Sleeping on the job..acceptable or not?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jul 21, 2006

A good question
Another one how many anti nappers work the night shift at this moment in time?????

Was anti-nap when i worked night shift.

Oh yeah, and i didn't smoke then, either.

(I answered the questions posed, that's it)

nurseMeghan · Jul 21, 2006

We recently had an incident along these lines. Yes we do sleep but only on our breaks. We recently had a nurse come to nights from days (i know odd) One night she slept for 3 hours and then went and bragged about it to her day shift friends. Of course they told someone about it and she got written up for it. She wants to take the rest of the staff that was working that night down with her since they all let her sleep that long without doing something about it.

Bottom line. Sleeping while not on your break is UNACCEPTABLE and be careful if you let sleeping dogs lie. They may come back to bite you!!!!!

hippie nurse 1985 · Jul 21, 2006

i worked in a nursing home for 4 yearsand teh cna would be so bold as to sleep during the dya shift then get all mad when we needed then to do something the nurses were no better they would sleep behind the desk and yell when i asked to take them so i say if they are that tired to work they should not come in and endager my patients

littlebitonurse · Jul 21, 2006

Wow, I hope that this is not the case at my hospital. I have not worked nights for >3 yrs now but can tell you of the 5 yrs that I did work nights there were time we were so dog-ass tired we would walk up and down the halls just to be moving and keeping awake. Not once did it ever occur to us to sleep! Are incident reports (perts, occurence, whatever your facility calls them) being filled out on these people who are sleeping? Pt. safety is compromised--not to mention the license of all those sleeping. I suggest going up the chain of command at your facility and if that doesn't work, go outside the facility.

chelli73 · Jul 22, 2006

let me tell you my little naughty story...

while i was raising three small children and going to college full time gathering my pre-reqs for the nursing program, i also had to work partime midnights as an admitting clerk for a small hospital near my apt. boy was i tired!!! a typical day for me was to send my kids to school around the block (KG, 2nd, and 4th graders), go to sleep until they got home at around 3pm, make them a snack and then haul all three of them off to college with me for my 4:30-8pm classes. i had them in the childcare center there. then it was home for a 9pm dinner and a 30min nap before i had to leave to work for the 11p-7a shift. it sounds funny to me now but the job was horrible--i was an only clerk for 8hrs all by myself in this big office with er on one side of me (everyone sleeping away there) and security on the other side (their snoring kept troublemakers at bay!!!) lol, it was so hard for me to stay awake on the nights i did not have homework. the pay was only $6.50/hr, so that did not give me the incentive either. did i mention how small this hospital was, they would get an average of 10-15 pts a night in the er, and i had the job of getting their demographics which took all of about ten minutes plus the ten minutes to enter their info in the computer. for 3yrs i did this and finally in the last year, school got harder, and i buckled. i found myself taking three coats to work (summertime, too), going into the little admitting office, putting the phone on the floor, locking the door, hitting the lights and KNOCKING OUT!!!! i remember the phones were very outdated and they had this ring like an alarm clock--AAAH-AAAH-AAAH-AAAH, VERY LOUD!!!!! woke me in an instant, i would keep a pen and paper by my side, get my info and get to work!!! i am a true night owl by nature, but this job was sooooo boring and unfulfilling (barely paid one bill, my grandma called the job my hangout!!), i finally had to quit. years later i worked doubles (3p-11p/11p-7a) as a unit secretary on a busy med/surg unit, never even got drowsy!!!! everyone else did, and the staff even offered me a naptime--nope, too much excitement!!! so my point is, we cannot judge people even though there are certain standards of proffesionalism to live up to--nursing is one of the most complex jobs humans can endure--notice the word HUMAN???? btw, i plan on working nights as an RN, if i can, and i will stay awake for my patients for as long as is humanly possible--i think i will be ok, how about you???

kadokin, ASN, RN · Jul 22, 2006

I was just wondering if other nurses were dealing with this issue..I think it reflects on the quality of care that patients recieve and is a safety issue as well. I do my "rounds" for @ risk patients on the odd hrs thinking that the CNA's are doing rounds on the even hrs..My thought is that patients are seen hourly. As for the nurse that sleeps,reads or surfs all shift..I refuse to "help" them with there busy work when they have slept most of the shift then have to play catch up.
I have brought the sleeping issue up to many different bosses..I guess with the "shortages" CNA's and some nurses are gold and management can not risk losing them..

GOLD? GOLD? Who gets paid to sleep on the job? This needs to stop!

kadokin, ASN, RN · Jul 22, 2006

We occasionally have that problem, but the night shift nurses send home sleeping aides or nurses when they are caught sleeping. Usually it's and agency nurse of CNA and we put them on out Do Not Return list.

Good Plan! It's not like they are doing anyone any good by staying there. Except for the fact that admin. can say they were "fully staffed" if said offenders were on the clock. I have never sent someone home d/t negligence/sleeping/inappropriate attire/attitude. How does this work exactly?

Please advise.

kadokin, ASN, RN · Jul 22, 2006

I once had a unit manager who made no bones about the fact that she didn't like me. Said I wasn't "cool" enough to work on her unit. She used to ask me every night if I would like to go lay down and take a nap. Of course I always said no, because every job I've ever had sleeping on it was an immediate termination. You can bet the guy at the top would not be pleased to find out he was paying people for nothing, even if some lower management allows it just to keep some people happy.

That NM sounds like a real hag. Unfortunately, I have met a few like her. Not many that actually said it out loud, though.

Sodie, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2006

Is this not a form of neglect? It's not like they can attend to any pt. needs while snoring.
Doing this would have landed me a pink slip, and it's ouotrageous that those people still have jobs, the people doing AND the people allowing it.

