What Do You Do When Co-Worker Falls Asleep on Night Shift?

Nurses Relations

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So, fellow night shifters, how do you handle it when someone you're working with falls asleep - not just doses off for a minute, but legitimately is in la-la land, sometimes a few times per shift? Just hypothetically, of course.

Night shifts are wicked to work. We have to work them considering the nature of the job even though they are not good for the nurses health. Research suggests that a sleep break should not only be allowed but be supported--20 minutes helps people practice more safely. This time should not be extended beyond that however, because it then become unsafe.

When are we going to start supporting each other instead of ripping others to shreds. Everyone should get a turn and we should be working together to make the work environment more safe to practice-- more safe for the patients whom we serve and our colleagues. I'm not saying turn a blind eye, I mean support each other so the environment is safe; they are two different things.

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I worked nights for 22 years and never fell asleep. Did I want to? Heck yes. Over the years I've worked with many nurses who dosed off and some who did it habitually. I would take them aside and speak to them personally. Something along the lines of you have seen it happen and you don't want them to lose their jobs if they're seen by someone in charge. In most places there is no grey area and it's an immediate dismissal offense. Most people do not want to lose their job. If someone doses off, I would usually tap them gently on the shoulder and let them know they had nodded off. Have them take a little walk. There is always something that can be done. Straighten the supply room, stock the gloves, empty the trash. I had a family member come to me once when I was charge nurse in ICU. It was towards the end of the shift. She had a video on her cell phone of a nurse not just asleep but laid back in the chair with his feet on the desk snoring. Nothing I could do for him at that point. I woke him up but I knew he would be fired. That family member was going to the manager. Never saw him again after that night.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

You might try asking her why she is so tired, mentioning that you've seen her sleeping several times. Is she trying to work 2 jobs? Is she going to school? Child care issues?

I'd let her get 20 minutes, then bring coffee and some sort of sugar and wake her up. Get her moving. One of the best nurses I ever knew used to have "exersize" time. They used the overbed tables and their bar stool chairs and moved them around. After lunch break, she would lead people up all eleven flights of stairs and back down again. That crew (mostly young nurses) stayed awake.

Even just moving around and swinging your arms can help the "sleepies". Hitting that wall @ 4am was not fun.

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I work mostly nights and we all sleep during our breaks. We get 2 hours

2 hours?!!!! Our break was 30 minutes

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It is usually in the nurse's station, but she was breaking a sitter last night and a doc walking by the room noticed her sliding out of her chair. =/ It's not every shift, but just often enough that it's really bothering me, and especially since she was sitting at the time. I don't think whether it's slow should matter that much; I'm tired and bored too, but I get my sleep and find a way to stay awake for my shift.

Report this nurse while that memory is still fresh in the doctor's mind. It helps to have another witness to a situation that directly compromised patient safety.

I worked nights for two years and I NEVER slept on the job. I arranged my life so that I would be alert and competent while on duty. On the rare night I was struggling with exhaustion I would check if the other nurse could cover for me, clock out, and take a timed nap with an alarm.

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I think that's so unfair! What unit do you work on? ICU? That is awfully brave of her... I would say to confront her about it. In the nicest way possible. She shouldn't keep getting away with this and you shouldn't let these feelings keep building. She can nap on her 30 min lunch break. I know it's not easy to confront people, but this would be best. If it still continues, talk to a manager about this. It really could lead to so many issues

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Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

You know it's really simple...WAKE THEM UP! What's wrong with some of you " turn them in;" I bet you're a riot at parties. You sound a little introverted to be an RN (please excuse that statement but...). Are you afraid of this person? Why don't you just go over and wake them up?

I've paid my dues working nights. I'll never forget this little nurse who wrote me up because I fell asleep on my break. We all had an agreement to wake each other up (this was before smartphones). My break was over but she didn't wake me up. She wrote me up. I got called in and the manager was laughing so hard. My manager looked right at me and said "why didn't she wake you up?" Once I thought about it we did have some words over a patient. My manager refused her extra pay for being being charge (she was an LPN, I was the RN charge) due to the fact that all she had to do was wake me up. She had allowed me to sleep through the entire shift that was left. Things like this can backfire on you. Some people...

So, grow a pair and wake them up. If they keep on doing it or go back to sleep, talk to them. If that doesn't work write them up. What's with this going to the manager stuff. You write them up and the manager will do an investigation. The document forces the manager to act.

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Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.
2 hours?!!!! Our break was 30 minutes

What we use to do was combine our breaks and lunch and snooze for an hour...

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Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.
You know it's really simple...WAKE THEM UP! What's wrong with some of you " turn them in;" I bet you're a riot at parties. You sound a little introverted to be an RN (please excuse that statement but...). Are you afraid of this person? Why don't you just go over and wake them up?

I've paid my dues working nights. I'll never forget this little nurse who wrote me up because I fell asleep on my break. We all had an agreement to wake each other up (this was before smartphones). My break was over but she didn't wake me up. She wrote me up. I got called in and the manager was laughing so hard. My manager looked right at me and said "why didn't she wake you up?" Once I thought about it we did have some words over a patient. My manager refused her extra pay for being being charge (she was an LPN, I was the RN charge) due to the fact that all she had to do was wake me up. She had allowed me to sleep through the entire shift that was left. Things like this can backfire on you. Some people...

So, grow a pair and wake them up. If they keep on doing it or go back to sleep, talk to them. If that doesn't work write them up. What's with this going to the manager stuff. You write them up and the manager will do an investigation. The document forces the manager to act.

Maybe I wasn't super clear, but I HAVE been waking this person up. Have a few times, actually. If it had been just a one-time situation, it wouldn't have bothered me, but it seems like it's going to be a semi-regular thing. I guess I'm just kind of steeling myself for the possibility that this may need to escalate at some point.

I loled at "a little introverted to be an RN." I am absolutely an introvert. I like to do my job, take care of my patients, and be done. I'm a good nurse, but maybe not so great at the charge thing, which I've had to start doing recently. I don't like repeatedly needing to ask people to do their jobs, especially since our unit is small and it's usually only two RNs on the floor. I don't pester anyone about little things, but this is something I feel is becoming excessive.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.

I would love to know where you work that you get a two hour break!?!

I work mostly nights and we all sleep during our breaks. We get 2 hours
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Specializes in ER.
I'm a PACU/post-op nurse in Poland and when we are able to, we are allowed to sleep. There are usually 4 nurses on a night shift and when we only have 1 or 2 patients, half the team goes to another room to sleep for 3 hours and then we swap :) Our supervisor knows about it. Of course we don't sleep at all when it's busy and it would affect our patients - but 2 nurses is usually plenty for just 1 or 2 patients.

We also don't have night shift nurses. All of us work rotating shifts (day -24 hours off - night - 48 hours off), so the night nap is a big help.

Dobranoç

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Falling asleep while at work is prohibited as per most hospital policies. All said and done, those who have made those policies have never done night shifts, or rather they practiced it at a certain level of their profession and dumped it due to it's complexityí ½í¸‚

Now then, the only advice is to have ample sleep during the day and arrange to have a good sleep during your one hour's break so that you do not neglect your duties while falling asleep at work!

I used to make sure that I keep my work colleagues awake by chatting them or just reminding them to do the regular rounds and also to put their alarm clocks on so that I do not have to wake them up from their breaks! I hate waking people up when they are at work because they need to be responsible and accountable for their actions. I do doze responsibly and have always done my work well all my 45 years as a nurse. Night shift is as abnormal as a pregnancy abnormality that you can think of! Those who do not experience it criticize louder than those who have experienced it! Ama??

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