Don't you hate it when your managers or team leaders make a meeting the FIRST thing in the morning? Everybody has to come, even the night shift! AUGH! :angryfire I mean, really, I spend about 12 hours running after doctors, meds, technicians, then now I have to spend a couple more hours listening to inservice that I will forget 5 minutes after the meeting is done? I mean what is the point of the inservice/meeting/whatever if you're not going to retain it afterwards?
And then the safety repercussions! SAFETY! You're tired, sleepy, and you probably have a huge headache. That's after 12 hours. You have to stay for a couple more, then drive home! I do not care how near you live; with those kind of conditions, you are a hazard to yourself and others on the road! Sometimes I even find myself dozing off between lights! And that's without a meeting in the end. I mean CMON! Why do they do this?! ARGH! How do you gus handle it?
Specializes in LTC, Disease Management, smoking Cessati.
how about scheduling the meeting a little later, allow the MN shift to go home, and set up a teleconference so they can call in for the shared info? Yes you still lose a couple of hours sleep time but at least you are home and safe.
I wish our meetings were scheduled for 0730 or 0800! When I'm expected to go back in to work at 1400 for a meeting, especially when I live an hour away, it really messes with my sleep. Day people aren't expected to go to a meeting at 0200, why is it ok to make us wake up in the middle of our "night" to get to a meeting that is made twice as long by people chatting, getting coffee for 30 minutes, and complaining about everything else? Ugh! K I'm done complaining now!
I wish our floor had rotating meetings - do one at 0730 one month, 1530 another month so all of the evening people can go. Not fair to make them get up early for a meeting either when they don't need to be there for another 6 1/2 hours.
I have to stay once a week after my shift because I am a new nurse. One time she made me wait 2 hours to tell me, "oh you are doing good. Thanks for your hard work."
I hate these "so important" meetings that go on forever and NEVER accomplish a thing.
I stay for inservices, if possible, but I have missed meetings, and will miss more. Our meetings are always scheduled for their convience, not ours, so I guess that makes me a selfish, uninterested, uninspired employee.
When day shift comes in at 5:30 in the morning is when I will show up for a 5:30 pm meeting. Bring on a 7:15am meeting after I got off anyday, when you bore me I'll leave because I need to drive safely home. End of story.
I think its really stupid of them to call for a meeting first thing in the morning especially when your from night duty....its not fair for you....your head should understand and keep things in balance..your head should reschedule it in the afternoon so that everyone can attend...
When people work around the clock, such as to staff an inpatient setting, there is no time when "everyone can attend". someone will always be on duty, someone will always be on a day off, out sick, on a holiday or vacation, leave of absence, whatever. It will always be some staff members' time to sleep or do the myriad other things we have to do when not on duty.
For OP: why not discuss this with your manager and suggest maybe that the inservice be taped so you could watch it at your convenience? Or have it presented live but in increments you find more manageable - maybe 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour? Or have it done in the middle of your work hours if there is a time that might be quieter than other times. Try to let the boss know about the danger you feel you are in by haaving to stay over. Also, does anyone find it very hard to get kids to school when required to stay over? Work for creative solutions. Present some solutions, not just the problem. Good luck.
Personally, I think that it would be good to hold a meeting when you are already at work but maybe you'd find it more doable to come in on your day off or maybe come in a little early. I guess everyone is different and maybe there can be more than one solution to this problem. Just communicate.
Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.
Elaboration:
Our floor schedules three monthly meetings. Usually two at 0730 on a weekday and weekend, and then one 1530 on a weekday. This pretty much covers everyone and every shift, then we are allowed to miss up to two meetings a year. Our meetings are quick and concise, never lasting over 30 minutes. Heck on most days I actually leave early because I give a quicker report to get in there by 0730.
Any longer inservices/meetings/classes are generally scattered amongst staff, and we are often given the night off before and the day of if we have to come in for something longer than a quick hour.
