What is your first hint that it is gonna be a rough shift

[AngelsWings09]

Have you ever walked onto the floor and just had that strange uncomfortable feeling right off the bat

that is is gonna be "one of those nights (or days)". Seriously, , this happened to me just last night, and

true to the theory, all bedlam broke out right off the bat. My first patients room that I walked into, a

woman asked me where her bell for room service was. She wanted me to help her rearrange her winter

wardrobe and replace it with all the clothes that her and her daughter had went on a shopping spree

to Kohl's and had 8 bags of clothing that all needed untagged, labeled, hung up. Explained her that

this is what volunteers and family members were for. She told me that her daughter had a very

important job at the post office and had to work all weekend, so I would have to do it. Excuse me???

When I told her that I had med passes, vitals, treatments, and charting to do for 24 others, she pulled

her wig off her head, threw it at me and told me to get the hell outta her room if I was just going to

treat her like that:flamesonb

[prmenrs, RN]

You see the tertiary hospital's meat wagon parked outside and when you go into the unit, you find out the baby that's being transferred out is #11 pt. on a 10 bed unit.

Before the team leaves 2 hours later, the place has been totally trashed, the Nurse Managers are feeding babies, and the Supervisors have called like 6x asking if the sick kid is gone yet or do they have to call DHS b/o being overcensus.

Oh. And there's another 28 wkr in L&D!

[cardiacmadeline, RN]

When you walk past the tele moniters on your way into work and see a patient with HR 170's, and hope it isn't your patient, but of course it is your patient.

When your unit is the only one with beds and the ER is starting to get busy.

When you open the refrigerator to put your lunch away, and see all of the lunches of the previous shift still in the refrigerator uneaten.

When you get report from PACU on a post-op and they start by saying, "He may need a sitter."

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

What is your first hint that it is going to be a rough shift?

I didnt get called off.

[elthia]

When the the ICU is full, the step down ICU is full, and you start recieving admits with orders that start out Admit to ICU Admit to tele...and half these pt's are on drips that need to be titrated, but you can't titrate on the floor, or need the drips at a higher rate than is allowed on the floor and are on bipap to boot...and are prayer away from needing intubated. But we aren't given extra staff for functioning like a stepdown ICU.

[LEN-RN]

When its a full moon.

[BanoraWhite]

When I'd walk into my area, half the residents aren't down to the dining room for dinner (I used to work in a nursing home), dinner is just sitting on the serving cart, and my partner is leaning up against the kitchen counter watching tv.

:angryfire

[chicookie, BSN, RN]

When you walk in and all the nurses in the nurses station turn to look at you and say "thank god, we thought you were calling out today!" and its only 6:45 am.

1 charge, 2 RNs, 1 GN, and 1 ACP= 24 med surg tele unit (13 out of 24 are confused and in need of sitters.)

You get called and asked to come in early so you can "help out"

I usually get the "have fun with that" ....

And last week I got "I wish you all the luck in the world." (and it was one of the worst shifts EVER!)

[kkluczynski]

when LOL sitting in the hallway screaming at the top of her lungs at anyone who walks by, nurse giving report says "she just got back from geri psych, she just had a uti" then this LOL proceeds to hit me in the head grabbing other residents by the shirt collar cussing etc..give her IM haldol and she digs her nails into my arm. the haldol didn't even phase her she continues on screaming that I poisoned her and refuses to eat or take po meds...call the DR. and he says give her more haldol and GOOD LUCK!!! Oh thanks Dr.

That was a wonderful way to start off my shift....

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

When the number of complete care patients outnumbers the number of staff.

When the code cart is lurking evilly in the hall way, and the day charge starts off with "I gave you this team b/c you're a strong nurse."

When the ratio of pulled staff to regular staff on your floor is greater than 2:1.

When you find out that the three other hospitals closest to you are on diversion, your floor has ten open rooms, and admin says "there is no way we are going on diversion tonight no matter how bad it gets".

When you hear a code and a RRT called for your floor at the same time, and you haven't even started getting report yet.

When both the Mormon and the nurse who used to be a nun tell you "today was f'ed up." (Neither of them actually said the F word, but for them just saying f'ed is the equivalent to cussing like a sailor.)

[llg, PhD, RN]

One of my worst shifts ever (a Thanksgiving night in a grossly understaffed NICU), started before I even got into the hospital. I walked past them delivering a baby in the parking lot. Things went severely downhill from there.