn't like reading because she didn't mention that. She said she was so bored out of her mind that she would do their dishes and clean their kitchen just to have something to do.
:bighug: I have only been a sitter once , AND they let us watch tv. it was pure hell trying not to fall asleep and keeping my incoherent pt safe
I am not sure why it wouldn't be ok to read, use a computer, etc. These things are likely to actually result in a more alert sitter. If you're just sitting there, only the brain dead will remain more conscious than a window sill.
I'm a hospice nurse and every so often I get stuck doing continuous care. I take a book, and my computer (the computer is necessary since I can also be the triage nurse that night, but I can use it for other things. That includes reading nursing articles and these boards, among others)
It's simply much easier to stay awake and alert if you're doing something, rather than enforced vegging.
Oh my Gosh, I had MAJOR hallucinations last night ! I didn't want to admit it on here because I didn't want anyone to put me in a stray jacket or something. Anyway, it felt like the room was spining, I was seeing weird things, I even saw flames !
I feel like I'm killing my body ! I'm going against nature when my body want to sleep but I'm forcing my self to stay awake.
You can only stay awake for so long, at least without chemical help. All you can do is show up to work rested. If you're in a situation that tells the brain to sleep, it will eventually have its way. There were instances in the Civil War, for instance, in which cavalry troopers on long raids actually fell asleep while riding their horses, while engaged in combat.
I run across this sometimes when I do time of death calls. Family members, especially spouses, have been sleep-deprived for days, and they simply fall asleep at the bedside of their loved one........who often picks that time to die. I do my best to make sure the survivors don't feel guilty about sleeping. They literally cannot help it.
When I worked for an agency as a CNA I would be asked sometimes to sit with a patient during a 7p-7a shift. My boss said it would be ok since my daughter was sleeping anyway. I would say no thank you. Although everyone is sleeping I might of been one of them, too!
I did do two shifts of sitting with a patient in a rehab place for an 8 hour day shift and it was boring...I would pace around the room, write notes, even do squats while no one was looking.
What I found sad about it though was the patient's family hardly stop by to visit. They were prominent lawyers or business people who were too busy to spend time with their family member. Wouldn't even stay for more than five minutes and leave. I felt bad for the patient and thought that even thought I'm a stranger sitting with them, at least they aren't alone.
no. where I worked it was a violation to do "other" activities while sitting. No mp3, cell phone, books, etc.. Of course we had to sneak a book in or something to keep from going insane, but it definitely wasn't allowed and you never knew who was going to come into the room (sometimes management!). As a health care worker (PCT), we had our own pt assignment and gave shift-to-shift report like most nurses. There was only 1 "main" nurse, who primarily gave meds and did trach care (if u weren't a nurse yourself), unless you alerted the charge nurse to a problem, you were on your own with little interference.
While you sat imprisoned with your 1:1 assignment (usually brain injury/head trauma that flails around in bed cuz they're agitated), most times you were ignored. I absolutely hate sitting. Sometimes it wasn't too bad cuz they'd keep u busy by pulling their tubes when u had togive em their tube feed, etc...but most times it sucked and u did all u could to not fall asleep!
I use to be a sitter a lot while I was in the float pool. This was while I was in nursing school, so I always brought my study materials for my classes with me. I was able to get quite a bit of studying done in those 12 hours. However, even if I had a very active pt I would get very sleepy around 4 am, so I would pace the room to try to stay alert. I will tell you that I can and did fall sleep while pacing a room one night. What woke me up was the feeling of falling. I woke up right away or else I would have been doing a face dive into the floor that night.
I don't mind sitting in the daytime, but after 4 hours I become really restless. It helps to have a book, homework, or even a computer in the room. I avoid 7p-7a shifts as much as I can. I'm not a night owl.
:banghead:
oramar
5,758 Posts
I have never fallen asleep at work in my life, never. But there is a first time for everything and I am sure a 12 hour sift in a dark room sitting in a chair would be it.