Wishing experienced nurses would have mercy on me!!

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I work the 7p to 7a shift in an IMCU. Everything seems to go well during my shift, but when the day shift arrives, it all falls apart! The day shift is all experienced nurses while my shift consists of one or two experienced nurses and several newbies. When report starts, the experienced nurses chew us up; in their eyes we have done nothing right. :banghead: If any IVs are left to be started (even if I've just received the order from the doctor), or if a question they ask is not immediately answered to their satisfaction, I am made to feel totally incompetent by their disapproval. :argue:

I would appreciate some input about surviving daily report and also how much needs to be done by the end of shift so that all involved are happy.

Specializes in Oncology.

At least on my floor, it's pretty clear what's expected to get done when. Obviously meds are due at the times they're due. Checking the crash cart rotates through shifts. Days is suppose to change dressing and tubing on IVs. Nights is suppose to get labs drawn and sent and blood hanging when the results come in.

I try and get everything done that's expected of me on my shift. If I can't, I offer to stay late and finish. Obviously if lab results come back late I'm not going to stay late and wait for them so I can hang blood on my patient if they need it. If I have a 3 patient assignment and all of my patients need blood and platelet transfusions, there's no way I can hang 6 blood products in the 2 hrs I have between lab results and the end of my shift. There IS another shift. However, that's the exception, not the rule.

Days is much busier than nights usually, so I'll occasionally change a dressing or tubing that's going to be due on their shift for them, particularly if the patient is awake anyways. I hate leaving stuff for them for this reason.

If you're consistently not getting everything that's expected of you done in a shift, and your coworkers are, you need to seriously look at your time management and implement stronger "cluster" care.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
At least on my floor, it's pretty clear what's expected to get done when. Obviously meds are due at the times they're due. Checking the crash cart rotates through shifts. Days is suppose to change dressing and tubing on IVs. Nights is suppose to get labs drawn and sent and blood hanging when the results come in.

I try and get everything done that's expected of me on my shift. If I can't, I offer to stay late and finish. Obviously if lab results come back late I'm not going to stay late and wait for them so I can hang blood on my patient if they need it. If I have a 3 patient assignment and all of my patients need blood and platelet transfusions, there's no way I can hang 6 blood products in the 2 hrs I have between lab results and the end of my shift. There IS another shift. However, that's the exception, not the rule.

Days is much busier than nights usually, so I'll occasionally change a dressing or tubing that's going to be due on their shift for them, particularly if the patient is awake anyways. I hate leaving stuff for them for this reason.

If you're consistently not getting everything that's expected of you done in a shift, and your coworkers are, you need to seriously look at your time management and implement stronger "cluster" care.

I agree. I always have my assigments complete at shift end, but it's the teaching that's hard to do. I had an experienced (bully type) nurse jump my case because I didn't teach a family member about C-diff. Well, I work nights and by the time I get caught up with all my pts, visiting hours are over. I usually don't have a lot of time for teaching family members. What's wrong with her doing that during the day. I did teach the actual pt, but didn't have the opportunity to teach his wife. Just stuff like this ticks me off when other nurses have all day shift to do as well. I understand fully that days is much busier than nights for the most part. But there are things at night that are busy as well, such as, we don't have the tech help at night, so in turn, it gets pretty busy most the time.

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Specializes in IMCU.

Thanks for your suggestions. I will take another look at the organization of my night and see if I can adjust care to accomplish everything in a more timely manner.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
Thanks for your suggestions. I will take another look at the organization of my night and see if I can adjust care to accomplish everything in a more timely manner.

Tips I've learned so far:

1. Be sure you're IV fluid bags are full, don't let them be almost empty when morning shift comes on.

2. Try to obtain you're labs such as urine, blood, stool, and if it is stool, make sure a hat's in the room.

3. Teaching, anything that can possibly be done.

4. Make sure pts are clean and dry, change linens and bathe if you have time.

5. Be double sure that all the meds are done, esp IVPBs.

6. Emtpy foley's completely.

7. Try to read a little of the H&P just in case there are additional questions, ie......where is the cancer located in the abdomen.

