Shift Report

[ladytopaz]

I am a first year nurse, graduated in June of 2005. I am having one heck of a time being able to give report off to the next shift without the oncoming nurse making rude comments, rolling of the eyes and what not. What the heck am I doing wrong? I spoke with my mentor and she told me that each nurse wants different things. Some only want what has happened to that patient just during your shift, others want 'everything'. Shouldn't everything be the same?

This is a second career for me, I am 48, used to work in management and am by no means a 'dummy' but I am really getting to feel inferior as to my skills and am starting to question as to whether I really made the right decision to go into nursing.

I am on the verge of going to our unit manager and having a talk with her it has gotten so bad. (As in my mentor getting complaints about how I give report. That's when she told me about how some want report and some don't)

Has anyone else run into this type of problem? If so, how did you handle it?

Thank you in advance for all your suggestions/ help.

[AtlantaRN, RN]

My first hospital job as a new grad, the assistant nurse manager worked the night shift, and she was a *itch...she was giving me and another new nurse the business (after we had both worked a total of 16h to help out the hospital so they wouldn't have to get 2 agency nurses), the good thing was, our day shift manager ALSO worked 16h and witnesses what this so called "asst mgt" did, rolling her eyes, etc, making comments under her breath like "it'll take me til 2am to straighten this mess up"...

Our day shift nurse manager wrote her ugly butt up!!! After 2 weeks, she was no longer assistant nurse manager because of her behavior toward 2 new nurses...The GOOD thing about it was I told myself, the new grad, and our manager that I would always remember her behavior and remember what it is like to be a new grad and I would always treat folks with respect...

I just took a new position in the IMCU, and it is SO much different that the floor...on the floor, we would just hit the highlights, and more focus on the family/social issues the patient was dealing with...where as in the IMCU/ICU, they want history, then head to toe....I haven't been formally trained in that area, and just doing the best that I can; I just ask them what they want...

When you tell an ICU nurse that a patient is on heparin, they want to know why (well the patient is post op and he has a history of atrial fib, and because he had abd surgery, he can't get back on his coumadin until his gut sounds return)...for the most part, they have been great with me. I TELL them i'm new to this department and I'm used to floor nursing for 10 yrs...

re: 3rd shift...some folks can be really mean...i've heard of ICU nurses fighting in front of the patients and families!!! but there are mean folks on every shift...just takes a strong person to write them up (i've found folks that have been fine, then get real ugly have family issues going on that makes their nerves raw)

Hang in there! nursing is a learning process whether you are in your first position, or in there for 30 yrs.

linda

[AtlantaRN, RN]

sometimes the nurses that want such a diligent report, are the ones that don't assess their patients, and should you work a 16h shift, they are the ones parrotting back the same information you gave them 16h ago!!!

linda

really how many packs did they smoke? why didn't she ask you what color eyes the patient has? just as relevent

[CC, RN]

I have 17 years experience icu, ccu, psychiatry, ed and mgt. Also, I have several degrees. All around, nurses will want to tear you down to make themselves feel better especially when they feel threaten especially by older nurses such as ourselves that are smart, have had other careers, and education. My best advice to you for shift report is this: Concentrate and what you are doing when you give report. Don't let the person rattle you. Continue to keep your train of thought through her charades and state the facts about the patient for the patient's sake and welfare. If the pt is on the floor for more than three days, go back three days. Give a short short synopsis of why the pt is on the floor, the surgical procedures the patient has received. The highlights only for those three days athat are significant such at arrhythmias, codes, blood transfusions and number. Then tell in detail presently what happened in your day. What condition your patient was in at the beginnning of your day, what you did to help his condition, if the conditions worsened or improved with treatments and meds. What iv treaments received and continues. What equipment is presently in use or needs to be used on the next shift. What orders that are outstanding that the next shift need completed. And, the condition that you are leaving the pt in, such as nsr, a-fib, knee immobilizer in place, etc. Then ask, do you have any other questions for me? If none. Document that you gave report to the on coming nurse to his or her satisfaction.