How To Deal With a Half-Ass Shift Report
Have you ever come to work and got what seemed to be one of the worst reports ever? What do you do? How do you handle the situation so it’s a meaningful experience for everyone involved? Do you give feedback to the off-going nurse about how to improve upon their practice?
The unsafest times for patients are during shift change, transfers and handoffs. Is that a surprise to anyone? This is the time when the baton is passed and important information can be missed and balls dropped. And when the report is crappy, it can delay treatment and interventions because the oncoming nurse is trying to get up to speed on what’s happening with the patient.
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In this episode Nurse Alice shares an example of a half-ass handoff report she got from a staff nurse and discovered the nurse didn’t do much for the patient and didn’t even understand how sick the patient was. It may seem uncomfortable if you’re not used to having an open dialogue with peers but it’s okay to hold our peers accountable and provide collegial feedback. Don’t be the petty nurse who can’t receive feedback. It’s not about you, it’s about the patient. Listen to how Nurse Alice handled this situation and turned it into a teachable moment.
