Shift wars

zenman · Sep 21, 2004

No one rotates shifts? Walking a mile in anothers' shoes provides some enlightenment. Does each shift have specific duties to accomplish...in addition to routine patient care?

allele, LPN · Sep 21, 2004

We only have one rotating shift position (use to be mine, actually! Then I went to days). Each shift does have specific responsibilities also. Examples are night shift weighs the patients, day shift does dressing changes, etc. Little stuff like that. These things usually get done. I have to go to an appointment, but I'll come up with some specific examples and reply back later so you can understand what I'm talking about when I say the shifts don't get along well all the time, I should have done that in my first post. Thanks for the reply though! )

Angela Mac · Sep 21, 2004

I have worked all 3 shifts and find 3-11 to be the hardest. It is a given that the staffing ratio is not the same as it is on daylight. In long term care facilities- evenings are more difficult because the sundowners act up- putting even more of a strain on the staff and the other residents. It is just as hard to get everyone into bed as it is to get them out of bed. Yes, there is one meal to serve, but, however, most family members visit in the evenings that adds to the chaos. All shifts are difficult, I know, but my heart goes out to 3-11 workers.

allele, LPN · Sep 21, 2004

Angela Mac, I agree whole heartedly. I work days, but I also think 3-11 is the worst. I've worked all shifts (nights for 8 years, 3-11 for a couple of years, and 7-3 for about 4 years now) and 3-11 is just hectic and chaotic. My problem lies with the animosity between shifts. For example, there were a few weeks about a year ago where nights was REALLY hurting for staff. Days and evening shift staff covered a VAST majority of the shifts. That right there caused quite a rift. "Why can't night staff try to cover some of their own shifts?" (not many of the night shift staff worked much extra during this time) "Why is it when 7-3 and 3-11 have short staffing 11-7 won't help us out?" "Why should we help them?" Or the 11-7 staff says that "3-11 and 7-3 just don't understand that it doesn't stay quiet all night. We have more patients, etc. etc. etc." We've all heard it before. Days gets upset and complains because nights doesn't do extra paperwork when they have down time, like recopying med sheets that are full, starting discharge paperwork, etc. Evenings gets upset with day shift because they don't have their coumadin orders and day shift didn't ask for them when the doctors were actually in the building, or days leaves a post op for evenings and doesn't get a pain med order or antiemetic, etc.......you get the picture. Everyone thinks the shift before them has a responsiblity to stay late to finish things up to make their own shift run more smoothly. Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE all the people I work with, they're great nurses. We just can't seem to work as a team outside our own shift, and it brings down morale. Another problem we seem to have is that many of the RN's are quite condescending to the new grads, the CNA's and the unit clerks, and they get so bad I could actually cry with some of the things I see. I end up apologizing for them just to try to keep the peace. Does anyone work on a unit where things run smoothly between shift? Where if a treatment or dressing gets missed, the next shift just takes care of it and moves on? Where staff members on one shift don't target staff members on the previous shift and write them up every chance they get? (This really does happen, it's quite blatant) Any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! :)

Angela Mac · Sep 21, 2004

I hear you.

Like I said- I have worked all 3 shifts & now work days & eves.

When I work eves and follow a certain nurse- nothing gets done- MD orders are not completed, Tx are not done, VS not charted etc............

But yet, I was able to get it all done, unless of course, a new admission rolled in.

Then the magical day arrived- she & I worked days together & everything was clear to me. She smokes heavily & I kid you not, every 2-3 hours she would be outside for a smoke. No wonder- her work was not done.

A few days later I followed her shift & she gave me every excuse for not doing her TX. I looked her straight in the eye and replied, "You would be able to finish your duties if you didn't take so many smoke breaks."

I hated doing this- but hey, she proved she has no respect for those who follow her & besides-

Not all my co-workers need to be my friend.....

My husband used to work in a nursing home also-

I was a floor nurse & he was the maintenance man/ housekeeping supervisor, he pulled me aside one day when I was stressed with the workload and said-

"You know what the problem is- too many women- too many trying to make themselves look good and others look bad. Too many women with PMS or going through menopause, men don't treat each other this way."

He was right.

Unfortunately- until everyone wants to work as a team- things will not go smoothly, and yes, it happens everywhere.

Oh- by the way- my husband will never work in the medical field again & is now self-employed.

I hope you have better days.

My advice- stand your ground, don't let anyone walk over you.

Mister Chris, MSN, NP · Sep 21, 2004

hi everybody. i tried doing a search for this topic, but couldn't find much pertaining to my question. does anybody here work in a hospital where something is done to curb animosity between shifts? i'm finally just tired of it. --------------------------------------- does anyone have any ideas? i'd certainly appreciate it!! thanks! :)

oh dear! that subject. still comes up easpecially in aged care in our state!

yes there should be shift and departmental (wards or areas) changes on a regular basis. when i was a student and working in the main training hospital we were rotated to help with our ongoing training. (rotation of shifts and wards.) i am sure there would be a lot better nurses around if they spent their energy on nursing rather than picking on other shifts.

rotation of all nurses across all shifts and areas. when i proposed this as an answer to some of these problems at a staff meeting i was told that many nurse would leave if they were rotated! so it was (unwritten) if you want to complain about any of the other shifts that you have not, or will not work, then you will have to work that shift yourself. if yiou refuse thenyou must stop complaining and if you still feel very strongly about it the do * below.

