Who Should Clean Up, Offgoing Shift or Oncoming Shift?

[Kooky Korky]

You are the Day RN 7-3:30.

You see Docs come in to Round about 1515. You do not see which patient they see first.

You go in to Report Room a moment later, come out at 1528, sit down to chart (first chance all day to do so). You have had no break that day except a quick potty run, including no lunch. You have about 1/2 hour's worth of charting to do and you will be on overtime, which is highly discouraged.

3-11 RN comes to you at 1540, tells you that Room 3 has a mess in it and you have to clean it up. She is loud and angry and speaks none too calmly.

Docs had done some procedure on Rounds while you were in Report and had left the aftermath (trash, sharps, bloody stuff - this was a long time ago when blood and sharps were left wherever).

On the one hand, you did not know there was a mess because you did know the docs were on the unit, but you did not know what they were doing because you were in Report. Also, you still had to chart and were already on OT.

On the other hand, is it right for the 3-11 nurse to walk into a mess which, she argued, happened before she was on duty? She was on duty, technically, at 1500, came out of Report about 1528.

So who should do the clean-up?

[Harveyslake]

So, the mess came to be during report, which means it's the end of one shift and the beginning of another. It was discovered after report was given. The LEGAL duty to care for the patient has officially ended for the off going nurse and has officially begun for the on coming nurse. What's the time frame for this argument to be moot? If the off going nurse was still charting an hour later when the mess was discovered, are they still responsible to clean up the mess? 2 hours later??? Can I have some cheese and crackers with all that whining? To the on coming nurse,.....it's now your shift,....it's your mess. Sorry, thems are the breaks. Demanding another nurse, who is still finishing up for the day with charting, stay even longer, is selfish and unreasonable. Sheesh!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Some immaturity from time to time might be a good alternative to always swallowing their doo doo. LOL

I don't see how the pts are affected if she gives a diuretic at 0630 when it was ordered just a short time earlier, or how letting the Day nurses hunt for a couple of items is going to hurt the patients. There should always be enough for handling an emergency without delay, but leaving them with no more thn that might get them to thinking about how they should treat those who follow them. Probably won't, but it's a safety valve if you've asked them before, asked the boss to speak to them.

I have arrived at work more than once to find the cupboard totally bare - not even enough to deal with an emergency. Have had to restock before I could start pouring up meds because there were no med cups, had to get alcohol pads and insulin syringes because there were none of these essentials. No excuse unless everyone was on a code, and they weren't, or they totally had an hellacious day.

Some people are just lazy or the stock closet on our ward was empty, in which case someone needed to go to Central Supply or another floor and not leave us oncomers without essentials.

And if the preceding shift was just too busy, they could have asked the clerk or an aide or Central to provide the essentials. No help there? Get the Manager involved. At least try to help us be able to come in and get to work.

If she gives the diuretic at 6:30, everyone goes to report at 7:00, who is going to help the patient to the bathroom at 7:10 when it feels to the patient as if her bladder is about to burst? That's inconveniencing (one could say torturing) the patient in an effort to get back at a colleague.

If day shift (or any shift) isn't doing their share of the stocking, talk to the individuals involved. Talk to management. But don't make a patient suffer because you're angry with your colleagues.

[kidzcare]

Some immaturity from time to time might be a good alternative to always swallowing their doo doo. LOL

I don't see how the pts are affected if she gives a diuretic at 0630 when it was ordered just a short time earlier, or how letting the Day nurses hunt for a couple of items is going to hurt the patients. There should always be enough for handling an emergency without delay, but leaving them with no more thn that might get them to thinking about how they should treat those who follow them. Probably won't, but it's a safety valve if you've asked them before, asked the boss to speak to them.

I have arrived at work more than once to find the cupboard totally bare - not even enough to deal with an emergency. Have had to restock before I could start pouring up meds because there were no med cups, had to get alcohol pads and insulin syringes because there were none of these essentials. No excuse unless everyone was on a code, and they weren't, or they totally had an hellacious day.