This year our hospital also put our JAHCO mandatories on the computer in Health Streams instead of making people spend an hour in the auditorium once a year for them.
So I guess for me our meetings/classes etc are pretty tailored to us.
Now if we could just get the darned inservice people to stop trying to show us new IV pumps/SCD's/K Pads at 0730 in the morning, smack in the middle of am shift report!
I ask my boss for her notes after the meeting - the joke is can I get the "ONE" sheet - we have our mandatories on the computer so you can log on at home or on your down time.. When I did meetings in my past career I had spots with no chairs no meeting ever whent over 20 min
Specializes in medical surgical ward and operating room.
:) ...In the afternoon is when alot of the night shifters are sleeping... :)
i guess your right....i just based it according to my experience,from night shift of 8 hours duty...i slept at around 7 am when i got home then woke up at 2 in the afternoon...the advantage part of it,everyone can attend the am shift,afternoon shift,off duties and night shift...i didnt say that it should be started early in the afternoon it could be 2 or 3 in the afternoon..
Discrimination against night shift workers happens all the time. I always pointed out times that would work well for me..."Why not 0400" I would say.
I also noted that night shift nurses were NEVER chosen to participate in committee's, continuuing education oportunities etc. Assuming that the hospital works on 12 hour shifts they are missing 50% of what is happening in their facility by not accomodating the night shift.
I worked nights for 18 years. I used to get rather grumpy about mid-day phone calls asking me to switch my schedule and such. I would always say "Hey why don''t we discuss this at 2 am instead".
I think that people forget what it means to be functioning reverse time of the rest of the world. Sometimes a gentle reminder goes a long way.
to flygirl43: right on! thats exactly what i am saying, doing meetings like that endangers yourself and others. also i forgot what that violation is called but it is as bad as a DUI. Some doctor told me about it.
to LHH1996: maybe u can talk to my manager! LOL
to lpnflorida: if the meeting doesnt take like an hour long, which ours does, sometimes the meeting doesn't end as late as 0930 or 1000 and I haven't even finished my charting AND some have to get back to work that night!
to ruthigal: our hospital isn't even using computers to chart, much less equipped to do a teleconference
to vito andolini: don't you think I already voiced my concerns to her AND via the proper channels? I mean I am the forerunner of complaining about these stupid meetings. I tell her about the dangers of us driving 40 minutes on the road to go home half asleep and sleep deprived. Yet, this practice continues! We already told her that she can come around 0100, but do you think she does? Please, these meetings are done as a convenience to them, not the employees. Can she stay a little bit after HER shift and the beginning of the night shift to give meetings? No, because she leaves around 1700, and comes around 0745 to do a meeting scheduled for 0730. So, you can tell that this hospital does not cater to their employees.
to tait: i like the way your hospital works lol where do you work and are you hiring?!
to rn power ohio: you are so right man! i had to like follow up with my manager so much just to get my BLS to be updated.... after 6 months of it being expired! Can you believe that? 6 months I did not have a valid CPR card! They think we do not do anything at night and we just babysit the patients while the day gets all the action. PLEASE, we get all their admissions so they people from the day can have their shifts. Like last week, they only gave us 3 nurses on one department, but pushed us to 8 patients each so they don't have to cancel 1 nurse during the day! And they actually give us crap when things aren't done?!
Anyway, I feel sorry more for those who have families and are working as agency RNs because they don't get paid past their shift. Sometimes I feel like I should get a police officer or something and bring her/him with me to the manager and try to explain to her the effects. I wonder if the hospital can be responsible for the accidents caused by these meetings right? I mean I guess i am asking you guys if they can be? Can they?
Ruthiegal
280 Posts
how about scheduling the meeting a little later, allow the MN shift to go home, and set up a teleconference so they can call in for the shared info? Yes you still lose a couple of hours sleep time but at least you are home and safe.
Just a thought!
Mydnightnurse