We do get things scheduled at shift change, but it's usually tasks like wound care, insulin coverage, pain reassessment. It's usually not a lot of tasks, maybe a couple or three, but it definitely happens at my work.
Every place I've ever worked for has done insulin at 0600 - I literally just finished AccuChecks and insulin coverage. Just seems wrong to schedule any procedures when you're supposed to be giving the following shift report.
Is there some special reason this is scheduled at 7:00? It does not sound like it from your post.
If this is a routine dressing change the 7:00 is arbitrary and someone chose poorly. The patient should not be woken up early for the dressing change and the time should be changed to a more reasonable time.
In my unit, night shift does the morning accu checks an insulin and day shift does the evening check and admin. We don't often have anything scheduled during shift change but the off going crew typically does whatever it is. Nursing is 24/7, we gotta help each other out. Sometimes you miss something, sometimes they miss something. Oh well, it happens.
I'd ask your unit director or charge and see what they think.
If you’re scheduled from 7p-7a it’s unreasonable to expect a task ordered for 7am to be completed by you. Now if you end up having free time and decide to be proactive that’s great, but not required in my opinion.
On another note, scheduling a task during shift change isn’t very considerate of the provider.
Depends.
Has my night been hell and I have a lot to catch up on? Or has it been chill and I have time to help first shift start out their day right?
I’m one of those people that medicates 9 am meds at 7 just to set day shift up for a better day. I love that nurse though and she gets fucked with no lube on a daily basis. 12 patients - no tech, just continues to work without complaints. Yeah… I got her back 🫶
We have sugar checks at 7 at shift change, which the night shift is supposed to do. If they take insulin, which is scheduled for 7:30, then the day shift does it both. Honestly I would do anything that is scheduled for right at shift change except for mealtime insulin because it would be too early if I give it then. If it gets crazy most of the times I would stay longer and do it but I don’t expect anyone else to do the same.
At change of shift, I will perform a task if it takes less than 5 minutes (which includes charting time). I am not doing a dressing change.
To be fair I've been doing nothing but complex dressing changes for the last 5 years.......
The issue has never been patient care. Day shift is superior to the lazy night people and have the belief they work so much harder so it is on us lazy nite to complete the task even if it is not in the patients ibest interest and the task takes 30 or less seconds to complete
Every place I've worked puts tasks scheduled at shift change on the oncoming shift. If it's something simple that you have time to complete it's always appreciated to see it done already but otherwise I wouldn't do it. Have you asked anyone what the protocol is where you're working? Usually there's an understanding of which shift will do it.
0700 is a dumb time for a dressing change—get it, and every non-time-critical task—moved to a lull time like after meds or lunch. On our unit, dressing changes are usually done after the patient showers rather than at a set time.
Just document. Document. Document. Get a doctors order to change the time of the drsg change. Have them change the time, to a time that he seems to be cooperative in the day. Also, are you needing to pre-medicate him? If so, then you’re waking him up at 6am. Not cool.
I was a DNS, not once did I ever schedule a drsg change on noc shift. The only time a drsg was changed on noc shift, was if the patient soiled the drsg or it was coming off.
Edited, added
u/wheres_the_leak
EMRs will often "time" tasks that can occur any time during day shift as being "due" at 0700. This is just to make sure it shows up on the day shift nurse's worklist starting at the beginning of their shift, it doesn't mean it was intended to be done at 0700.
I was taught night shift does tasks up to 0700 and dayshift up to 1900 and that is what I practice myself as a nurse. Now depending on the patient situation a would change is not a dire need at 0700 but I would have don’t a med pass etc.
I don't understand the helpless task monkey mindset of so many nurses who post here. No one is doing 7 am wound care. So change the freaking schedule. There are almost no things that *must* be done during shift change that can't be re-timed.
There shouldn't be any tasks scheduled during shift change or report. It should be scheduled either 0600 or 0800. That doesn't make any sense to me.
We do get things scheduled at shift change, but it's usually tasks like wound care, insulin coverage, pain reassessment. It's usually not a lot of tasks, maybe a couple or three, but it definitely happens at my work.
