Day shift vs. night shift

PA_RN87, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · May 15, 2015

Broad question. Difference with respect to... pay? workload? effect on personal life? stressors?

NOADLS · May 15, 2015

Day shift: get paid less to do more

Night shift: get paid more to do less

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 15, 2015

Day shift: less shift differential, more annoying family members, more annoying colleagues (PT/OT/ST, social workers, dietary staff, housekeeping staff, case managers, chaplains, pharmacists, etc), more annoying managers (administrators, nurse managers, chief nursing officers, unit managers, infection control nurses, nurse educators, wound care nurses).

Night shift: more money, more camaraderie, more peace, more quietude, more likely to die earlier (I'd rather die sooner than work daylight hours).

tsm007 · May 15, 2015

Day shift: less shift differential, more annoying family members, more annoying colleagues (PT/OT/ST, social workers, dietary staff, housekeeping staff, case managers, chaplains, pharmacists, etc), more annoying managers (administrators, nurse managers, chief nursing officers, unit managers, infection control nurses, nurse educators, wound care nurses).
Night shift: more money, more camaraderie, more peace, more quietude, more likely to die earlier (I'd rather die sooner than work daylight hours).

I can't wait to move to night shift for ALL of those reasons! Well except the dying early :cheeky:

thenightnurse456 · May 15, 2015

Noadls always likes to start a war! Haha.

It depends on the type of unit/department you work in. I've worked on a floor where there was no difference between day and night shift, it was 24hrs of non stop busy! Then I worked in an LTC and it was pretty quiet at night.

Every place is different, the only common factor is that night shift generally means more pay.

Red Kryptonite · May 15, 2015

Day shift: less shift differential, more annoying family members, more annoying colleagues (PT/OT/ST, social workers, dietary staff, housekeeping staff, case managers, chaplains, pharmacists, etc), more annoying managers (administrators, nurse managers, chief nursing officers, unit managers, infection control nurses, nurse educators, wound care nurses).
Night shift: more money, more camaraderie, more peace, more quietude, more likely to die earlier (I'd rather die sooner than work daylight hours).

Plus, all the cool kids work night shift. :cool:

PS maybe I'm crazy but I really think that with physical fitness and a healthy diet, and making sure I sleep enough when I'm off, I can offset most of the things that cause night shifters to die earlier.

Farawyn · May 15, 2015

Nights- if someone calls in sick you are more likely to work short.

IHeartPeds87 · May 15, 2015

Honestly, night shift has a lot of pros. If you are a person who can handle the nocturnal shifts, I am envious of you.

I worked night shift for 1.5 years. I have worked day shift for 1.5 years.

Basically, here is my summary: on nights your job is way better but life is worse. On days, your job is way worse but life is better.

Night shift pros: the differential. the teamwork is awesome. Less work in general.....some patients do sleep (not most, but some), less new orders, less interaction with other departments. Management isn't around, the environment is typically a little more relaxed.

Night shift cons: it's at night! The last two hours of a night shift are a special kind of hell. I felt jet lagged ALL THE TIME and I was either sleeping too much or not sleeping at all. I never felt "right." The drive home after a night shift was just awful and unsafe. I felt socially isolated from the world...in order to stay in contact with people I felt like I had to give up my sleep! Also, the traffic was way worse getting to and leaving work (rush hour both ways!). And this is going to sound weird, but I felt like night shift "took up" more of my life because of the weird sleeping patterns.

With the exception of traffic, there are a few people who thrive on a nocturnal schedule. I'm truly jealous- they get more money for a better job! It got to me though, and I had to move to day shift. My job definitely got worse, but my life got way better because I was well rested :)

Red Kryptonite · May 15, 2015

Nights- if someone calls in sick you are more likely to work short.

Well....that's definitely true.

EternalFeather · May 15, 2015

Well it's in ICU days.

I'm kinda regretting my decision for day shift now. I want to make more money. Lol

BrandonLPN, LPN · May 16, 2015

If we're talking eight-hour shifts, I actually prefer 3-11 shift in LTC. Yes, lots of family, but not so many pesky therapists, dietitians, social workers, etc. (I know, they all perform vital functions, but I like having all my patients on the unit)

Plus, my facility actually offers a higher differential for 3-11 than it does for 11-7, which seems to be a trend.