Nights are killing me

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Feb 11, 2010

Ouch. I could never ever do nights. I get depressed and tired just from the shorter days in winter so if I had to work 3rd shift I'd probably be suicidal. Is there any way you can switch to days? I'm sure it would still suck to work there, but at least you'd feel better physically. And often as you get used to the place the people start to accept you and the cliques are easier to deal with.

Everyone is slow at first and on 3rd shift the only time you're doing more than rounds is right at the end of the shift, correct? So you're probably not getting a lot of practice at being quick.

What took you so long to do the bed baths? Did you have to leave the room because you forgot stuff? Did you keep having to stop and think about what you were doing because you were nervous? Or did you have picky residents that gave you a hard time? If the supplies were an issue, you have all night to stock up the room with everything you need. Lay out all the clothes, bed pads, briefs, towels, bath blanket, soap, mouth stuff, etc. If you were just slow in general, then keep pushing yourself to move faster (a little faster than you're comfortable with) and eventually you'll end up with the muscle memory for it. The more you do it the more tricks you'll find that work for you (like some people are easier to wash in a chair than a bed) and you'll be able to work quickly without hesitating. Ask your coworkers a lot of questions before you do it because a lot of times if the resident is somewhat alert and you don't go in there knowing their routine to a T, they get anxious and give you the run-around, or they have trouble even telling you what it is they want. There have been times where I haven't had a certain resident before and I get them on the toilet and try to pick out an outfit, and they send you back 5 times for the "right" undershirt. You bring some socks, and it turns out they're supposed to wear support hose (which are way easier to put on in bed and now you have to struggle to get them on). Then you ask if they wear a brief- yup- so you get the brief and the pants and the shoes on and you go to stand them up thinking you're finally done and they inform you they like to wear panties over the brief. And it ends up taking foreeeever! And people who are used to this person and take all these little details for granted think you're just being slow.

So it sucks when you first start at any facility, even the good ones. Hang in there and it will probably get better.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2010

*sigh*... If I could wave a magic wand and be an RN in a hospital ER right now, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Does anyone have any advice on how to get along until I can at least get mobile and head to another facility?

If you think working night shift at a nursing home is hard, just wait until you hit the ER any shift. Working the ER isn't as easy or as perked up as one might think. Yes, it does have its ups but it also has its downs just like any department. I've floated to ER many times and let me tell you it can get pretty busy, hectic, and when you get home you can feel like a zombie and want to throw up just because of the night you've had.

Anyway, word of avise to you is to stick it out. Right now in this economy it's so hard to find a job so you may just as well as suck it up and gain the experience that you need in order to move on. Your body needs to adjust to working night shift. Some people adjust better than others. What you might want to do is to cut your sleep in half, sleep before you go in and then sleep right after you get home from work. Noc shift isn't easy, but then again what shift really is.

Stay away from the people who seem questionable. You don't want to get mixed up with the wrong crowd. Just do your job and always help your coworkers because it makes you a better CNA. Hope this helps and good luck

JessLPN001 · Feb 12, 2010

Worked as a CNA for almos 3 yrs on night shift. and the last year as LPN on night shift.I'm not gonna pretend that I know every thing, or that I've got some great advice for you but here are some facts I've picked up on in the last 4yrs.

Nights are no easy task. Some say it all in the person (for instance I've never been much of a morning person, but more of a night owl even in Elementary school) some say its all in routine (keep the same sleep pattern even on your off days) of course when your in class this can be difficult. Personally I believe both theories are acurate. But even when you have both on your side night shift still takes a hard toll on your body, and its just one of those things where you have to figure out : 1 if it will work for you. & 2. how to make it work for you.

Unfortunately as a vampire (this is my term for ppl who work @ night just go with it here) you get a double whammy. First like you have already experienced it sucks being tied half the time, missin your family and friends, missing events b/c you either have to work or just got off a 12 hr shift and have to go back for another in a few hrs. Second Everyone believes that night shift doesnt do anything b/c "the pts are asleep all night" (OH PLEASE!) so they find extra things for the vampires to do b/c "they have the spare time to do it".

As for the day/night shift war YOU WILL SEE THAT WHEREVER YOU WORK. Days thinks nights dont do anything b/c (as stated above) "the pts sleep all night (again, OH PLEASE!!) Nights get tired of hearing how they dont do anything, and having to pickup where day shift left off and catching up on their slack.

Remember its your life and its up to you what you do with it.

