Silly mistake on the NHS (32)

Would being asleep during a shift be class as a disciplinary offence?

Must be great to have 2 hour breaks at work - I am in the wrong line of work lol.

Chris

A 2 hours break during a 12 hour night shift, probably taken sometime between the hours of midnight and 4am when most patients are asleep? No, I don't think I'd change my day job for that. Also what else would there be to do apart from sleep for that length of time in the middle of the night - oh and, no - don't state the obvious!

What is a Caracal?
The nice lady with the whip.

Im on maternity leave at present, so am enjoying the break and concentrating on my home business, but can I just say our shift changeovers are fucking shit, so a two hour break if it is quiet is fair enough and not a luxury.

No its not a disciplinary offence to sleep when on break, if however not on break then of course it would be, I don't see what you are trying to get at.

I can't believe I've no control
It's all deranged - Bowie
"Computer games don't affect kids. I mean if Pacman affected our generation, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music."

Edited 6 Jan 10, 2:16 PM by Wiley_Kit

Although I think what she did was silly I do not think she should be sacked. I have worked nights and at times it can be boring. I think if I had known about IC then I may have been tempted myself to a little late night web accessing.

M

Space travels in my blood. And there ain't nothing I can do about it.
I know I'm being used, that's okay cause I like the abuse.
I can resist everything except temptation.
It's always funny until someone gets hurt and then it's just hilarious.
Cake or Death?
She'll tie a noose with your heartstrings

A 2 hours break during a 12 hour night shift, probably taken sometime between the hours of midnight and 4am when most patients are asleep? No, I don't think I'd change my day job for that. Also what else would there be to do apart from sleep for that length of time in the middle of the night - oh and, no - don't state the obvious!

[/quote]

I have often worked a 12 hour day throughout my working life and would have rightly been sacked for sleeping whilst being paid by my employer to work and yes I have also done shift work so I understand how difficult that is.

I wonder who is looking after the patients who are not asleep and those who wake up whilst you are asleep?

I would be amazed to hear that all aspects of a nurses job and responsibilites are always done and that there is nothing left to do. But perhaps my experiences of A & Es and visiting friends and family in hospitals is wrong or not typical of hospitals up and down the country.

I am not knocking nurses or the excellent work they do but to me when you are being paid to work that is what you should do. I would have sacked any employee for sleeping whilst I was paying them to work when I was an employer.

Chris

Edited 6 Jan 10, 2:26 PM by safeandsoundbdsm

We take turns to have breaks, so the others on shift would be taking care of the patients. Do you think there is only one member of trained staff for a whole ward of patients? lol.

Where did I state we always sleep for two hours in my particular department and that we have nowt to do?

We hardly take up a hospital bed and have a good old deep sleep. We are in our staff room asleep on a chair.

We are allowed our two hour breaks, we don't decide to take them, which might I add, we very rarely take anyway as its usually too busy. A break is exactly that, a break, so if I decide to eat or sleep or even nip out for a fag, if its safe to do so, then thats up to me.

Also, let me add, I run a business with my partner, if any of our employees were caught on the job asleep, I too would sack them. If however they had a kip on their lunchbreak then no I wouldn't sack them.

I don't understand why you can't see the difference.

Also can I add, we don't just work a 12 hour day.

Our shift patterns are not weekly, they change on a daily basis.

One day I will be on earlys, another on lates, a day off perhaps and then back onto 4 night shifts.

So I think we rightly deserve a long break on our night shifts if its quiet enough as our bodies do not adapt to working odd hours throughout the week with no regularity.

I can't believe I've no control
It's all deranged - Bowie
"Computer games don't affect kids. I mean if Pacman affected our generation, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music."

Edited 6 Jan 10, 2:34 PM by Wiley_Kit

Personally I'd hope that a good number of nurses were getting some sleep during the breaks that their employer gives them on a night shift. Well rested nurses are less likely to make mistakes than tired ones.

I think you are making great assumptions here, on my night shifts (which can be the day after I have just finished a 15 hour day shift) there is nothing to do but check on the patients every 30 minutes or so, and maybe a little bit of paperwork

Mew

Edited 6 Jan 10, 2:47 PM by fluffy_welsh_angel