When off, do you listen to report?

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

Many of the hospice nurses I work with cannot resist the temptation to listen to report when they're off. As much as I care for my patients, when I am off so is the cell phone. I believe it's enough to make our visits and do our hours of paperwork on our home and off time without listening in on report too.

The only reason I bring this up at all is because there seems to be an implication from fellow nurses I work with that if we're not busy at hospice nursing 24/7, we are somehow deficient at caring. This conception that hospice is a lifestyle feeds into that and puts undue pressure on nurses who need their off time to regenerate the old batteries.

Do others feel this pressure too?

[Rnmomajmj]

I never listen to the report line while I'm off and do not believe any of the other nurses I work with do either. Your time off is suppose to be your time. I put in 100 hours in the last two weeks so I feel I've deserved my weekend off! I have received phone calls from the nurse on call to ask me a quick question but that is as far as it has gone.

As far as being deficient in caring? You have to care for youself too. If you don't take your break and enjoy your time off, you'll burn out quickly, then the patients will suffer!

[petra]

I have been a hospice nurse for 3 1/2 years. There have been patients that I have become close to and miss, but I also need to keep life in perspective and realize that this is my job. I need to know when to take off a day and I believe so does any other nurse because if you become "burnt out" you cannot be a good caregiver.