Day or Noc Shift? = New Grad RN First Job = Telemetry

Obiwarz · Feb 5, 2008

At my job, the new grads do day/night rotations. Night shift and day shift are COMPLETELY different...day shift you have fewer patients, more doctors etc. running around, more of the transfers from the units/discharges. Night shift, at my job, seems more geared towards tasks...making sure all the MARs, paperwork, etc. is done...tends to be more of the ER admits/no discharges....it's been helpful for me to work both, though I'd rather just work one or the other...

I have to completely agree with you that working one or the other would be much better. I am having a tough time adjusting my sleep schedule every two weeks. Do you have the same troubles? Maybe it's a new nurse thing and we'll get used to it.

One thing I do like about nights is that I have time to read the physician notes to get a complete back story on the patient. Unfortunately, I can tell you I catch at least a couple errors a week when I work nights. Just recently I had a patient that was waiting to be discharged until her PFT results came back. She did her test two days prior to my shift. Well I had time to sit down and read the respiratory note which said that she was non-compliant and they could not finish the test. Twelve physician notes later, most copied-pasted, the plan was "still awaiting PFT results." Needless to say, I reported my findings to the day shift and we got the ball rolling that AM. That's the one thing I like about nights.

Hopefully we'll get used to it!

harleygirl1704 · Feb 5, 2008

I think its best to start out on night shift as new grad. Its easier to adjust to your patient load and get your routine down. You're less pressured by doctors and family and much more patient oriented-through your assessments, meds, charting, charts. Gives you more confidence and a firm grasp on the paperwork side of our job (they never told us about ALL the paperwork in nursing school did they?! lol). With that solid foundation it makes the transition to the craziness of day shift that much easier. As far as dealing with doctors... you learn how to do it right... especially when you're waking them up at 3 am. There's a big difference in a doctor at 3 pm and 3 am. lol When you've done that... they don't seem so scary or intimadating in the daylight! So that in turn makes it easier to learn to stand up for yourself and your patient when a doctor start his ranting, raving, bullying routine and you are the target of it. Now, not all docs are like that, but there are those that can be out there.

As far as sleeping during the day, yes its hard at first but you get use to it. What I did was get a sleeping mask and ear plugs and I had no problems after that. My sister-in-law has thick, dark curtains that make her room jet black... even during the day!

anilu · Dec 15, 2009

I'm so glad I found this old post....just what I was wondering about the different tasks pertaining to the shifts !! I love this website !!

jo1010 · Nov 14, 2010

Well, let me tell you something. I work on oncology/Med Surg/Ortho floor. I worked nights for 7 months and I was offered to work days (we have 8 hours shifts). I decided to accept that shift, and i have to say it is a huge difference. They gave me 4 days of transitional orientation but I feel like I need a bit more. Anyway, it has its pluses and minuses. The major reason why I accepted this shift is because i realized I will learn a lot more during a day shift. Starting with simple discharge (which sometimes isn't that simple) to transfering patients to OR, dealing with doctors (nightmare and the worst thing) and families. At night I thought the worst thing is to get an admission, on days that is the best thing that can happen. It is actually a time when I can stand in 1 place for 10-15 minutes (when i ask pts admission questions) because normally it is so busy that I run like crazy. I can't say I regret that transfer, although I feel anxious every evening to go to work next morning, but I am more focused on the advantages. I know i will become more confident each time I work and hopefully I will be as good as other nurses who have been there for years.