You know your shift is going to be INSANELY busy when...

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Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

1. You notice no coffee in the coffee pot

2. The unt has 5 call lights going off at the same time

3. Your previous shift staff look at you and thank the lord you've come to rescue them

4. Dinner trays are still waiting to be passed out at 7pm

5. All the nursing staff could seem to be on the verge of tears

6. Off-going shift walk slowly and painfully cause there feet are hurting them

7. A collective stench on BM/Urine/Emisis is smelled getting off the elevator

8. The hospital has 8 ambulances in the ER driveway and 2 helicopters on the helipads.

9. Your Nurse Manager is assisting with patient care (Yes, I have actually seen that happen!)

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

when report includes the "interesting" little fact that your locked psych department is out of ativan and awaiting a special unscheduled delivery from the pharmacy department which will arrive "shortly.":eek:

kathy

sharpeimom:paw::paw:

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Specializes in PACU.
9. Your Nurse Manager is assisting with patient care (Yes, I have actually seen that happen!)

Ahahahahahahahaha:yeah:

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Specializes in Psych, Pediatrics, GI, Diabetes.
when report includes the "interesting" little fact that your locked psych department is out of ativan and awaiting a special unscheduled delivery from the pharmacy department which will arrive "shortly.":eek:

kathy

sharpeimom:paw::paw:

lol, that's hilarious...i feel your pain, i work psych, too and have had that happen to me, and that's never a good sign... :)

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Specializes in NICU, Nursery.

10. When you badly need to pee, but can't even sit for a nano second

11. When you can't plot your 8am vs and it's 1pm

12. When the buzzer on the door keeps sounding and you can't get it, and when someone does, guess who, it's the consultant from hell, who yells at you asking why can't you even open the damn door

13. When there's not a single person in sight in the station/staff room

14. When you keep looking at the clock, praying that you're shift will end soon, but you still have your meds to give (a few hours late)

and so on... Good Luck to the incoming shift! ;)

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

15. It's a full moon. Really.

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Specializes in ICU/CCU/CVICU/ED/HS.

When the Supervisor looks at you with a surprised look and says..."It's 1900 ALREADY!?!?!?!?!"

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.
when the supervisor looks at you with a surprised look and says..."it's 1900 already!?!?!?!?!"

btdt!! too many times to count unfortunately!!

kathy

sharpeimom:paw::paw:

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Specializes in ER, Med/Surg.

There are 3 police cars at the ER doors.

(Your number may vary. "3" is three towns worth around here!)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Tele, DOU.

as the off-going shift is leaving, they inform you that your patient came from a psych unit.

when candy is being given out at the beginning of the shift, by strange smiling staff who are leaving.

when the naked unstable man from room ## makes his 2nd appearance at the nurses' station and it is only 1/3rd the way through the shift. And the patient is supposed to be in isolation.

when you hear a familiar whiny voice over the intercom asking for pain medicine 3 times within 15minutes. and your colleagues say, "Mr. or Mrs. so and so is back."

when the other units are complaining that they don't want Mr or Mrs. So and so and it is your units turn to take that patient. after all, their hands are full enough.

when your charge nurse has already taken 5 deep breaths and we haven't finished report yet.

when the colleagues on your shift start laughing hysterically or saying "you have got to be @#$#@, me" again shift report isn't over yet.

when one of the colleagues on your shift screams "Nooooooo"; and they have just received report for the first patient. the time is 7:05pm

when you hear, "help this person is down!!!!" being screamed, during shift change.

when someone comes to the desk and says, that patient doesn't look right?! and sure enough "Call a Code!" is hollered down the hall.

and finally, when everything and everyone smells like c-diff.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTAC, Critical Care.

When your manager calls you in to work on your day off at 2030 and you say it'll be an hour till you get there and the boss says "We'll take what we can get"......

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Hospice,IV Therapy.

When you're in the middle of a code and someone tells you that so and so fell out of bed and probably broke their hip and at the same time the phone rings and it's the family member of a confused pt calling to say that he walked home in the rain and slipped in front of his house and broke his shoulder(I kid you not, this all actually happened one night, we were very badly understaffed).

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