Would you call in because you didn't get any sleep?

[Elvish]

I was trying to sleep the other day and somebody rang my doorbell at 1130 just as I was gettting there :angryfire. Made me so mad I couldn't go back to sleep for a L O N G time. I called in sick because I wouldn't go to work on no sleep. Turns out I finally DID go to sleep so I called back & said I'd come in if they needed me.

So I got curious: Have you called in sick (or would you) because you hadn't gotten any sleep (after trying, of course) by the time you're required to call in for your shift?

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

It is just not safe to work when you are so fatigued that you can't see straight.

[vanessalynn30]

I have, due to kids being up all night with illness, fevers,and just cranky because they don't feel good. I have a tendency to just not function well without sleep.

of course, when i worked nights it was a little bit different and I was a little younger so If i only slept four hours i went in anyways, just drank a lot of coffee and cokes.

[psynurs]

no, there have been many times when I have gone in after little to no sleep....that is what coffee is for !!!!!

I couldn't leave my co-workers short cuz I was a little sleepy....we have plenty of time to sleep when we are dead........

[Morettia2, BSN, RN]

Ok so last week I worked 2 13-14 hour NOC shifts in a row. at the end of the 2nd shift in a row, during report the day shift chrage asked me if I wanted to come in 3-11. I said "ok", WHAT? why the he^^ did I just agree to that, I know why b/c I was tired I just worked 2 13-14 hour shifts in a row and wasn;t paying attention. SO I thought about it..ok what a great way to end my 3rd day in a row by working only 8 hours insted of 12-14 hours! So I gave the day RN's a notice that I was giving report NOW and needed to be finished giving report by 7:30am b/c I was to be back a 3pm. I was done report at 7:30am on the nose which is unherd of on my floor.

I live about 45 min away from the hosp. i work at. I begin my drive home, tired, and just wanted to go to bed. well my 45 min. drive turns into a 2 hour drive. I live in NYC and work in Newark NJ. I am getting off my exit on the garden state parkway to the take the bridge into NYC when I caught out of the corner of my eye that the bridge that I take to get into NYC is closed due to an accident. I must have screamed every curse word I know including a few new ones. So I have to get on the NJ Turnpike and backtrack b/c that's the only other way I can get home b/c it's the only other bridge Into NYC, but in the complete oppostie direction of where I live. I get off the garden state PKWY, get on the NJ turnpike backtrack, get off the exit for the bridge and I hit dead parking lot traffic. I sat for over an hour to move 50 feet. I finally get on the bridge, takes 30 min to get over the bridge, and get into NYC only for the ONLY road I can take to get to my condo to be closed. I ended up taking 1000000 back roads to get home and in NYC back roads translate into HEADACHE b/c there are no back roads in reality, yea which I already had a splitting one b/c I was over tired and drove all over the NJ/NYC highway system to get home. I finally pull up to my condo @9:45am..2+hours to get home $%&@!

I try and go right to bed, yea right, I eventually fall asleep at 11am, but I have to be up by 1:30pm in order to get ready for work and leave by 2PM to get to work by 3pm.

I am up at 1:30pm, mumbling and cursing, making what was probably the worst pot of coffee, and drinking a red bull in the shower, so it's 1:55pm, I am dressed, caffiene circulating but not working just yet, keys in hand and walking out the door, and something told me to check my messages on my home phone before I left b/c the ringer is off b/c both me and my fiance work nights, he's a NYPD officer.

What do u know there are 2 messages. 1st message at 1:45pm it's work, "Angie we don't need you to come in till 7pm" I curse at the machine, Message #2 at 1:47pm it's work, "Angie please don't come in until 7pm, if u come in at 3pm you are going to be mandated to work till 7am, we had a sick call and need you to be here at 7pm"..I think my BP was 220/110 at this point, I called work, the charge said,"oh go back to bed", caffiene is now circulating at this point and WORKING, 1 redbull, 3 large cups of mud coffee, and a travel mug to go almost half finished and a very ANGRY NURSE(ME). I said "I am glad I checked my messages, but I can't go BACK TO BED, b/c I am AWAKE with 2 hours of sleep b/c I was susposed to be at work at 3PM. and you know I live almost an hour away, I am in my uniform, have had enough caffiene to kill a small animal, why didn;t you call me earlier and TELL ME, like at 9 AM, you have my cell #, my home # leave a message on both" She said,"oh I figured I would catch you before you left to come in for the 3pm shift, we got the sick call at 8:30am"...grrrrrr ears turning red, face turning red..I said I will be there at 7pm, next time call me with adequate notice insted on 1 our before I am susposed to show up for work and leave a message on my home and cell#..on my days off they ALWAYS SEEM TO REMEMBER BOTH #'s..

