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

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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!)

When the first thing you see is a pt wandering the halls, and he can't find his pants.

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Specializes in Ortho/Neuro.

...when you start your night shift off by narcing someone at 1915, have 4 patients asking for pain meds, and another asking for help to the BR...

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.
when the first thing you see is a pt wandering the halls, and he can't find his pants.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::smackingf:smackingf:smackingf:smackingf:smackingf:roll:roll:grn::grn:

i thought things like that only happened to me! i worked psych and the state was there inspecting ... observing ... etc. some things seem so awful at the time that you don't know whether to laugh or cry or... maybe cut your throat and get it over with ...:D:d

kathy

shar pei mom:paw::paw:

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When you walk into work and the outgoing staff already have their coats on, purses in hand and want to give report walking down the hall.

When you get to work at night and are told, "Everyone slept all day."

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When the oncoming nurse is warned by three offgoing nurses to do not clock in, turn around, and go home. The place is a zoo.

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Specializes in Med-surg ICU, Adult psych.

Gotta agree with the full moon.

When you get to work a full 20 minutes before shift change and your co-worker gives you such a look of deperate relief

When you get out of your car and hear 2 codes called in your unit, on 2 different pages

When you get to the unit and find the intensivist this week is the one that thinks sedation is evil and all pits should be awake.

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.
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:

that can't be a good shift. :eek:

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

when the charge you're relieving meets you at the locked door of the psych dept. and walks you back to the glass enclosed nurses station muttering unintelligibly under her breath about the bad bad bad shift she's had (you think, since you can't really understand her) and you never get a chance to get a word in.

kathy

shar pei mom:paw::paw:

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

you arrive to clock in and the phone is ringing, family members are at the desk trying to get someone's attention, and several call lights are going off, but no one is in the nurses' station.

last shift seems a little too excited to see you

everyone has the max assignment and the on-call nurse has arrived but there's no one left to be up for admit.

it's a full moon.

there's a weather front coming through (labor and delivery always seems to be overflowing when there's a weather front. Some say barometric pressure changes cause labor and/or rupture of membranes.)

the census has been down and nurses have been cancelled the previous couple of days.

you look at the board and notice that all the of the patients are multips and all are about the same cervical dilation...ensuring that they will probably all deliver at the same time.

there are plenty of dirty, freshly vacated rooms on the unit but there are no clean rooms.

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Specializes in ICU, MedSurg, Medical Telemetry.

* You look on the board and you have only 2 patients... and everyone else has four or five. Guess who gets all the new admits?

* 3-6 of your patients are running some sort of drip (Heparin, Integrilin, Cardizem)

* 3-6 of your patients are post caths -- and at least one is on 15 minute checks still (God help you if you also have a couple patients with Heparin and a brand new admit or two from the ER. Just shoot yourself if you have a patient on CIWA and a first case CABG to prep for the am. Thank God, I've never had it quite that bad. Knock on wood.)

* none of the doctors thought to order prn pain meds (or sufficient prn pain meds) for any of your patients... and you have two patients with neuropathy and a couple patients experiencing splitting nitrobid headaches

* The nurse you're relieving gives you a tight smile and says "Please tell me you've had this guy before so I can just give you updates". And you haven't.

* You haven't even gotten report and while you're reading a patient's chart, the family snags you and begins quizzing you and demanding when the doctor will be by

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

When the off going shift says, "wow, it's been really quiet"

When the bed coordinator they call a code and a rapid response on 2 different floors, all ICU beds are full, and you've got the only two non vented patients

When your two patients are on a "Sedation Vacation"

You see the pronator board in front of your pt 's room who is on 100% FI02 and PC and 300 lbs.

The CRRT has clotted off three times previous shift and is beeping incessantly

You hear confused pts yelling when you get off the elevator

The oncoming shift is collapsed together laughing hysterically in relief

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Specializes in mental health. detox.

First call you get is from your supervisor telling you "Assessments just called. Make sure you guys get your timeclock adjustment forms."

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