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I have been a nurse for 18 years, a traveling nurse for the past 5 years. I have worked in many states,recently in Florida. My question is when did it become acceptable to SLEEP on the job? I agree that you should be able to sleep on your breaks but come on..3-4 hours a night!
The hospital that I work weekends in Miami the CNA's on 7p-7a shift get vitals @ midnight then sleep until the 4am rush. Most of the staff is asleep just leaving a few nurses on the floor to answer call lights and do all the work.When I do find the CNA to get them up to do their job so I can do mine they get mad...and the other nurses act weird about me waking them up!!It seems to be everywhere..hospitals,private duty,and nursing homes...
Has anyone noticed this trend or is it just me?
total agreement, sleeping on the job day or night is entirely unacceptable in nursing. If you can't hang on the night shift, then work the day shift.:angryfire
Welllll.......that's a great idea, but since practically EVERY nurse wants to work the day shift, that leaves the night for those of us who are new (or crazy ). I don't think I'll be able to hack it on nights, (I will probably not do too well with the not sleeping thing), but I have no choice. Where I will probably work doesn't have any day shifts available. I'll hold out until I can switch to days.
Interesting concept, allowing napping like the UK does, according to one poster. (And, really, I think it's pretty ridiculous to draw labs at all hours of the day and night unless someone is at death's door because it is not good for the poor patients who are sleep deprived, but that's another thread). Residents get to sleep some...though they are on for 36 hours or more at a time. Hmmm....I guess I'm not totally convinced that it's always a bad thing, at least for a quick 30 minute nap where the coworkers are aware of what you are doing and where you are, as long as you can wake up and do the job effectively. Hours at a time is not such a good idea, though.
What I dont understand is we all complain of how badly we are treated as nurses but we dont think there is a problem with having unpaid breaks and being told NO NAPPING, on your own time..
We're our own worst enemies sometimes... Honestly, I wouldn't work in a place that tells me what I can do on MY time (I wouldn't want to work with coworkers who thought it was their place to do that either).
i can't figure out how they can keep you from taking a nap during your break.
my understanding is that if there are any restrictions on what you can do during your break, then they have to pay you.
when i was in nursing school, i worked as a companion/sitter for an elderly lady. i wasn't allowed to leave for my break, so i got paid for it.
out of curiosity, for those of you who are against sleeping on an unpaid break because the nurse may not be available in case of an emergency: is it ok for a nurse to clock out and run to pick up food? that happens all the time where i work (though usually it is an aide or secretary that goes for food, sometimes it is a licensed nurse), and is perfectly ok with management as long as the person clocks out first in case they don't come back in time. would clocking out first make napping for 30 min more acceptable, since the person would have to wake up in time to clock back in?
personally, i have never been able to nap at work (though i have tried ) even when i've gotten to work early enough to take a short nap before starting (i live far away and have a long drive), i haven't been able to sleep. however, i have taken power naps at home for about 15-20 min in the afternoon, and know how much that short amount of sleep can recharge me.
Gabie Baby
168 Posts
She apparently needed to go to the Director. Maybe to the Chief of Medical Staff, too.