8. Examine vital signs very well, that is, if you take them before morning shift comes on. don't let your pt have poor vitals and nothing have been done about it.

I'm sure other's can add more to my list.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Tips I've learned so far:

1. Be sure you're IV fluid bags are full, don't let them be almost empty when morning shift comes on.

2. Try to obtain you're labs such as urine, blood, stool, and if it is stool, make sure a hat's in the room.

3. Teaching, anything that can possibly be done.

4. Make sure pts are clean and dry, change linens and bathe if you have time.

5. Be double sure that all the meds are done, esp IVPBs.

6. Emtpy foley's completely.

7. Try to read a little of the H&P just in case there are additional questions, ie......where is the cancer located in the abdomen.

8. Examine vital signs very well, that is, if you take them before morning shift comes on. don't let your pt have poor vitals and nothing have been done about it.

I'm sure other's can add more to my list.

This is a great list, especially #8. I always make sure if there is anything out of range/abnormal/negative that I can report something was done even if it was just paging the physician.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.

I over heard an oncoming AM nurse in report the other morning. A pts vitals were approx 90/60, HR 135......the night shift nurse did nothing apparently !

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Nurses eat their young. One of the first things you have to learn is to develop a hard shell and not accept it when they get on your ass. If you know what you did was right, tell them so and if they don't like it they can report you. They will keep on at you until you stand up for yourself. You might also remind them that the day is 24 hours long and that tasks may have to shifted to the oncoming shift.

NO ONE at work talks to me like that. I always stand up for myself. If they don't like it they can write me up. I just will not be taken advantage of or talked to in that manner from staff, supervisors or physicians. When you put up with it, it will kill your self esteem. They won't have respect for you until you stand up to them. Because nurses often feel that they have no control in their jobs, they take it out on each other rather than toward the actual target/ person who is causing them their own frustration.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.

AMEN. I know that's for sure. I finally stood up to a nurse that jumped my case big time for not teaching. It wasn't the first time she was rude to me. I got so upset with her...... I cried, I yelled, I stuck my finger in her face and told her I didn't appreciate the disrespectfulness she has shown towards me since orientation. Afterwards, some fellow employees asked me why I cried.....whether it be my temper, the Native American blood I have in me, I cry when I get extremely mad and this was one of those circumstances. I was soooo mad at this nurse. I really appreciate what I learn from her but she must must do it in a much more respectful manner. Needless to say, I haven't talk to her since. The schedulers don't put us together anymore, which is a shame, maybe, if given the oppurtunity, I would do it again and again. I love the advice, but please, don't scold me in front of my peers, or else I'll lay into you.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
AMEN. I know that's for sure. I finally stood up to a nurse that jumped my case big time for not teaching. It wasn't the first time she was rude to me. I got so upset with her...... I cried, I yelled, I stuck my finger in her face and told her I didn't appreciate the disrespectfulness she has shown towards me since orientation. Afterwards, some fellow employees asked me why I cried.....whether it be my temper, the Native American blood I have in me, I cry when I get extremely mad and this was one of those circumstances. I was soooo mad at this nurse. I really appreciate what I learn from her but she must must do it in a much more respectful manner. Needless to say, I haven't talk to her since. The schedulers don't put us together anymore, which is a shame, maybe, if given the oppurtunity, I would do it again and again. I love the advice, but please, don't scold me in front of my peers, or else I'll lay into you.

Wow, got in someone's face, stuck your finger in her face and then you have the audacity to comment upon her disrespectfullness to you? There are good ways and bad ways to handle lateral violence in the work place. Unfortunately, based upon what you've shared here you've demonstrated the same unprofessional behavior you state your colleagues displayed. You have no right to "lay into" someone. You are creating a hostile work environment and that is just not right.