energy and words could be better used to give better and more informative hand-overs for a start. the special communication book should not be continually called the '*****' book! anyway i have aired my bit for the thread. anyone got any other ideas on how to stop the age old shift wars?

one thing that i do is to refuse to be part of the '*****ing sessions' and tell the complainers to *put it in writing* to the boss and sign it. only one person that i told ever has actually done this, and that one was stopped and dealt with at the nursing office level and no changes were made except the complainer was counselled! it certainly set an example.

i feel that in nursing we are all part of a team and we hand on to the next shift so the client /patient has continuing care. that's what i tell the nurses when they start to nag and point. i have been known to say if they continue to complain and do not like what they are experiencing then perhaps they should not be nursing.

anyway i've been around nursing now for 35 years and survived, and i still enjoy the work - caring.

have a good life.

mister chris. :specs:

cannoli · Sep 21, 2004

I have worked all 3 shifts and find 3-11 to be the hardest. It is a given that the staffing ratio is not the same as it is on daylight. In long term care facilities- evenings are more difficult because the sundowners act up- putting even more of a strain on the staff and the other residents. It is just as hard to get everyone into bed as it is to get them out of bed. Yes, there is one meal to serve, but, however, most family members visit in the evenings that adds to the chaos. All shifts are difficult, I know, but my heart goes out to 3-11 workers.

I think 3-11 is the hardest shift as well, particularly the first half.

There are also confused and sun-downers in the hospital at times as well just making everything more difficult.

cannoli · Sep 21, 2004

I don't know the answer but I do know I hate following behind someone who doesn't get the work done, it justs makes more work for me, and I have to do all my own work plus what they didn't do but should have done on their own shift.

I know nursing is a 24 hour a day job, but still!

Of course, the biggest problem is the overworking and understaffing in the first place, with decent ratios maybe everyone could get the work done within the shift.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Sep 21, 2004

I think 3-11 is the hardest shift as well, particularly the first half.
There are also confused and sun-downers in the hospital at times as well just making everything more difficult.

Yep. And dont forget the emotionally drained, been-at-work-all-day family members who try to pop by and get a week's worth of caregiver stress stroking.

But to answer the OP, just say it loudly, clearly, and frequently, especially when you're getting report:

"Didn't finish something? It happens. I'll take care of it."

"I understand you didn't have time, it happens to me too."

"That's why we're a 24-hour facility and why nursing is a 24-hour-a-day job."

"Nitpicking, such as a writeup on a med given two hours late, is simply not worth my time."

"We're a team, folks. We're all in this together."

Frankly, I know everyone thinks night shift is easy, but there have been nights when I've worked all night to get someone's medications or orders or admission paperwork straightened out that an erring unit secretary or previous-shift nurse made, and that can make me late. I've sat in front of rooms of confused patients all night, or charted on docs who refused to answer pages all night, and a multitude of other problems that simply don't happen on the other shifts.

But if the result is that the patient's given the correct care, then it ultimately serves 7-3 and 3-11 shift.

It might be hard to see the Spring when your nose is pressed up against the frosted windowpane, but the fact remains--all three shifts need to realize that they are a team and working together gets more done than not working together.

It might also help to point out that people don't like squabbling, and they won't stay, which makes you work short more often, which increases stress levels, which causes more people to leave....and on and on the vicious cycle goes.

zippyLPN · Sep 21, 2004

i also work the 3-11 shift...(have worked all 3 shifts). personally i don't think any shift is harder then another...they all are hard in their own right..yes it's hard to follow after someone who doesnt finish their work,(ie; treatments), but there are many perks to 3-11 shift.... with having only 1 meal, the nurse has more "downtime" with the residents.. it's a slower pace (at least mine is)

and you get to know the families , esp if you work a ltc facility.. thats the key to being the best nurse a person could be... knowing the resident as a whole, so to speak. you learn from families the "who whats & wheres" of a resident. as a nurse i feel you should'nt be "bogged" down by what the other nurse did or didn't do.. we're all in nursing for 1 reason.........the resident!!!!!!!!!!!!

bklynborn · Sep 21, 2004

I too have worked all three shifts as well as 12 hour nights and days. There is NO EASY shift. each one has it's share of misery. Days works hard and gets paid less. They have to deal with all the other disciplines such as OT ansd also pts leaving the floor all day for this test and that test. MD's and consultants come in and write new orders throughout the shift that have to be processed and exicuted. At the end of day shift right before shift change the ED usually wants to send pts to the floo. This is hard for both days and eves due to shift chaange, who takes report????

Eves comes on to find pts without assessments done who are mid transfer from ED....they hae to do all their POC's and assessments before dinner and then deal with family members and docs who come in after office hours. (why is some docs think theirs is the only pt on the floor?) Orders have to be processed and executed and then there are the family members.....and at the end of shift ED of course wants to transfer pts.

Nights comes on into the same confusion evves did. Some staf members have had a hard time sleeping and are sleep deprived. Often there is not enought staff scheduled because staffing seems to think pts sleep at night (we know better) You may get paind the most but you never have enough energy or time to do spend your money cause you are too busy on your day off (staffing seems to think one day off is sufficien for a noc shift worker sometimes) trying to catch up on your sleep.

We are not in a perfect workd by any means. We have chosen this profession. People sometimes have bad days when no matter what they do they end up behind.

Don't assume bad intent. Be positive, be kind. Someday you will be the one on the firing line.