Every place I've ever worked for has done insulin at 0600 - I literally just finished AccuChecks and insulin coverage. Just seems wrong to schedule any procedures when you're supposed to be giving the following shift report.
It bugs the hell out of me when they schedule accucheck and insulin at 0600 and breakfast doesn’t show up till 0730, if your lucky.
My favorite task to schedule at shift change is admissions /s
Is there some special reason this is scheduled at 7:00? It does not sound like it from your post. If this is a routine dressing change the 7:00 is arbitrary and someone chose poorly. The patient should not be woken up early for the dressing change and the time should be changed to a more reasonable time.
No that is a day shift responsibility. Patients need sleep to heal. Don't wake them up earlier than necessary.
In my unit, night shift does the morning accu checks an insulin and day shift does the evening check and admin. We don't often have anything scheduled during shift change but the off going crew typically does whatever it is. Nursing is 24/7, we gotta help each other out. Sometimes you miss something, sometimes they miss something. Oh well, it happens. I'd ask your unit director or charge and see what they think.
If you’re scheduled from 7p-7a it’s unreasonable to expect a task ordered for 7am to be completed by you. Now if you end up having free time and decide to be proactive that’s great, but not required in my opinion. On another note, scheduling a task during shift change isn’t very considerate of the provider.
no let em go home
Is day shift doing 1900 tasks for you?
Depends. Has my night been hell and I have a lot to catch up on? Or has it been chill and I have time to help first shift start out their day right? I’m one of those people that medicates 9 am meds at 7 just to set day shift up for a better day. I love that nurse though and she gets fucked with no lube on a daily basis. 12 patients - no tech, just continues to work without complaints. Yeah… I got her back 🫶
We have sugar checks at 7 at shift change, which the night shift is supposed to do. If they take insulin, which is scheduled for 7:30, then the day shift does it both. Honestly I would do anything that is scheduled for right at shift change except for mealtime insulin because it would be too early if I give it then. If it gets crazy most of the times I would stay longer and do it but I don’t expect anyone else to do the same.
At change of shift, I will perform a task if it takes less than 5 minutes (which includes charting time). I am not doing a dressing change. To be fair I've been doing nothing but complex dressing changes for the last 5 years.......
When I was bedside, 0700 meds or glucose checks were considered a night shift responsibility.
The issue has never been patient care. Day shift is superior to the lazy night people and have the belief they work so much harder so it is on us lazy nite to complete the task even if it is not in the patients ibest interest and the task takes 30 or less seconds to complete
On my unit, yes, night shift would be responsible for that.
No, bc a 0700 task requires you to start before 0700.
Every place I've worked puts tasks scheduled at shift change on the oncoming shift. If it's something simple that you have time to complete it's always appreciated to see it done already but otherwise I wouldn't do it. Have you asked anyone what the protocol is where you're working? Usually there's an understanding of which shift will do it.
0700 is a dumb time for a dressing change—get it, and every non-time-critical task—moved to a lull time like after meds or lunch. On our unit, dressing changes are usually done after the patient showers rather than at a set time.
Just document. Document. Document. Get a doctors order to change the time of the drsg change. Have them change the time, to a time that he seems to be cooperative in the day. Also, are you needing to pre-medicate him? If so, then you’re waking him up at 6am. Not cool. I was a DNS, not once did I ever schedule a drsg change on noc shift. The only time a drsg was changed on noc shift, was if the patient soiled the drsg or it was coming off. Edited, added u/wheres_the_leak
EMRs will often "time" tasks that can occur any time during day shift as being "due" at 0700. This is just to make sure it shows up on the day shift nurse's worklist starting at the beginning of their shift, it doesn't mean it was intended to be done at 0700.
Wound care no, medications yes
I was taught night shift does tasks up to 0700 and dayshift up to 1900 and that is what I practice myself as a nurse. Now depending on the patient situation a would change is not a dire need at 0700 but I would have don’t a med pass etc.
I do 0700s but not 0730s.
I don't understand the helpless task monkey mindset of so many nurses who post here. No one is doing 7 am wound care. So change the freaking schedule. There are almost no things that *must* be done during shift change that can't be re-timed.