weekend work Harder?

[northmississippi]

Do you feel working on the weekends are more hecktic due to so much family being in the room?

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

For me weekends are easier. No management, no Doctor calls, no appointments, limited therapy..for some reason just an easier going atmosphere. Even our normally on edge residents are more mellow on weekends. I think it's because there is less going on. With less staff, less distractions, fewer overhead pages, less of a rush to get residents where they need to be there is also less anxiety for them.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

I work weekend nights, and I will tell you - everything seems to fall apart come Sunday night. Sunday nights are the WORST!!!!

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Mondays are the worst. No one going to the primary docs/urgent cares so they pile into the ER

[NYbabyRN, BSN, RN]

I have to say on my unit weekends are usually more hectic and stressful. Our acuity feels higher, not lower, and as the surgical patients get d/c'ed, our beds get filled with ED patients and transfers from other hospitals, etc. Many times we will get patients who are not appropriate for the level of care we can provide or the expertise of our nurses, and we end up rapid responding them or transferring them to a higher level of care after much stress and frustration. We receive patients from the ED who wait over 12 hrs to be seen by a hospitalist, with family members understandably getting more agitated and frustrated with the wait. We have no management on weekends to place a brake on inappropriate admissions and supervision will rarely listen to the charge nurse. Nurses and ancillary staff call out on weekends and we usually get no additional help.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

I rather be anywhere but work on the weekend s but truth is weekends are way easier. For the reasons mentioned above. Of course when I worked the ED weekend s were extremely busy. I guess it depends in where you work.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Weekends are less hectic. Fewer discharges, no scheduled admissions, no scheduled surgeries, no management. In pediatrics, visitors are there weekend or not.

[OhioCCRN, MSN, NP]

I love weekends, but i really dislike the fact that families camp in our tiny ICU pods like its sunday-funday and try to eat mcdonalds and other things- acting like its a huge reunion at the bedside of their critically ill relative...

..in other news I love night shift

[PMFB-RN, RN]

Depends a lot on what kind of unit you work on. CV ICU was usually much easier. We would have one or two emergency hearts but not the 5-8 scheduled hearts like on a weekday. ER and trauma ICU much busier. People drink on weekends and thus end up in the trauma bays more on the weekends.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

I love weekends, but i really dislike the fact that families camp in our tiny ICU pods like its sunday-funday and try to eat mcdonalds and other things- acting like its a huge reunion at the bedside of their critically ill relative...

..in other news I love night shift

I simply would not allow that kind of thing to go on on my ICU rooms.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Our weekends are more hectic because they think we can do the same patients with one less nurse, one less aid, and far less ancillary staff.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I'm also surprised to see how many people say they prefer weekends because no PT or OT. PT gets our patients out of bed and ambulating on week days. On weekends that falls on nursing. OT often helps patients bathe and also helps ambulate them. And when patients are working with PT or OT they're NOT using their call lights. Sometimes it's annoying when PT hunts me down to ask if they can work with them or OT is working worth them right when I need to connect their IV for Vanco and oh yeah, draw a trough pre. But for the most part, I really find them a helpful part of the team.

Also, my unit has a dedicated pharmacist on week days. So if you have a question, an order isn't clear, or you're missing a med, you just walk up front and talk to them vs navigating the usual hospital pharmacy phone chain to try and get a pharmacist.

[kmarie724]

I worked in LTC. If there are no call-ins, new admissions (we get short-term rehab admits on weekends sometimes), emergencies, or hospital readmissions, weekends are pretty low-key. But usually it's not that way and when the crap hits the fan there isn't nearly as many people around to help out as there is on a weekday.