Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
allnurses

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.
Discussion

Shift Report

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.

Featured Replies

Oh have touched upon a "sticky" topic. I give report to the oncoming day shift nurses and usually I hear "oh you got your hair cut"; "we did this last night..." who cares??? All I want to do is give my report and get the heck out of dodge after a 12 hour shift especially after a really bad night.

I still have not found a solution to the rolling eyes or sighs and I have been giving report to these nurses for 3 1/2 years. So I just keep talking and make sure I write everything down on my report sheet which I make a copy of (for my records-which I leave at work in my locker) after whiting out pt names. It is filed in a notebook and goes to our nurse manager once a week. Still it is frustrating to try and pass along vital info.

Oh have touched upon a "sticky" topic. I give report to the oncoming day shift nurses and usually I hear "oh you got your hair cut"; "we did this last night..." who cares??? All I want to do is give my report and get the heck out of dodge after a 12 hour shift especially after a really bad night.

Hmm, I am definately one that has a little pleasant conversation most of the time as we're walking to the patient's chart. I didn't realize some people were put off by it. It definately isn't the nurse I'm giving report too. Trust me, I want to get out of there too. It can take up to an hour to give report for 8 patients, but it definately is not because I mention to the nurse that I like her hair that day. I feel one reason I don't get the rolling of the eyes by the nurses I give report to is because I get along so well with the other nurses, not to mention getting my stuff done and knowing about the patient before giving report. And if something wasn't done before giving report, it get's done - by me.

So I just keep talking and make sure I write everything down on my report sheet which I make a copy of (for my records-which I leave at work in my locker) after whiting out pt names. It is filed in a notebook and goes to our nurse manager once a week.
Why do you do this? Is this something required of all the nurses?

Most nurses keep a copy of their report sheets in their mailboxes or lockers as for a while it was a BIG problem with info that was passed on to be followed up with social workers, admin, MD and such. NOC nurses have a hard time trying to follow up with certain orders as there is no one there and you wind up playing phone or message tag which means sometimes a pt may get d/c before things get done. (Admin :angryfire on any overtime). The nurse mgr required that all reports be turned in once a week so that random checks could be done by her to make things were done in a timely manner.

For a while that worked fine however it has fallen back to "you didn't pass it along in report" or "you wrote that WHEN??". It is a pitty that grown ups have to be so petty. I've tried waiting out personal conversations, which i don't mind and like to join in but after report, talking over, thru, and around; sometimes just saying it's on the report sheet read it and leave. I still haven't found a solution - maybe they just don't want to hear what I have to say but at least as I attempt to pass along info I feel like that I have done my job.

Why can't some people just GROW UP? You know, I am not afraid of all the gross things nurses have to endure (poop, throw-up, etc) but I am afraid of having to deal with such immaturity with co-workers!

Love your comment. Straight to the point. Likewise with eveyone. Gee this forum really speaks. I have the same problem.

One nurse gave me pointers like the MAR/MEDEX. The company has behavioral sheets attach, she told me to write the topics down so when I give report I can mention that. It sounded good at first but when you have more then a dozen resident with multiple problems, it becomes boredom. I only did that once until I was going to give her the shift report. I wrote down it all....and you know what she said after the first resident? "just tell me if there is any changes with the residents." to which my reply was "okay." After that I felt so damn pissed b/c you know how long it took my time just to do that, and when she passes her meds she'll eventually see it.

Thanks to you all, I learned more....but one thing I notice with nurses and reports......lots of the "no complaints, she/he's fine, nothing to report." are all those terms good to use or should we say a second or two about them like, "slept all night or rested quietly".....that kinda sounds the same....I don't know, any thoughts?

Just me, just wondering

  • Experts
Thanks to you all, I learned more....but one thing I notice with nurses and reports......lots of the "no complaints, she/he's fine, nothing to report." are all those terms good to use or should we say a second or two about them like, "slept all night or rested quietly".....that kinda sounds the same....I don't know, any thoughts? Just me, just wondering

Well, report to me, is just an informal passing on of information, so I don't think that language you use is that important. I, personally, would mention that someone had been sleeping every time I had checked them during the night and he had an uneventful night. The reason I would say it that way is because there were times when I came back to work and heard that a patient had complained he hadn't gotten one wink of sleep and had had a miserable night. What a surprise to me! That same patient who slept all night and we had heard nothing from? Yup. Since then, I've always wanted the on coming day shift to know that the patient was asleep every time I saw him, had no complaints. At least, I'm less likely to get a call at 10am asking about the person's night. I've had reports from 3-11 people that a patient was "OK" and my first contact with the same patient turned out to be an unloading by the patient about all the things that had gone wrong for him during the afternoon and evening. But, to my way of thinking, the most important things to know about in report are tests, new important doctors orders, or any big events that occurred with the patient during the day. Some things, like emotional upsets don't always get charted on, nor should they be documented, but you still want to know about them.

WONDERFUL!!!

Great insight on life in general, and you are very gifted in expressing yourself. This helped me tremendously.

thank you Miranda!!!

Jim

hmm, i am definately one that has a little pleasant conversation most of the time as we're walking to the patient's chart. i didn't realize some people were put off by it. it definately isn't the nurse i'm giving report too. trust me, i want to get out of there too. it can take up to an hour to give report for 8 patients, but it definately is not because imention to the nurse that i like her hair that day. i feel one reason i don't get the rolling of the eyes by the nurses i give report to is because i get along so well with the other nurses, not to mention getting my stuff done and knowing about the patient before giving report. and if something wasn't done before giving report, it get's done - by me.

what is it you are really trying to say here????

remember that nursing is about caring for others and that includes fellow nurses. there is no "i" in team.

What is it you are REALLY trying to say here????

Remember that nursing is about caring for others and that includes fellow nurses. There is no "I" in TEAM.

I'm confused. Why are you upset about my post? I work well with others, (nurses, NAs, NTs, secretaries, etc) and I complete my work. Is there something wrong with that?

{I'm confused. Why are you upset about my post? I work well with others, (nurses, NAs, NTs, secretaries, etc) and I complete my work. Is there something wrong with that?}

Nothing wrong with that. I must have mis-interpreted your previous post....it was my mistake not yours.

There will always be nurses that do things like this, no matter how good you are. There is one nurse on my unit who was actually a classmate of mine, (graduated the same day, started work the same day);that I swear can't possibly listen to a word that I am saying because she must be trying to find something to call me on...

Just an example: Pt is a 58 yr old patient who received a double lung transplant 10 days ago, with a history of COPD, hypertension and smoking....

This nurse then asked how many pack years the patient had smoked. What does it matter, she doesn't have those lungs anymore, and they wouldn't have given them to her if she still did

I don't mind the attitude as much from the more experienced nurses, although it can be really really annoying. I burns my butt to have this attitude from someone with not one day more of experience on the floor. I hate giving her report, as for the others, I know the styles of the rest of the oncoming shift well enough that I am usually able to tailor report to the individual nurse.

Don't give up, it will get better.

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

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
Go to topic listing

Currently Reading 0

  • No registered users viewing this page.

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.