[boofish]

Hi all, I've been reading these posts FOREVER and finally decided to join. I'm about to enter my last year of nursing school and am pretty sure that the NICU is the area for me. I've been a "cuddler" there for the past 3 years and have absolutely fallen in love with everything about it. I do have a question regarding shifts, though, and was hoping you all would be able to help me out. From what I've read here and from talking to a few other nurses, I've gotten the impression that there is just no way of getting around the night shift. It seems as if the newer nurses automatically work nights and as they gain seniority and spots open up, can move to days. Me being the furthest from a night owl as possible, find this terrifying!! From your experiences, how does this whole thing work?? Is it usually everyone vying for day spots or are there enough people who actually want to work nights that you can usually get what you want?? I wouldn't mind the odd night shift every once in awhile but I just can't imagine my body being able to adjust to only working 12 hour nights!! Any insight you could give would be wonderful!!

Thanks

[BittyBabyGrower]

Each place is different. Where I work, there is a list for days. Some girls will take a 3a-3p position to get on days, if you can call that shift days LOL. Some places are 50% rotation, you do 2 weeks days or 2 weeks nights or one month days one month nights. Where I work, day people can be rotated up to 25% of their yearly time as needed to cover shifts. Most of the time, it isn't what you WANT is what is AVAILABLE.

I always feel that if someone wants to work somewhere bad enough, you will take what shift is offered. That is just my opinion.

[Kimbalou]

Originally Posted by boofish

Hi all, I've been reading these posts FOREVER and finally decided to join. I'm about to enter my last year of nursing school and am pretty sure that the NICU is the area for me. I've been a "cuddler" there for the past 3 years and have absolutely fallen in love with everything about it. I do have a question regarding shifts, though, and was hoping you all would be able to help me out. From what I've read here and from talking to a few other nurses, I've gotten the impression that there is just no way of getting around the night shift. It seems as if the newer nurses automatically work nights and as they gain seniority and spots open up, can move to days. Me being the furthest from a night owl as possible, find this terrifying!! From your experiences, how does this whole thing work?? Is it usually everyone vying for day spots or are there enough people who actually want to work nights that you can usually get what you want?? I wouldn't mind the odd night shift every once in awhile but I just can't imagine my body being able to adjust to only working 12 hour nights!! Any insight you could give would be wonderful!!

Thanks

Yes, you're right. Usually new grads are hired for nights. Some hospitals are worse than others about never opening up day positions. I used to work at a hospital taht would never hire day shift...those nurses stuck around for 20-30 yrs. But, you might have the option of working pm's.
Also, I worked nights for 7 years,...it's not too bad. Having kids makes nights harder, IMO. But, you can always make a schedule so you have 4-6 days off in a row, that helps.
Just call around and see what shift you can get besides nights.
Good luck

[hikernurse]

We're all initially hired on 50/50 (we only have 12 hour shifts) and it takes forever to get to only day shifts. I guess that's the downside of working in a unit that nurses love to stay on .

The holidays stink, too, if you're a new hire, but I'd still rather work in the NICU than anywhere else.

[WeeBabyRN]

You have to start on nights in our NICU too. Day positions usually open up a couple times a year. I never thought I could work nights, but I am doing it and I love it. I plan on putting in for a day position as soon as it opens up though. I have kids and I have a hard time sleeping when they are home.

[doingourbest]

Night shift is horrid. Avoid it at all costs. But, generally that is where new folks start. Are you a male or female. If you are a male you have a good shot at getting a day shift position to start. You just have to go in and say that is all you will take. They will also give you however much money you say if you are a man.

[walkingrock]

Originally Posted by boofish

Hi all, I've been reading these posts FOREVER and finally decided to join. I'm about to enter my last year of nursing school and am pretty sure that the NICU is the area for me. I've been a "cuddler" there for the past 3 years and have absolutely fallen in love with everything about it. I do have a question regarding shifts, though, and was hoping you all would be able to help me out. From what I've read here and from talking to a few other nurses, I've gotten the impression that there is just no way of getting around the night shift. It seems as if the newer nurses automatically work nights and as they gain seniority and spots open up, can move to days. Me being the furthest from a night owl as possible, find this terrifying!! From your experiences, how does this whole thing work?? Is it usually everyone vying for day spots or are there enough people who actually want to work nights that you can usually get what you want?? I wouldn't mind the odd night shift every once in awhile but I just can't imagine my body being able to adjust to only working 12 hour nights!! Any insight you could give would be wonderful!!

Thanks

I would expect to start on night shift. Depends on the unit how fast the turnover is...slow turnover makes for a stable, probably excellant environment, but a long time to get to day shift, especially with 12-hr shifts. Fast turnover might get you to days in a year or two, but might be a lousy work environment....at my age, I'm soooo tired of 12-hr shifts. I looked for a place that had 8-hr shifts, and was hired straight onto PM's, which I personally find MUCH easier physically than nights. I am not naturally a night-owl. My biorhythm (when not screwed up by strange shifts !) is: go to bed around 9pm, get up around 6am... I've spent most of my career on 12-hr shifts and probably somewhat equal times on Days and Nights. I worked 40 hrs/wk this last year on 8-hr PM's and found that a bit much, but am now working 32 hrs/wk 8-hr PM's, and it is GREAT! Where I work, PM's is an easy shift to get on (may not be true everywhere!), although there is not a huge turnover; and they give new hires a choice of working 32 or 40 hr work wks. Not that many hospitals offer 8-hr shifts though. You can adjust reasonably to nights for awhile. Good Luck! I started directly from school into NICU. It is my niche, I love it (well most the time!).

[suanna]

Sorry for your luck but you have a choice - work nights in a unit you want or try for days on a less desirable unit and get there sooner. The shift you want on the unit you want right out of school as a rare bird. If you do decide to try nights ask around -there are lots of ways to adapt- what works best for you is a matter of trial and error. If all else fails a new drug came out a couple of years ago called provigil(?sp)-supposed to help shift workers avoid falling asleep on the job-or on the way home. I've been on nights for 25yrs and would never go to days. There are advantages- less bosses, less politics, more independence, less patient turnover, more freedom to make appointments or whatever during the day, and best of all- shift diff. I've known a few people who couldn't cut it but on the whole most people adapt in 3-4 mos. One word of caution- if you find you are unsafe- falling asleep on the job a lot-do yourself and your patients a favor and find another position. Honestly-Good luck! see ya in the moonlight.

[Sweeper933]

It really all depends on the specific unit. Where I work, we hire for all shifts. There is a big group of us on nights who have no intention of leaving that shift any time soon. The extra pay, less weekend requirements (we have a whole different group of nurses who only work weekend nights...) make working nights more appealing for a lot of us. We've even had some of the newer / younger nurses who were hired for days, and worked days for a while end up switching to nights!

[BittyBabyGrower]

Originally Posted by nightnurse1107

Night shift is horrid. Avoid it at all costs. But, generally that is where new folks start. Are you a male or female. If you are a male you have a good shot at getting a day shift position to start. You just have to go in and say that is all you will take. They will also give you however much money you say if you are a man.

Okay...I find this to be a totally untrue statement. Where I work, and I am sure we aren't the only place, you get what is open, the same pay, etc...it doesn't matter if you are man or woman. If you went into our hospital and said I want days and this pay....you'd get laughed out the door. Out of curiousity...where do you work?

In our unit, most people with school age kids works evenings.