Dayshift or Nightshift: Which works better for families??

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in ICU,Oncology,School,.

Hi all~

I will be graduating in May & have been trying to decide which shift will work better for my family. I have four kids, 16-6 & have been a SAHM for the last 15 years. NS was a huge change for us & a full-time job will be another. The hospital I've applied to only has 7-7:30 shifts & I've been told I will most likely be able to choose. The daytime opening is in MS & nights is in ICU. While I would love to take the ICU position (I have really enjoyed the clinicals I've spent there & ER), I've never worked nights before & am concerned about being to shift my sleep schedules. On the other hand, if I choose the day job, I'm concerned about the (much) larger pt ratios & I won't be there when the younger kids get home from school - not even close. My husband will be there at night, but his job is pretty much 8-5, so after school may be a problem.

I guess what I'm looking for is advice from those with more experience than I. What works for you & why? 3 days/nights in a row? Spread out over the pay period? I don't know where to start & I need to be able to make a decision soon.

Thanks very much for your input - as you can tell, I'm about to drive myself nuts trying to make the best choice.:confused:

Heather

Day shift can be daunting for the new nurse. If you start out there and can survive, you will be able to adapt to most situations. Night shift is generally slower and gives the new nurse a less hectic environment in which to get used to the actual job. As far as your responsibilities at home and being able to have time to enjoy your family, you just have to be able to go with the situation that seems best for you and your family. Your youngest won't be six forever. That works both ways. You aren't really there for your kids when they get home from school if you are trying to power sleep prior to night shift. Many moms work nights and do a lot during the day for their families. They come to work at night and are very tired. Then they do the same thing the next day and again come to work very tired. You can ruin your health trying to do everything on very little rest. Most people try to get a day shift job. They can spend more time with their families and have a more normal sleep cycle. However, coveted day shift jobs sometimes are not available for long periods of time. You may have to settle for one of the other shifts until you have enough seniority. You can take an available position and then change later when an opening appears on the shift you really want. Or take part time work until something you want opens up. Good luck with your decision and hope you get a good job that meshes well with your family life.

Specializes in NICU.

I'd vote for night shift; you can sleep while they're at school and be there until Dad gets home from work. Esp. if ICU is where you really want to work.

Night shift can be hard, though. I've been working nights and I feel like I'm always tired, but I like being home during the day for my little one. Night shifts tend to be easier, less chaos on the unit. But like Cali said, you've got to sleep during the day; don't spend the day cleaning and try to make it up with a long nap. On the nights I work, I don't cook dinner. I figure there's food, if they get hungry enough, they'll figure it out ;).

My opinion, for what it's worth :rolleyes:.

Specializes in Med-Surg, ER.

Ultimately, you of course will need to do what is best for you and for your family. If you take the night shift position, you can either try to stay on a "night" schedule on your days off, or you can shift back and forth to a more daytime schedule on your days off. Some people find it easy to change back, but it wreaks havoc on the health and sanity of others. If you choose to alter your sleep patterns, be prepared for fairly low energy days on each side of your work days as your body adjusts.

Get some paper out and see how the hours work out for your family. Lay out all the combinations of sleep and work. Can you be home in the morning in time to see them off to school and then get enough sleep before they get home in the afternoon? Can you work a twelve and then stay up until evening the next day if it's your day off? What will you do at three a.m. when the rest of the family is sleeping if you maintain your routine on off days? In six months will your husband be grumbling that he never sees you, or will you both be happy with the arrangement?

What is right for one family might not be right for another. I work 12 hour evening shifts from 1100-2330. With commute, I get home between 0015-0030. My family has chosen to shift our whole schedule later than the average family. We all go to bed around 0100 and get up around 0900. The only reason that this could work for us is that we homeschool our daughter. Our schedule flexes easily. So, great for us, not so great for families with kids in private or public school.

Talk to people in the units that you are considering who have kids at home. Get lots of input on how their home and personal lives are. If day shift MS position and night ICU positions are available, what are your priorities? Would you be happy, miserable or indifferent working MS?

Depending on your personal abilities, family dynamics and personal goals, you may or may not be able to spend ample time with your family on either day or night shift. It just depends.

Keep in mind whatever you decide to do - when your kids are grown and gone, you'll never regret having spent too much time with them.

Specializes in ICU/ER.

I too have four kids ages 5years up to 17years. They are a very busy bunch!!!

I work 3rd shift in the ICU and I love it. It works perfect for my families sched. I work every sat sun 3rd shift then every weds.