Any way I went into work like a zombie on caffiene (oxymoron), had the same pt's I have had for the last few days, and I loved these pt's. Every one of my pt's said to me, "oh sweetie you look so tired, but the fact that you are here means so much to me, I am SOO happy you are here"..ok that's why I get 2 hours of sleep, b/c I love hearing those words come out of my pt's mouth. I said bear with me tonight, I am a little tired.

At the end of that hell shift, every pt. I had said, "do u think u can come back tonight, I only feel safe when you take care of me"..ohh boyy I just finished 3 12-14 hour shifts in a row with probably 7 hours of sleep total over those 3 days and the fact that these pt's feel "safe" when I take care of them with a major lack of sleep makes me think what are the other NOC nurses doing when I am off for a few nights??, and why do I make them feel safe. I know, and I just came to this realization a few weeks ago, b/c I triple check EVERYTHING I DO, and I constantly write things down that need to be done even if it's 2, 3 or 4 times I write it down, just to remind my self to do it. And if I forget to do something I tell the pt. remind me to do XYZ, and they do remember b/c I think if the pt. feels like they are involved with what's going on with them it helps, insted of walking in doing xzy and not explaing what you are doing. Eventhough It's written down on my report sheet a few times, or I make a note on the dryerase board in the pt's room as a back up.

I don't know if this is the right way to deal with lack of sleep b/t shifts, but it has worked out for the last 2 months. And an unexpected outcome, that is a positive one, is that my pt's no matter how difficult they may be, medically difficult, cognativly impaired, language barrier or defecit, non-compliant, or just down right stubborn, if you involve them with their own care and break things down so they understand and put things into what I call "universal language", talking to the pt. like a human being, explaing things medically relating to their interests insted of using medical jaargon, a gentle touch, or just a word in a pt's native language makes all the difference.

I hate being over tired and overworked and feeling unsafe, but if my pt's tell me time and time again they only feel safe when I am working, I will continue with this routine I developed over the lst few months.

[EarthChild1130]

Definitely...would do it again too...I simply cannot function safely without adequate sleep (as in at least 6 hours)...I hated to leave co-workers but felt that I would be endangering patients because I could hardly focus on who I was, let alone anything else that was going on.

[jeffrey_rn]

5-9-2007

i would never call in due to lack of sleep. totally unprofessional. drink some coffee. your employer, your co-workers, and your patients are counting on you! this is what professionals do. suck it up!

a21chdchic in az

yikes!

[jeffrey_rn]

no, there have been many times when I have gone in after little to no sleep....that is what coffee is for !!!!!

I couldn't leave my co-workers short cuz I was a little sleepy....we have plenty of time to sleep when we are dead........

...or your patients!

[maluangel118]

I have called in before, but I also did go one time with no sleep and worked 12 hours like a champ....it was weird...like the lack of sleep made me more paranoid of making a mistake that I was more alert and cautious of my actions than ever. I crashed after the shift was over. I wouldn't recommend it though. I hope to never do that again.

[Babs0512]

I have called in for this reason and I would do it again.

For instance, last weekend I was on call, I worked 30 hours between Friday at 1700 and Monday at 0700. 20 of which was NON STOP. Good thing I didn't get call in overnight Sunday, or I wouldn't have been in to work Monday. It's just not safe. By the time I left work Sunday afternoon, I was doing stupid things like throwing the linen in the garbage instead of the linen bag, throwing narc's in the sharps container UNWASTED!

I was just so relieved I didn't hurt anyone.

Yes, I think it is a legitimate reason for calling in.

[ngbaseball]

Possibly

[alcrab01]

I wouldn't call in due to lack of sleep because at my hospital, if someone calls in they just triple up the other nurses instead of calling in someone else. So, it really affects the staff. So, no, I don't call in unless I'm puking or have a fever.

[08cbrule]

personally i work nights and sometimes i get 3-4 hrs sleep its very hard, but i try not to leave my unit stranded