Some people are just lazy or the stock closet on our ward was empty, in which case someone needed to go to Central Supply or another floor and not leave us oncomers without essentials.

The difference is intent. If someone doesn't stock KNOWING that they are doing it as revenge, then it's petty.

If she gives the diuretic at 6:30, everyone goes to report at 7:00, who is going to help the patient to the bathroom at 7:10 when it feels to the patient as if her bladder is about to burst? That's inconveniencing (one could say torturing) the patient in an effort to get back at a colleague.

If day shift (or any shift) isn't doing their share of the stocking, talk to the individuals involved. Talk to management. But don't make a patient suffer because you're angry with your colleagues.

Exactly!

[Harveyslake]

I don't expect anyone to stock the rooms for me and stock them myself for my shift. I do not stock the rooms for others. I had a patient transferred out right after report was done. Room was empty all night. The previous nurse retuned in the morning and got an admission right away. I had not even stepped foot in the room all night. The returning nurse tried to rip me a new one because the room wasn't stocked. I simply smiled and stated that the room was EXACTLY as she left it for me! She never said another word to me about stocking the rooms again. Don't complain someone else didn't stock your room. Stock your own rooms with what you need before you need it. Then, you'll never be without.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

If she gives the diuretic at 6:30, everyone goes to report at 7:00, who is going to help the patient to the bathroom at 7:10 when it feels to the patient as if her bladder is about to burst? That's inconveniencing (one could say torturing) the patient in an effort to get back at a colleague.

If day shift (or any shift) isn't doing their share of the stocking, talk to the individuals involved. Talk to management. But don't make a patient suffer because you're angry with your colleagues.

The offgoing aides are rounding with the oncoming aides, at least where I work, so all of them would be there on the ward to help the patients. The nurses are in the Report Room (1 leaving, 1 coming on) and the other set of nurses is in the Med Room counting. When that's done by 0710, that leaves the offgoing nurse still with about 15 minutes to be available to help patients, while the oncoming Med nurse gets her meds started.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I don't expect anyone to stock the rooms for me and stock them myself for my shift. I do not stock the rooms for others. I had a patient transferred out right after report was done. Room was empty all night. The previous nurse retuned in the morning and got an admission right away. I had not even stepped foot in the room all night. The returning nurse tried to rip me a new one because the room wasn't stocked. I simply smiled and stated that the room was EXACTLY as she left it for me! She never said another word to me about stocking the rooms again. Don't complain someone else didn't stock your room. Stock your own rooms with what you need before you need it. Then, you'll never be without.

This is one approach. But some places do expect you to stock for the next shift. Of cxourse, as you point out, she certainly didn't stock for you.

I love that you were able to shut her down! Righteously!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

The offgoing aides are rounding with the oncoming aides, at least where I work, so all of them would be there on the ward to help the patients. The nurses are in the Report Room (1 leaving, 1 coming on) and the other set of nurses is in the Med Room counting. When that's done by 0710, that leaves the offgoing nurse still with about 15 minutes to be available to help patients, while the oncoming Med nurse gets her meds started.

In many situations, including my last few jobs, there wouldn't be more than one person free to handle call lights during report. That means if a night nurse gave the Lasix at 6:30 for every patient, one or more of those patients will suffer while waiting for help to the bathroom or will fall trying to get there alone. For a nurse to do this deliberately, knowing that patients will suffer seems inappropriate and nasty.

[Harveyslake]

Where I once worked, the night shift nurses were expected to change the suction canisters,...whether they were nearly full or not. Can you say WASTEFUL?!!? I refused to change them when they were less than 50% full. I got a lot of grief from day shift. My solution was to place a new suction canister near the half full one draw a smiley face on it and sign it XOXOXO. SUPRISINGLY,......that solved the problem. It illustrated that I was not lazy,...as day shift insinuated,.....but that I was thrifty and smart.