sleeping staff

canadian · Mar 31, 2003

I sleep at night for 1 1/2 hours.

As does every other nurse I work with.

We bust out butts on day shift and only ever take two breaks on a 12 hour day. During the night we work hard, but barring anaphylaxtic drugs or blood admin we stagger these 1 1/2 hour breaks and sleep in recliners in our play room.

How is it any different to be paid to eat, read magazines, or sleep on your break? You will find that most professions that work nights allow for breaks. Read the research, it is very healthy for you and increases safety.

Trauma Columnist · Mar 31, 2003

Come on guys!!!! Wake up and smell the bacon. Nurses sleeping at work!!!! Get a grip!!! Fire their as#$% and get new staff!!!! This is totally unacceptable and anyone that tolerates it - is unprofessional too. Come on guys - isn't there anyone else out there who says we don't need nurses, CNAs or whatever if they sleep!!!! And...by the way...who gets breaks??? I'm the night charge in level one trauma center - you'd be fired immediately. And, I've worked nights for 15 years, at hospitals, LTCs and home care. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!

ChainedChaosRN · Apr 1, 2003

Here here traumaRUs....unprofessional and they all need fired. If you have to sleep at night....get a day job.

night owl · Apr 6, 2003

Originally posted by JMP
YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT..... YOU ARE AS GUILTY AS THE PEOPLE DOING IT.

My first course of action would be to confront the people or person and say, "look I came in and everyone was asleep, I feel it is wrong and here is the reason why......... if you continue to do it.....I will report you".

If it continues, report it. You have to. It is your responsiblity.

You know it's not so much the sleeping that bothers me it's the neglect of the residents

I have already reported them and the supervisor has seen it for herself! She came to our floor one night and I came right out and asked her, "How do you like your comatose staff downstairs?" Her reply was, "Well I rattled some papers around in hopes that they'd wake up..." So she witnessed it for her own eyes and done nothing about it. It's like they just sweep it under the carpet. They tell us in order for management to take any action, you have to put it in writing. Well I have documented in a memo to the NM and nothing was done. So what's the point? If management does not follow up on it, who's going to? Maybe I should just go over their heads and write a memo directly to the DON. I really hate to say it, but they need a good dose of "a bad happening" to wake them up to the fact that it is wrong to sleep while on duty. And if it ever does happen, I'm sure they'll cover it all up and the residents will continue to be victims of neglect.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2003

I worked nights for years... the only nurse for 65 pts in LTC. I never even got a lunch break in over two years. Sleeping? What @$$holes.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2003

Originally posted by BritishStudent
MMmmmm, Is anyone familiar with micro-sleep?

Acording to this text book im taking a gander at, staff working long night shifts (8 hours, plus) experiance micro-sleep beacuse the mind wont allow it to engage in full sleep. starting at a fraction of a second and increasing in duration as the person gets more and more tired, so inner a manner, everyone sleeps on a night shift

Oh really?

Well, as the only nurse for 65 pts in LTC, and the only nurse for 11-13 acutely ill med/surg pts, How could I possibly be "micro sleeping" running at a break-neck pace with a heart rate that never drops below 120 all noc?

I finally took a day shift job where I actually get to take a lunch once in awhile.

I worked nocs for ten years, and never once slept. In my experience, nocs is much busier than days, no ancillary depts or staff, and way more pts per nurse

And someone here complained of only "two breaks in a 12 hr shift"? Many nocs, I've had no break at all.

Jeez, count your blessings.

Trauma Columnist · Apr 6, 2003

Thanks guys for restoring my faith!!! If the supervisor is such a weanie that she won't fire someone she sees sleeping - I'd be outta there, because what other unprofessional behavior would she tolerate.

night owl · Apr 6, 2003

Resigning won't solve the problem. The next facility will have the sleepers there too. After 28 yrs at this place I'm not about to up and leave because of someone elses's stupidity. One thing I am thankful for is that they aren't on MY unit. Maybe after I keep submitting memos someone will get tired of reading them and do something about it before it's too late.

Good_Queen_Bess · Apr 6, 2003

Where I work, some people sleep, others don't. It's about choice!

European Union (EU) regulations state that people cannot work for more than 6 hours without a break. What you do on your break IS YOUR BUSINESS. You can leave the ward during the day for a break, but you can't on a night as there is nowhere to go. Ergo if you want to spend your break sleeping, you should be allowed. As long as patient safety isn't compromised, what's the problem? A well rested nurse is a better nurse. If I go all night without a break, I feel awful.

ANnot4me · Apr 6, 2003

It seems kind of odd that so many people think that because they work in a crappy environment, then everyone else should too. It's like crabs in a bucket! Guess what? Some of us actually work in humane environments where we get our break and are able to do what we like with it.

Dplear · Apr 6, 2003

Ok fire the nurses that sleep...on their break or off their break....who you going to get to replace them? I seem to remember a little thing about a nursing shortage. As it is we are short enough staffed. And as for taking breaks. I take my breaks. I am entitled to them and have earned them. It is stupid to be so self sacraficing and altruistic as to not take care of yourself. And before anyone says anything, I am not a new nurse and I have worked both nights and days and I have worked in Level 1 trauma ER's and ICU's. There have been times....VERY FEW of them when I could not take a break but those are very few and far between. If you do not take care of yourself, who will? I have covered patients for nurses that needed to sleep and even have had to sleep myself before. It is called TEAMWORK. Boy am I ever glad you guys do not work for me with some of these attitudes.. your life would be miserable having to deal with a laid back person like me.....

Dave

Trauma Columnist · Apr 6, 2003

NightOwl - don't you understand that you are condoning this behavior??? You too must share the responsibility when something horrendous happens because you KNOW they are sleeping.

Dave - glad you don't work for me. You'd be history if you slept. Sorry, that won't be tolerated anywhere I work.

It still really gets to me that there are so many unprofessional nurses here. And, I bet you guys are the first to complain and whine when you are treated as a professional. If you work nights, either sleep during the day or don't work nights. You guys are giving me high blood pressure and I worry so much about your pts while you sleep.