Shift Wars! Just need to vent...

[RxOnly]

(This turned out to be a novel! Sorry.. had a lot to say!)

I work 11pm - 7:30am four nights a week at a court-mandated substance abuse detox facility. I love working nights and I really like the job, but lately I've been getting stressed out so easily at work and I think it's because of those never-ending "shift wars". Admissions start coming in during the 3-11 shift after the courts close. 3-11 has been cut from 3 nurses to 2 due to budget constraints, so more and more admissions are rolling over onto the night shift. For the most part, the nurses that work 3-11 bust their little behinds and get as much done as they possibly can- and us night nurses greatly appreciate it!

There are 2 night nurses, so we split the work up the best we can: calling insurances (which takes forever!), completing multiple admissions, verifying their medications with the pharmacy, preparing the next day's discharges, preparing the methadone lists, charting on all of the detox clients, caring for 30 clients on the detox unit, sharing responsibility for the other 90 clients on the stepdown units in the building, doing controls, 5am med pass on the detox unit, 6am blood sugars for all diabetic clients in the building, rounding throughout the building every 2 hours, plus all of the general "housekeeping" duties like putting together more protocol sheets and filing, etc. There is plenty to do to keep us busy for eight hours.

Here's the big problem: the day nurses don't get it. They don't understand that the admissions process with clients takes up half of the shift (while we're juggling our sick clients on the unit and trying to keep up with rounds at the same time) and the paperwork duties take up the other half. They insist that night shift is easiest and that nothing should be left for them in the morning. Usually nothing is left for them, but they huff and puff if they have to make so much as a phonecall to a pharmacy that was closed overnight! We give excellent care overnight, but I still get bombarded with questions that make me second-guess myself during report. One nurse (who I'll just call "S"), is a very nice girl and a newly licensed B.S.N. who started her first job at this facility about 8 months ago. Forgive me for saying this, but she's a plain old know-it-all who DOESN'T know it all. We get along great when we just chat about life, but she talks to me like I'm a toddler when it comes to nursing and all but faints when someone's systolic creeps even slightly over 140 (Hello, they're detoxing! Good BP's are hard to come by at this place! Plus, we always address them if need be.)... When another nurse made a comment about how easy we have it on night shift, I was quick to defend myself by saying "Things have changed so much since they cut that 3rd evening nurse- lots of admissions roll over to our shift and it's extremely time consuming". "S" replied with "Well, I've worked so many Saturday nights and I know how easy they are." The thing is, she hasn't worked a night shift since they've cut the 3rd 3-11 nurse and there aren't any admissions on Saturday nights anyway! I willingly admit that weekend nocs are easy, but I work mostly weekdays- she has no experience to pull from in regards to judging how a weekday overnight runs now. Of course I couldn't think of a way to say this to her nicely, so I just told her that I'd "agree to disagree." This isn't the first time I've been made to feel like this. I guess I just want a little more respect for night shift, and I don't know how to get it. I put 200% into my job and I do what I'm supposed to do, what more can I say?

Can anyone else relate? Reading back on what I wrote, it doesn't seem like a big thing... maybe I just need to learn not to sweat the small stuff (easier said than done!). I'd love to hear your stories and learn how some of you nurses have dealt with your "shift wars" ... thanks for letting me vent!!

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

It's always funny that day shift thinks that nothing should roll over to them. Personally I think the opposite. Nothing should be rolling over to the night shift. You already wrecking havok with your circadian rhythm and shorting your lifespan if the research is to be belief.

I work hospice crisis care so I'm always 1:1 with my patient so there is no reason why dayshift things like bed baths and routine dressing changes should roll over from day shift to night shift ( there is an evening shift in between) Especially in hospice when the patients seem to like to depart in the early hours of the morning.

[RxOnly]

It's always funny that day shift thinks that nothing should roll over to them. Personally I think the opposite. Nothing should be rolling over to the night shift. You already wrecking havok with your circadian rhythm and shorting your lifespan if the research is to be belief.

well said!

[systoly]

I've worked all shifts, each for several years. Only inexperienced staff believes night shift is easy. After all, shift differentials did not come about because night shift is the easiest shift. If however, this day person believes nights is so much easier than days, why doesn't she put in for a transfer?

