Help me feel better about this - Full time 8 hour nights

Nurses General Nursing

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I just graduated in May and was thrilled to get a job within a month of graduating with the hospital system i most wanted to be a part of..

I have gone through 2 months of orientation and am in my last couple weeks and have now been put on my regular shift.. 8 hour nights..

I've only done 8 of them (5 in a row, 2 off, 3 more, now i'm on 1 off, then 5 more in a row) and i am feeling horrible, and depressed and trapped, and upset.. and to top it off i'm sick! omg.. i feel like a big complaining baby, but i really dont think i can handle this. I have 2 children, ages 9 & 10, and i feel like i am just completely miserable or sleeping now all the time.. not really how i had envisioned this going..

so has anyone done this and survived?? am i stuck? Should i just find another position somewhere else, even for less pay? i am just feeling horrid. :(

Wish we had a 'super like' button to click. RNsRWe said it all so well.

Aw, thanks. But hitting the Like button just once is gift enough :)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Not going to lie. 8-hour per day and 5 days per week is rough on any shift, but especially nights. I would stay on for about six months and then ask your manager if you could switch to 12-hour nights. Once you hit one year, ask if you could switch to days.

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I started out on 8 hour night shifts as a new grad and it took me awhile to get use to it. I had to "deprive my senses" by using ear plugs, eye masks, put room darkening shades over the windows to simulate night, took the home telephone off. My kids were babies when I did this, so not in school. I slept when they did during the day, so sleep when yours are in school. You could get up in the late afternoon to be at the bus stop etc or attend evening activities. I would have dinner at 5:00 pm and be back in bed by 7:00 and sleep again until 9:30 to wake up and get ready for work, left the house at 10:00 to be there by 11:00. Part-time does make a huge difference. It is not natural for the body to sleep during the day, so I had to stay on a night schedule even when I was off to keep my sleep schedule from going bizurk!! My kids are adult children now, they say they remember me sleeping a lot, but, all of them are healthy, normal adults. No ax murders here either!!! I liked nights to start because I could take my time learning how to do assessments, I learned what was important to call the MD about, and I learned critical decision skills early in my career. When we went 12 hour shifts it was really hard for me as I missed that evening nap, the extra days off did not make up for the time I spent being tired. Stick with it for awhile, it does take time for your body to adjust. Boost your immune system by taking vitamins and minerals supplements. Eat healthy and get some exercise. It can be done. Better positions will come along, get the experience first!!

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Oh my goodness.. I work night shift, but there is no way I could do 5 nights consistently. I usually work 3-4 nights a week, but they are 9 and 12 hour shifts. I would never have time to see my kiddos or get anything done during the day. Yikes and good luck!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I'm a hardcore night-shifter, but I only do 12-hour night shifts because I need my four days off per week to feel a sense of normalcy.

I only lasted a few months on 8-hour night shifts. During that bleak time, my life consisted of sleeping and going to work. The precious few hours that I spent at home between shifts elapsed too quickly to have made any impact in my quality of life. In essence, it was a lonely and bleak existence.

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

I did 5 eight hour night shifts for a couple years early in my career. You CAN do it. It'll be tough but someday it'll all be just a fuzzy memory (due to the sleep deprivation ). :saint: Seriously, it will go quickly and you will survive. Long ago before 12 hour shifts became popular, almost all night shift workers did 5 8-hour shifts. Just focus on taking care of yourself, letting go of the mommy-guilt (I know, very hard to do) and think of all the wonderful, career-building experience you are getting right now so better positions will be open for you in the future.

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Well.. i made no secret of the fact i wanted off this crazy shift.. and now there is a possibility i can be put on part time day/evenings starting in November. Nothing is written in stone and it's kind of a long shot but my nurse manager is going to try for me. (the other girl she was looking at for the position is an external applicant and she failed her med calc test for the hospital).. so pray, send vibes, cross your crossables for me.. Thanks!

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Try to get the same schedule, like 4 on straight then off three etc. repeated so that you are on the same number of nights etc. That way you can have a semi-normal life. Take your vitamins to help ward off any sickness. Sleep with ear plugs, room darkening shades, phone, doorbell off etc. It worked better for my family when my kids were younger, there were very little evening activities at that time, when they got older I worked evenings and my husband did the homework routine. I personally suffer with 12 hour shifts, but it seems most acute facilities only offer this shift. Ask if you can temporarily try 12 hours and see how they do. If not, then perhaps you do need to look for a different shift that will work for you and your family.

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Sorry, there is no way that 8 hour night shifts work. They are just bloody and you never get a chance to catch up, especially when you seem to chop and change the number of nights on and off in the sequence. Run!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Well.. i made no secret of the fact i wanted off this crazy shift.. and now there is a possibility i can be put on part time day/evenings starting in November. Nothing is written in stone and it's kind of a long shot but my nurse manager is going to try for me. (the other girl she was looking at for the position is an external applicant and she failed her med calc test for the hospital).. so pray, send vibes, cross your crossables for me.. Thanks!

I don't think you're going to like evenings -- you'll never see your kids!

You haven't really given the night shift a chance. You would be off in the evenings when your kids are home and awake -- free to participate in PTA meetings, parent/teacher conferences, soccer games, etc. You would be working when your kids are sleeping and sleeping when they're at school. Working evenings, you'll only see your kids two evenings a week.

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Having kids that young I don't think it's worth it at all. Three 12 hour shifts a week is doable but five 8's in a row? When do you have family time?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

I would love to do 8-hr shifts!!! But I'm not doing 5 in a row or even 5 in a week unless it's Monday-Friday, begins at 8 or 9, and ends between 4 and 5. That's what I'm looking for as we speak (or that telephonic, work-from-home RN position).

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