Day Shift VS. Night Shift!!! hahahahahahaha!!!

I've worked in hospitals long enough to know that know one ever seems to be really happy no matter what shift people work...I've worked night shift, day shift, evening shift, 12 hr days, 8 hr days, 16 hr days...I've worked all the shifts and still to this day, there always seems to be the never ending "bitching" between the workers which shift actually works harder!

Day shift people just run more I think, trying to chase down patients, trying to beat the food trays, physical therapy, occupation therapy, nurses, doctors what-have-ya...

Night shift has a smaller crew because they don't have to compete with other disciplines for patient care, but because they work nights, they get better compensation...

I worked nights and on the average for full-timers there's about a $200 per paycheck difference after taxes and whatever...I liked working nights because there wasn't so much confusion with the patients/caregivers...but I couldn't sleep during the day..

One thing I always try to do is set up the next shift so that they don't have too much to do...change outs, stocking carts and drugs, etc...

When I work days though, I don't often get time to do the extra stuff and I'm very lucky to get done only my work for that shift...

I usually try to remain in good spirits throughout the shift, whatever shift I'm working..be it nights or days...

I've been at this place of employment now for about 3 months and everything that was fine and good over the last 3 months has now turned upside down....


I'm on days here and I really enjoyed it up to this point, but over the last week, the oncoming crew has just had very low morale, bad attitudes and simply put.....they've been very bitchy towards everything...the day shift just can't seem to do anything right this past week.....

I'm so disappointed!!! I'm embarrassed and frankly, newly fed up!!!

I worked hard for 2 years to get through college to get a degree to get a state license to be a professional to work with a bunch of "babies!"


There's just no pleasing these people!!! Ordinarily, I would just shrug this all off and say "whatever", but for some reason, people I barely know, hate my guts!!
I feel that its unfair and sickening behavior and I would never treat another person the way I've been treated this week!

It just doesn't seem as though there's any forgiveness for my lack of knowledge when I "heaven forbid" make a mistake or forget to do something I should have done...

"Nurse Beaner!" calls me the other morning on the phone yelling at me because he can't oxygenate his patient because he doesn't have a "respirator"....I'm like, "WTF?" Later I find out he just needs a "flowmeter"...anyways, when I receive the call, I'm gowned and gloved in an isolation room on a whole other floor....I tell him I'll get there as soon as I can...My current patient is on a vent and is stating she can't breathe...to me, that takes precidence at the moment...so, I get her set up and she's feelin better, so I hightail it up to the other floor with the flowmeter only to be yelled at some more by "nurse beaner" that, "ITS A GOOD THINK THIS PATIENT WASN'T CODING!!"...I elevate my voice and tell him "I was in an isolation room gowned and gloved and I couldn't get away right then!"

Nurse Beaner procedes to tell me that his patient is only satting 60% on Oxygen....I look at this patient and see no oxygen on this patient...to which I retort, "He's not on oxygen!" The nurse throws his hands up in the air, to yell again, "THAT'S BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A FLOWMETER!" as if to tell me "duh"....I said, "You have an oxygen tank sitting right there!" it was sitting at the head of the bed....but still, the patient wasn't on oxygen...Nurse beaner says..."I just went and got that!"...okay I'm thinking... BUT YOU STILL HAVEN'T PUT HIM ON IT!!....I just wanted to yell that soo badly...obviously this nurse's frustrations were running high and I just happened to be the one he took it out on....(piss me off)....

He gets all frustrated and then he can't explain things in an appropriate manner or an appropriate tone for that matter...but hey, it was only 8 AM...WHY SHOULD ANYONE BE THINKING CLEARLY AT THAT TIME???? I give up...

I would never talk to someone the way he spoke to me that morning...that was just the beginning...the day just kept getting better!!!!!! one thing after another...

then, the night shifters come in....their attitudes were equally as bright as nurse beaner's.....I didn't know that new treatment cut off times were at 1800...and one came down for my floor at 1740....so, girl RT yells out loud in front of everyone..."NEW TREATMENT CUT OFF TIMES ARE AT 1800 RIGHT?? THIS ONE CAME DOWN AT 20 MINUTES TIL AND IT WASN'T DONE!!!"... So, because of my ignorance, I get made to look like a freakin fool....that was completely uncalled for!!! IMO, you shouldn't handle things like that, she should have looked on the board, seen that I had that area and then talked to ME!!! "hey, maybe you didn't know, but this treatment should have been done, just tellin ya so you'll know next time!" I would have pulled that person aside and said something like that...but nooooooooooo not her!!

I had a horrible day that day and I was still working literally on paperwork trying to get it done so I wouldn't have to leave it "undone"....I didn't get out of work that night until 1/2 hr after I was supposed to...

I'm not a tattler either...so I didn't say anything to anyone about that, but I've been given work to do on my shift that wasn't done on the night shift and I've happily done it, I've never been mean to anyone and I've never questioned anyone as to why things weren't done...sometimes you just can't get everything done in 12 hours...I understand that...but man...this is some shit!!

Today...a couple days later, the Dept Mgr comes in to talk to both shifts saying stuff about how we all need to get along and that we all need to help each other out instead of griping and complaining... Though I agree with what he said, he wasn't really speaking to the main people who were causing the problems...so I don't know if this speech meant anything to anyone other than me and I don't believe for a minute he understood how much their nasty attitudes really affected me given the fact that I never told him "my side" of the story or that I was even there enduring this "mental ass-whippin"....

My philosophy is just this...You applied for a job as a professional to be a Therapist and if what you're doing/not doing is not therapeutic, then you're in the wrong position...and when you treat someone so badly for whatever reason, it's time for you to take some time off and get yourself back into check...


1.) Be happy you have a skill that's transferrable
2.) Be happy you have a job
3.) Treat others with respect, no matter what
4.) Be professional at all times
5.) Be honest with yourself and others
6.) Do your best at all times, always give 100%
7.) Don't get involved in gossip
8.) Never be cruel
9.) When you need help, ask for it
10.) Always smile!!


A little effort goes a long way and sometimes I think people forget that...
We all work together to do the same things...help our patients and help each other and I don't understand why people would want to be so mean sometimes...

I like being happy no matter what I'm doing and I guess I just don't understand why people would want to be so miserable...

I want to be lazy sometimes too, but there's just no time to be lazy in the field I have chosen for myself...

ahhhhhhh, at least I'm home now!!!

sorry for the ranting!!
I'm going to go to bed now and I'm off tomorrow so I know I will be happy!!!

good night
kT