[morte, LPN, LVN]

You need to think of a polite but firm way of telling them to shove it where the sun don't shine!

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

Same here....we hit the door running, yet they stroll in late almost every shift, go get coffee or breakfast BEFORE getting report, chat up their charge nurse about how their kids did in a play or soccer game while we're ready to go HOME....

We have to sort out scrambled charts, wake up docs to report labs that were bad at 3pm, deal with meds not given (sometimes for a good reason, like pt off floor for procedure, but some...?) which throws all the schedules off, which means we have to call the nightshift pharmacy. Talking to those folks is a horror at best. I called one night for patient with an allergy to to vicodin, codeine and morphine but had no problem taking tylenol, to tell them not to order the tussinex, and the man had the nerve to ask why? Hello, allergy to vicodin? What do you think they're reacting to? Days have inhouse pharmacy which is at least marginally better. If they have to slide a dose, they could at least call the pharmacy and get the meds straight since they went crooked on their shift. I just love waking someone up at 2 am to give them a lovenox shot that was originally 9 and 9 but slid on dayshift because the patient was "resting" -- like it will be better to wake them up at 2 am?

Having worked both shifts, night shift does work harder for less credit. Like tothepoint said, people like to pass away at night, particularly around sunrise for some reason; they also like to go bad during the night. But dayshift acts like they're the only group to ever have to crack the crash cart...which we check, inspect and restock each night, as well as all the rooms, give the baths, take out the trash, reorder supplies, do the dressing changes that always seem to get "missed" change the aged out IV lines and hanging meds, do the TLC dressing changes and cap changes....I swear, I've never seen a day shift nurse's initials on a changed triple lumen dressing... Last time I worked days, I had all my meds given, both vent patients bathed, dressings changed, respiratory cultures sent, rooms perfect, fresh IV lines and bottles by 0930, while they're all wandering complaining how far behind they were! I asked if they needed help, and caught up 2 other patients (and I had the sickest, not the easiest by a long shot). They all looked at me like "how are you doing this?" Well, because I worked, not socialized...?

Didn't mean to hijack, but I feel your pain...believe me!

[casi, ASN, RN]

I feel your pain. On more than one occassion when day shift comes in and starts their complaining I've lost it and told them. "There are three of you and only one of me at night. I've got two aides you have four. You also have tons of resources! You have PT, OT, and tons of people in the head honcho offices! I did all I could do."

[feisty]

Hate shift wars!!!! Really, every employee should be required to work for a period of time on the opposite shift during the busiest days/nights. They should also be required to repeat this for any trouble they instigate with their moaning and complaining. I realize there will be valid complaints, but they can be addressed in a manner that doesn't cause an us vs. them problem. I also realize that I am dreaming and that I am in dire need of a reality check...:smackingf

[retiredlady]

I always just let them vent and kept quiet, because it never does any good anyway.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

Oh I also hate late morning relief nurses. By the time the ned of my shift rolls around at 8am my bowels go into revolt and I need to be home soon lol.

I think there is no excuse to be late coming in the morning. You got to have a nice nights rest. I am always early for day shift because I know at the end of a night shift your body starts to shut down and you start to feel sick.

I work rotating shifts so I experience it all.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

OP, I think your problems originated when you got assigned 120 patients for two nurses. You'd be doing well to keep track of baking birthday cakes, let alone meds, paperwork, and appointments. If you keep doing the job well they'll keep assuming you don't need another nurse...and you'll be doing 2am med passes forever. Some nonessential paperwork wouldn't kill anyone on the day shift, and they have the ear of the boss (the boss is there to listen to them complain).

[gymnut]

Shift wars happen in any place of employment that has them.

My old job (manufacturing) was notorious for it. Day shift could NEVER do anything wrong and was nick named the 'Golden Shift'. Even if you went to the management on first shift with a complaint they would always find a way to blame it either on first or second.

I see it happening now in the hospital because 2nd shift will whine if first shift didn't do all the bathing, third shift will whine if admissions aren't fully completed and 1st shift will whine about well pretty much everything on 3rd shift from a linen bag not being emptied to a specimen not being collected (even though you can't collect until the patient gives it!).