Anise1 · Feb 12, 2010

It's hard, because in some LTC places and situations, it is an OBJECTIVE, VERIFIABLE fact that the night shift simply does less work for more money. The night shift does not do what they are supposed to do where I am, and this is a provable fact. Now, the night shift nurses really DO have as much work and they do it, but the CNA's... no. Just no. They're supposed to take all vital signs, and we on the day shift end up having to do it; they're supposed to put everyone to bed, and we are constantly told to do it, they're supposed to get a certain number of people up, and I count every single morning, and they never do it... these are facts. No, this isn't true everywhere, but it is true where I work. (Oh, yeah, and we've found pillows and blankets in the back-- and it's totally against the rules for the night shift to sleep on duty!!) They're supposed to do a certain number of night showers, and they don't do them.... it's listed in the book, and we can see that they aren't doing them... this is a fact too... I am sick and tired of getting stuck with their work AND the work of my lazy day coworker. Where you are, this may not be happening at all. But if day shift people have worked in places like this, the resentment might unfairly carry over.

I have been trying and trying to get on night shift ever since I started at my work, and there has never been an opening. I would be SO happy to work those hours and to have that schedule, I would trade in a heartbeat. Management should offer that shift first to people who actually want it-- but that's not what happens where I work!

Sorry about the venting... but sometimes it just has to happen....

eveningsky339, LPN · Feb 15, 2010

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I requested to be switched to per diem, which will be effective Sunday. I did this because I still need to do clinicals for my CNA class! There's no way I'm doing an 8-hour clinical shift, then a night shift, then another 8 hour shift, etc. I would die.

At any rate, I'm not sure I'll be sticking with LTC for very long. Don't get me wrong, I'm the kinda guy who can suck it up when he needs to, but I just learned that there is an agency that is dying for CNA's right now. They go into homes of the mentally handicapped and the mentally ill for support and health concerns. This is the pt. population I want to work with!

Now, I do have a soft spot for the elderly, but in all frankness, they would be the last on my list if I had a choice. To top it off, a nursing home would be the last on my facilities list. I'm sick of seeing the neglect and the dying.

I'm going to be staying with this facility until I can get a job at this agency, and even then I will probably keep myself on their per diem list.

For now, I'm not looking too far down the road, as 80% of our residents have the stomach flu. The other night we had to do eight complete bed changes for one resident. Eight. And now, the director of nursing, the charge nurses, and everyone else is on the floor, as everyone who took care of the sick residents are now sick themselves. I actually think I am coming down with it myself.

caliotter3 · Feb 15, 2010

I worked nights as a CNA while I attended school in the daytime. I didn't like it either. Quite an eyeopener. However, I kept reminding myself why I was doing that and dragged myself through it. It was worth it in the end, because I was able to get jobs after graduation with the help of the references from the CNA jobs. Supervisors like to speak up on behalf of a CNA who does a good job.

jolly_tamale · Feb 26, 2010

This was an interesting thread, everyone had great responses! I really have nothing to add except don't feel bad about the time on the bed bath, especially since you aren't even done with class yet. It took me one hour on ONE patient the first time I did one because the patient was my first morbidly obese patient I had ever done that kept having BMs through the whole bath so I had to keep starting over. I felt like a total failure after my first bed bath. It will become second nature, no one expects you to be super fast right away.

NM_CNA · Apr 3, 2010

It's hard, because in some LTC places and situations, it is an OBJECTIVE, VERIFIABLE fact that the night shift simply does less work for more money. The night shift does not do what they are supposed to do where I am, and this is a provable fact. Now, the night shift nurses really DO have as much work and they do it, but the CNA's... no. Just no. They're supposed to take all vital signs, and we on the day shift end up having to do it; they're supposed to put everyone to bed, and we are constantly told to do it, they're supposed to get a certain number of people up, and I count every single morning, and they never do it... these are facts. No, this isn't true everywhere, but it is true where I work. (Oh, yeah, and we've found pillows and blankets in the back-- and it's totally against the rules for the night shift to sleep on duty!!) They're supposed to do a certain number of night showers, and they don't do them.... it's listed in the book, and we can see that they aren't doing them... this is a fact too... I am sick and tired of getting stuck with their work AND the work of my lazy day coworker. Where you are, this may not be happening at all. But if day shift people have worked in places like this, the resentment might unfairly carry over.
I have been trying and trying to get on night shift ever since I started at my work, and there has never been an opening. I would be SO happy to work those hours and to have that schedule, I would trade in a heartbeat. Management should offer that shift first to people who actually want it-- but that's not what happens where I work!
Sorry about the venting... but sometimes it just has to happen....

Night shift is the same way where I work (LTC facility). This is the only CNA job I've ever had, so I assumed that all night shifts were the same. At my facilty, they are required to do nothing more than bed checks and getting some people up in the morning. And there are some, no matter how many times they are reported, that do not do bed checks. We come in and most of the beds are stripped with the urine and bm soaked linens thrown in the corners. Too bad our facilities aren't like some of these poster's! I would be happy if night shift did any of those tasks! It's too hard for day shift to get all of those done and do good patient care.