I think for a nurse, it would be abandoning the patient.

kadokin, ASN, RN · Jul 22, 2006

Wow Gabie baby,
I just checked my email and saw what you wrote and had to jump right over to ALLNURSES to set you straight.
I worked that unit for 8 years. Got great evaluations and pateint care excellence awards. Was asked to precept the new nurses often. I was well respected and treated well. I was proud of the care we gave there.
This nurse was just one little piece of the problems that started there and escalated. The hard working expeirienced nurses started getting their advanced practice degrees and leaving the hospital. That left larger numbers of lazy nurses relative to us hard workers. Then they started hiring large amounts of new grads, and due to the shortage, allowed them duties and assignmets that they were not trained or ready for. The rapid response nurse was not in the count, and depending who it was, many times they were found doing nothing while those on the unit busted their asses with no help. Alarms would go unanswered. Those of us who answered alarms and pointed them out, started getting attitude and eye rolls. The hard working competant nurses remaining on the unit lost respect and power and were essentially scoffed at. Unsafe practices started to become the norm. These issues (including the sleeper)were repeatedly brought first to the night charge, then, when nothing was done, to the nurse manager. I and some of my peers (and the day shift nurses who knew what was going on because they came on to these messes daily) were very honest and upfront. I wrote detailed emails to my manager and charges. All that happened was that my charge nurse started screwing me in schedule and assignment. All of a sudden i never got a requested day off (never had a problem with my schedule in 8 years prior to this) , and now started to always have the worst assignments. This was not paranoia as many others noticed this.
When things stayed the same, a group of us followed the chain of command and went to our manager's director. I had copies of all my emails and she got to see first hand the way things had progressed. She assured us she would fix things. However, the unit had become very divided and alot of hateful things were being done and said. The hard working nurses had staff that hated us and management as well. It was an impossible situation. I quit that place a couple months after we went to upper management. It was a very heartbreaking time for me.
The good news is, that now 5 months after i have quit, my manager and night charge were pushed out by the director who begged me to give her time to fix the problems. I wish i would have been more patient. Now they are training new nurses better, listening to preceptors who point out problems, and the sleeper is about to be fired i'm told. I have been asked to come back. Despite all that happened I now think i did make a difference.
But don't tell me about it being my fault for not complaiing to the right people. That idiot remark was ridiculous. I put my neck on the line to help that place. I can't stand to hear people express such know- it- all rude sentiment without knowing the full story, or being in the shoes of someone else.

AMEN SISTAH (or brother, as the case may be). WHY does it take SO LONG to effect change in this profession? ESPECIALLY when these issues affect pt safey. There is just TOO MUCH cronyism in this profession. There, I said it and I'm not taking it back. SHAME on you people that allow it to happen! If you are in management or admin, I truly feel for you. I know your job is not easy, but PLEASE make your pt's your focus. Talk to your legal dep't, find out what it takes to fire someone w/minimal repercussions and PLEASE, PLEASE check out the people you hire BEFORE you make that commitment. A warm body is not ALWAYS the solution to staffing problems. BE VISIBLE! MAKE A DIFFERENCE. FIND OUT what happens when you are not there by BEING THERE! SHOW UP UNEXPECTEDLY. Just as if you were an inspector from JCHAO or the Health Dep't.

Easy enough to say. I know.

Sodie, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2006

My hospital has a policy that states Sleeping on the job or appearing to sleep on the job is cause for termination. I once had a friend who tilted her head back and closed her eyes for 2 seconds. I swear!! At that moment, the nursing superviser walked down the hall. The nurse immediately pulled her head forward and and spoke to the nursing superviser. I promise the girl had just closed her eyes. The next morning, when our shift ended, she was called to the nurse superviser's office and written up. The appearing like you are asleep gave her no chance to argue that she had not been sleeping.Her eyes were closed, her head was wilted back, end of story.

I have worked both day and nights. When I was in nursing school, I worked 40 hours a week and went to school full time. I have never fallen asleep, although I wanted to. When I get tired, I get up and start cleaning. It works every time. The nurses station was always spotless after I worked a night shift. All the cabinents were cleaned out and everything restocked. But most importantly, I knew my patients were doing well because I did check on them. I didn't wake them, but I looked in the room to check on them. It is amazing how many of them are actually awake and invite you to come in for a minute. Sometimes they need to talk.

Have I ever worked with staff who took naps? I think so. Never did catch them though. I have caught alot of other department staff members sleeping in strange areas though when I would get called into the cath lab in the middle of the night. Have I reported them for this? Yes! Were they terminated? Yes- Immediately.

kadokin, ASN, RN · Jul 22, 2006

I agree nurses shouldn't be asleep on duty unless it is their break but there are ways and means of dealing with it without getting outraged and reporting other nurses. We need to stop this culture of trying to get nurses into trouble. I have never ever slept on duty in 17yrs but I have compassion and understanding with my fellow collegues and unless it was getting out of hand I would deal with it myself and not report the nurse.
The only way I would report a nurse was if they became angry or difficult when discussing their habit of falling asleep.
Dont get me wrong I have had times when I feel awful and my eyes just want to close but I would walk up and down-get a drink and absorb myself in a task.
If my eyes closed should I have been reported NO a nudge would have been sufficient to bring me back to reality and enable me to go do something to help stop my eyes closing.
We are all human and I feel we should be supportive-I would have been embarresssed and distraught if I had ever fallen asleep on duty so give them a chance and send them to the next bell.

HELLO! The CNA took a blanket and slept in front of the nurse's station. This is not "nodding off" she was complaining about, but blatant abuse of the privilege of employment. I know when I have worked 11-7, it was hard to stay awake as I was used to working days. But grabbing a blanket and nodding out when I was on the clock was NEVER an option. Some folks will take advantage of every opportunity to NOT WORK that you give them. This does not excuse negligent behavior.