You speak disparingly of senior nurses, I believe you called them "bully" nurses. Hmmmm....maybe you are receiving the behavior from other staff nurses because of the way you are acting towards them. You can deal with negative people in a positive and professional way without threatening or demeaning them. Doesn't mean you give them the authority or the power to drag your emotional self-esteem down, just that you can act like the professional and handle situations appropriately.

Oh by the way...no matter what your age is, you are a "young" nurse. Your own profile states you have less than one year's experience. And your way of focusing on tasks is an indicator of that. That is typically a young nurse behavior and hopefully one you'll outgrow. Nursing is so much more than tasks. :nurse:

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Specializes in psych. rehab nursing, float pool.

Shift report can be a harrowing experience even for those of us who are neither young and also have years of experience behind us.

Remember to do the best you can on your shift, try and complete things as you able.

I have also found that every staff person takes in information differently. Given that I recognize that if the next person is questioning the why and where for alls of what I did or did not do on a shift . They are looking for clarification, they are not purposely looking to afront me.

I do not go looking for offenses by my fellow staff members. I simply answer them as openly and honestly as I can. If they are interupting me, I ask them to wait until the end of my reporting on that patient for their questions. I am also known for 99% of the time having everything completed on my shift unless there was a last minute crisis.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
Wow, got in someone's face, stuck your finger in her face and then you have the audacity to comment upon her disrespectfullness to you? There are good ways and bad ways to handle lateral violence in the work place. Unfortunately, based upon what you've shared here you've demonstrated the same unprofessional behavior you state your colleagues displayed. You have no right to "lay into" someone. You are creating a hostile work environment and that is just not right.

You speak disparingly of senior nurses, I believe you called them "bully" nurses. Hmmmm....maybe you are receiving the behavior from other staff nurses because of the way you are acting towards them. You can deal with negative people in a positive and professional way without threatening or demeaning them. Doesn't mean you give them the authority or the power to drag your emotional self-esteem down, just that you can act like the professional and handle situations appropriately.

Oh by the way...no matter what your age is, you are a "young" nurse. Your own profile states you have less than one year's experience. And your way of focusing on tasks is an indicator of that. That is typically a young nurse behavior and hopefully one you'll outgrow. Nursing is so much more than tasks. :nurse:

Yes I did. This ONE (mind you, read that is says ONE) bully nurse was so disrespectul and on several occasions before our particular incident....she was warned by other's senior nurses to lay off me, but she didn't. I finally just blew up at her and told her to stop the disrespectfulness......she has done so because I stood up to myself.

And you know.....I don't need your approval or snod comments about what you think. You personally don't know what happened that day and how I was treated by this "ONE" bully nurse. She was the one acting unprofessional, Not me. I appreciate my senior nurses much more than you know, please don't put words in my mouth. I have learned many things from the majority of them that I fully respect them. But there still remain a couple of nurses on the floor that are known for there poor attitude and unprofessionalism, well, they won't be messing with me anymore, that is for sure.

I also know nursing is much more than task. One must have people skills and it's very obvious to me the one's that are lacking. It's a matter of showing respect to our fellow peers and nurses, as I feel you are not doing yourself. I have the same degree you do and I have every right in this world to defend myself however need be when someone is outright disrespecting me.....I had seasoned nurses on my floor applaud me for standing up for myself and they tell me they have done the same thing and had to stand up for themselves against this one nurse. You don't really know the situation, so I appreciate it if you'd mind you own business!!

I've been commended by my manager for standing up for myself, and I've also recievied numerous hand written compliments by my pts. So take that and find something even more negative to say, if you will. However, I will not be reading you response, because I don't put myself among NEGATIVE people.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!:D

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i remeber giving handover to one staff nurse during my first week. i had admittted a patient and not completed all paperwork and when i said this she seemed unhappy. i have since found that she doesn't always get all her jobs done.

lucky i work on a ward were the staff are friendly but won't carry me.

i have handed over some jobs, and the night nurses are very eperinced and very helpfull to a new nurse.

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