Support for nightshift in local hospitals

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I have finally moved into the area and work at one of the SoIN hospitals. I came across something interesting and I want to know if its common in this area. I work night shift and every time I have a question or concern about a pt, I have to call the admitting MD and hope they call me back or told it has to wait until morning. When I ask about paging an MD who is actually in house instead of waiting for a call, I told that there is no one and I probably wont find that around here. So my question is, is this fairly common in the SoIN and Louisville hospitals? I have never worked in a hospital where there wasn't at least someone around to check on a pt if you have concerns or they are not looking well. This seems really unsafe to me but maybe I am missing something. I would appreciate any comments.

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Specializes in NICU.

I will have to ask my coworkers that have worked in the adult world (Norton, Jewish, Baptist) on Saturday. In the NICU (Kosair), we have 24/7 "in unit" MD coverage.

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Thanks for your response. I hate sounding like I am whining and maybe I was totally spoiled from my previous work experience, but I want to know what my resources are. I know that there are areas that have to have some medical staff ( ER for example, I hope) but they are not free to leave that unit. This has obviously worked so far this hospital or there would have been whole lot issues. Again, I wanted to know if this was typical in this area and if so, what do nurses do when they have concerns about their pts. I feel like I need to change the way I think and care for my pts.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

I'm sorta in your region, but over on the IL side. My hospital & other hospitals around here do not have MDs around overnight (other than in ER of course). So yeah, it sucks, but if you need something for a pt or need to report a concern, you have to call & wake someone up.

You learn quickly what must be called for & what can wait until morning.

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Yeah, it seems like that's about right. I even looked into the policy of a rapid response team and found out that it's pretty much an ICU nurse and RT and they still have to call the MD at home and ask for orders. So, yes, it sucks. Thanks again for your response.

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