How do you feel about orienting on day shift when going to night shift?

meandragonbrett · Feb 17, 2010

I would ask for 1 month of days and 2 months of nights. That way you will still have orientation on both shifts. I feel like you need the majority of your orientation on the shift you will be regularly scheduled. Days and nights are two different worlds.

MERRYWIDOW46 · Feb 17, 2010

Are you a NEW or SEASONED ICU nurse????????? If you have ICU experience one month days 3 months nights.

HOWEVER, 4 months orientation is ALOT for an experienced ICU nurse so I am guessing you are a NEW ICU nurse. 3 months days, one month nights it about right for a brand new ICU nurse. REMEMBER, you are working 3 days a week, so that isn't alot of time to learn the routines, go with patients to procedures, learn the intensivist's routine,etc.

ALSO, is this a new hospital? You need to learn how to find the depts ICU interacts with and build a relationship there also.

Congrats and good luck.

TigerGalLE, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2010

I have worked 3 years on a med/surg floor in the same hospital. So I know the computer system, I know the doctors, and I know how departments interact..... But I know ICU is a whole new world.

mamamerlee, LPN · Feb 17, 2010

You will learn a lot more on days. Many procedures, many routines. Then when you are on nights, you will already know your techniques, and will be able to concentrate on the night shift routines.

Be sure to address your peers from nights, stating you are looking forward to working with them. DO NOT ENGAGE IN GOSSIP, OR ALLOW PEOPLE TO COLOR YOUR MIND ABOUT WHICH SHIFT IS "BETTER".

Each shift has its own things to accomplish, and everyone needs to get along. If people start to bad-mouth others, simply excuse yourself and walk away. Make a point of steering away from those who have nothing good to say.

Tait, MSN, RN · Feb 17, 2010

You will build your relationships with nights as you work days. You will be giving them report, and seeing the world from the other side for a time and then joining theirs.

It is expected and appreciated that orienting nurses work both shifts for perspective.

Just do your job, learn all you can and let your career grow.

Tait

RNnbakes · Feb 17, 2010

I was hired to work nights on a med-surg floor as a new grad. Orientation was 8 weeks on days and 4 weeks on nights. I completed orientation on days and stayed on days because one of the nurses quit. I tried to develop rapport with the night nurses and stayed back a few times a few times after my shift ended just to chat. They knew I was hired originally to be on nights with them, so were very helpful and tried to convince me nightshift was different and better than days.

One holiday soon after that, I was scheduled to be on nights even though I had never done night or even oriented on nights. Because I already knew most of the nurses, they were helpful during that shift and gave me tips on staying awake and walked me get through calling a doc at 3am. It was my one and only night shift. They worked more as a team on nights.

This wasnt in the ICU but I think that marmalee's advice was on point. Address them as your colleagues and go out of your way once in a while for them. Try to portray yourself as a teamplayer and someone they would want on their shift.

Goodluck.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Feb 17, 2010

I oriented on days at my last job before I was laid off. I am orienting on nights at my new job and I actually like it better. I was worried I would not get enough experience but so far it has been good for several reasons. The hospital I am working at has a low induction rate so the births aren't mostly on days like my last job. I find that since things are not so busy as days (no out patients, phones hardly ring, ect) I get a lot more attention in my training, plus the night shift is really laid back in comparison in my experience with days; I work working with experienced nurses that choose to work NOCs because it is less stressful/busy than days. Honestly, even when my turn comes up to go to days I think I will stay on NOCs.

wooh, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2010

I wish the occasional nurse that gets hired to work days had to spend some quality time orienting on nights. I think it would do well. I think I get along better with a lot of my night shift counterparts because I'm willing to do the occasional night shift with them, and I know how horrible the beginning of their shift is. (I'm a firm believer that the busiest part of the 24 hours is 7p-11p, with all the patients/families being at their crankiest. The next busiest is 3p-7p.)

ItsTheDude · Feb 17, 2010

that's typically how it's done, orientation done during day. it's a pain, if you really like working nights, but we're just the worker bees.

Cindy-san · Feb 17, 2010

That's how we roll at my job, part days and the rest nights. For developing a relationship w/ nights, it starts when you talk to them in report & the rest will come as you work with them throughout your career. I found orientation to be busy (days and nights) since they gave me the sickest pts, so chat time was a minimal.