Several days ago, we published “A Day in the Emergency Room for a Nurse Who Loves Her Job.” It gave an engaging, sometimes moving account of one nurse’s experience of a normal/stressful day in the ER. As it happens, colleague Theresa Stephany recently sent me the bare bones report we’re sharing today—an actual shift report from 1985. She received the copy many years ago from a friend who worked the night shift at a local hospital, and who had typed and sent it to her manager at the end of the shift. Stephany wrote to me that she “kept it all these years because it’s so horrible that it’s poignant.”

I’m sure that poor nurse was exhausted. Anyone have a shift story to tell, nightmare or otherwise?

SHIFT REPORT, 1985

TO: DIRECTOR OF NURSES
FROM: HEAD NURSE 2ND MAIN
SUBJECT: ACTIVITY RECORD, 11-7 SHIFT, 9/8/85                

Memorandum:

  1. 12 patients in restraints, 2 in leathers, acquired during the night.
  2. 3 Foley catheters pulled out
  3. 1 chest tube inserted with 1300 cc’s pus out
  4. 2 temperatures over 103°
  5. 3 Temperatures over 102°
  6. 7 Temperatures over 101°
  7. 3 patients having DT’s
  8. 3 Patients having chest pain
  9. 3 patients having respiratory distress
  10. Approximately 50 “now” or “stat” orders during the shift
  11. Several chest x-rays done (staff to deliver to x-ray and return)
  12. 2 beds had to be moved to make room for a sitter patient
  13. 3 admissions during the night
  14. 2 patients sent to OR
  15. 3 patients received back from OR
  16. 2 patients abusive and expectorating at nurses from their restrained      positions
  17. 5 IV’s pulled out by patients
  18. 4 other IV’s self-destructed
  19. An RN’s foot run over during a bed move, bringing tears due to the excruciating pain
  20. 1 incident report: patient pulled out and/or disconnected peripheral IV,  CVP line, Foley catheter, perineal drain tube, then staggered around corridor with active DT’s
  21. More IV’s on the floor than patients: 40 patients, 42 IV’s
  22. No breaks for any employee except the two sitters
  23. 5 hours overtime (all PM RN’s were late also)
  24. The lab computer did not work.