I often wonder if the day shift folks have any idea what goes on at night. Personally, I believe that they think it's slow. That nobody comes in at night. That we all just sit around catching up on our continuing education, shooting the shit, and messing around.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I feel like, more often than not, we clear everything out by discharging patients and transferring people upstairs about fifteen to thirty minutes before they get here.
Then, they show up and see four people on the board. I'm pretty sure they have no idea and wouldn't believe me if I explained it to them. . .
On her first week of working nights in the Crimea, Florence Nightengale is reputed to have said the exact same thing about the day staff.
ReplyDeleteMost of my day shift started on nights here, and the rest somewhere else.
But just as we forget the pain of crappy situations, they forget the hell they used to deal with.
I've done nights 12 years, and everyone I started with has been on days forever. They know better than to come off all cramped up about how things are. Or I helpfully remind them.
My excuse is simple: at night, the ratio of busybody/suits (with their claws perched on my shoulder and their beaks in my business )to actual practioners is 0:30; in the daytime it's 1:3.
We refer to them as seagulls, because they fly in, squeak and squawk, crap all over everyone, and then fly away. Day shift can have 'em. Having a life is overrated.
You sure do clear it out 15 minutes before 0700. Guess what, they roll into my ICU at 0659. 'Cause there's no better time to settle a patient than during the chaos of shift change. Sure, let me try to give report while simultaneously doing a full admission. Know what really happens? The patient ends up just laying there. They're not getting any pain meds, family can't come in and see them, they're neglected. No biggie to the ED, their board is empty. But just maybe if you actually care about patient care, get them up to the unit an hour before end of shift. 30 minutes, even.
ReplyDelete-A fed up ICU nurse
A moot point in this *particular* case. Our hospital staggers shift change between ED and the floor/ICU just to avoid this problem. Our shift change is an hour before the floor or ICU. And yet, we still get excuses why they can't take the patient so close to shift change.
DeleteI know I’m years late in responding, but yes. You’re right. I’ve since worked ICU and see things from that side.
DeleteI know I’m years late in responding, but yes. You’re right. I’ve since worked ICU and see things from that side.
Delete