This way I am able to go to teenagers friday night football games in the fall. The 10year olds satruday morning soccer games. If the 5 year old has a birthday party it is usually saturday afternoon. etc etc etc

By working 3rds I am able to be home if a child is home sick. I can go on field trips wtih adjusting my sleep. I can take the kids to the dentist during the day.

I feel I get more time wtih my family working 3rds.

Dont know if I will do it forever, but I am loving it now!!!

Best of luck---how exciting!!

Specializes in Telemetry.

I have worked night shift since I graduated from ns 3 years ago. I really like it, but then I am the type of person who likes to sleep in.

I have 3 kids, 1yr to 14 yrs, with school age kids it was no prob with night shift. I find I can work 6 shifts on nights and make more money than if I work 7 day shifts, thereby freeing up an extra day for my family.

Now that I have the baby I work just about every fri, sat and sun. This allows us to not have to pay for daycare, and I really only miss the kids 2 days a week, but tend to just sleep for 7 hrs so I can see them for a couple hours during the day. My kids don't have a big extra curricular activities sched so the weekends are good for us. Now working 3 in a row is tough (especially if you have a sucky, confused group) but not having to switch my sleep cycle back and forth more than once a week is worth it! I love my 4 off.

Good luck!

Specializes in CMSRN.

I do the fri, sat, sun thing too. I have a school age and preschooler. Even though I am off during the week I pay for the day care.

MY husband has the kids on the weekends and I do all else on the weekdays. I can keep my kids home or deal with school freely. No work contraints.

I would not want it any other way at this point in my kids life. Unless of course I did not have to work and could live without need of a job.

Specializes in LTC, office.

No kids for me personally, but I have seen night shift work very well for families. Good luck!

Specializes in ICU,Oncology,School,.

Thanks for all of your help.

I know either shift is doable. I just keep telling myself there are working parents everywhere :)

I am overwhelmed I think b/c I haven't worked f/t in soooo long & I am the primary "go to" parent for everything. The only reason I am going to work f/t now is b/c my husband's job isn't stable & we have to have insurance. Otherwise, I think I would just work part-time. I'm excited to start, but trying to lessen the impact on my family I guess.

Seems like two or three days together is best for most people. How long did it take you to adjust? I'm afraid I'll feel like the walking dead! Do you mostly try to go straight to bed when you get off work or wait a little while & then sleep later in the afternoon? I think I would learn from either area, but my I am definitely more interested in the critical care. I am just afraid to try nights!

Specializes in ICU/ER.

You probably will feel like the walking dead especially around 3-4am. That is when it hits me the most!!!!

Once 5:30 rolls around lab comes in and pretty much wakes every one up, then it is time for the 6am meds/ivs and get your report info ready. I usually get home about 7:30a, throw some laundry in, tidy up the kitchen and go to bed. I always set my alarm for 3pm but for some reason, like TODAY...I am up around noon.

I could not do more than 2 nights in a row- I have before but it is hard. I prefer my 2 back to back nights a few nights off then 1 night.

Funny when I work days I still look kind of cute at 7pm, when I work nights I look like dawn of the dead at 7am.

I'm on rotating schedule now and I'm tired no matter what I do it seems. My youngest goes to school now full time, so if it's during the week, I can sleep from about 9 to 3 and that's enough to survive the night shift, but not optimum by any means. I've had to work a few weekends where I really did not sleep for 3 days and that just about kills me.

I sort of like days more They're at school half the time anyway, so their time without me is not all that long. I miss the morning and afternoon with them about 3 days a week -- not so bad.

Doing nights just kicks my butt. I don't want to do it forever. It's sometimes not even much easier on nights at work either -- then again, no docs or families to deal with usually, which is nice.

Face it, as a mom, you've got a tough job no matter what. I would not ever want to do a 9-5 job, though. With that you just seem to miss everything. With nursing, I will sometimes get to attend school functions during the day, or just be there to take and pick him up which is so nice, or, I'm home with them on snow days or whatever.

I also get the occasional day off when they are at school which is so nice.

I have four kids, 8,6,3, and four months. I started working M/S two years ago and I've been doing 50/50. I think this has been a great schedule!!

The night shift pace is usually awesome, a little slower but busy enough to keep me awake. Just when I'm getting too overtired, my schedule switches to days.

My body prefers days but my kids don't miss me as much when I work nights. The night shift differential is also nice!!!

Good luck with your decision!!!!:heartbeat

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