New Grads - Rotten Shifts?

augigi, CNS · Dec 3, 2006

Totally depends on where you work, and the needs of the unit. As someone else said, you have to figure the skillmix when scheduling, so you cannot have all the grads on the same shift. At the same time, days are usually better to start with as you have access to more resources (but also more doctors, tests, dressings, families and interruptions!).

Check out the facilities is all I can suggest.

clemmm78, RN · Dec 3, 2006

We don't do permanent days here in most acute care hospitals. You can request a permanent off shift (eves or nights) but not days. Union (in Quebec, all acute care hospitals are unionized), you do 50% days, 50% off shift, regardless of seniority.

Chronic care institutions do do permanent shifts and it is usually by seniority. Personally, I think it is wrong for new grads to work nights. They need to be exposed to all that is involved in patient care and that involves the hectic days with tests and treatments and the chaos that can occur, which is a different chaos from nights.

SaderNurse05, BSN, RN · Dec 3, 2006

It probably depends on where you are and your negtiating skills. When I was hired out of school I was initially hired for day shift. Then they realized they had made an error and told me it would have to be nights. I told them that was not possible and I did not want to waste my time or theirs taking a job I knew would not work for me. Amazingly they came back and added a spot on days. After I was hired I found out there were nurses who had been there for years waiting to go to days:o . Thank God they did not take it out on me. I do not know of any people from my class that had to take schedules they did not want. I think part of the trick is to know what you want and what you are willing to do, be honest and then do what you said you would do. Good luck!

Zippedodah · Dec 3, 2006

I think that it depends on if there is an opening on days. Where I work, as people leave day shift it is opened up and goes by seniority. There is nothing wrong with that, as a matter of fact, we have new people on days as many of us prefer the "rotten shift" as someone called it. Many of us work eves or nights. Our day people are rotated up to 50% of their time a year to cover the off shifts if need be (ie FMLA, resignations, vacations, etc).

We orient mostly on day shift, then they go to their "home" shift for the last 3 weeks to get a feel for it.

CHATSDALE · Dec 3, 2006

if you can get the shift and specility that you want when you get out of school that is great

if you cannot get the shift that you want go into another feature of nursing

i personally think it is unfair for a nurse who has been working a certain shift and then someone comes in off the street and gets the shift that they wanted...it is going to create bad feelings and a disgrundled nurse who will be out to eat the young..not esp the one who took her job but the first one who comes into focus

RaElrA · Dec 3, 2006

just my opinion, but i don't think the whole seniority system is necessarily a good idea. where i live, new grads DO start out on nightshift at the hospitals in the area... no exceptions really. i have especially found this to be true in the NICU and other ICU areas. i think new grads should be given day shifts right out of school, because it's a better learning environment.. things are so different at night, and they're not really learning everything. patients aren't being discharged, for the most part they are asleep, the families are gone, less/no doctors orders, less doctors around period.. just to name a few... just my two cents.

Hmmm. Never thought about it like that. I am a student and a night owl as well who will welcome the "rotten shift," but I do want to be in a position to learn as much as possible, and I do like to stay busy. Any suggestions? I do so want to make the right choice!

ccusherry · Dec 3, 2006

Hmmm. Never thought about it like that. I am a student and a night owl as well who will welcome the "rotten shift," but I do want to be in a position to learn as much as possible, and I do like to stay busy. Any suggestions? I do so want to make the right choice!

Just have to give my 2 cents!!! As a nurse who has been on days and nights... Yes, days can be more hectic but I feel that nights is also a good environment to learn in as well. On nights, you must use your critical thinking skills and contrary to popular belief, the pts where I work rarely sleep at night. In the ICU, our pts require care 24h/7 so days versus nights is more of a personal preference in my opinion. I prefer nights but some nurses I know cannot tolerate nights, they physically become ill.

Medic2RN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 3, 2006

i personally think it is unfair for a nurse who has been working a certain shift and then someone comes in off the street and gets the shift that they wanted...

I completely agree with you! I was under the impression that most hospitals advertise the open shift internally and offer it to the RNs at that hospital first. If there are no takers, then they advertise it to the public. Am I wrong?

When I was looking for a nursing job, a few hospitals I spoke with were waiting for the established RNs to make a choice.

PANurseRN1 · Dec 3, 2006

It probably depends on where you are and your negtiating skills. When I was hired out of school I was initially hired for day shift. Then they realized they had made an error and told me it would have to be nights. I told them that was not possible and I did not want to waste my time or theirs taking a job I knew would not work for me. Amazingly they came back and added a spot on days. After I was hired I found out there were nurses who had been there for years waiting to go to days:o . Thank God they did not take it out on me. I do not know of any people from my class that had to take schedules they did not want. I think part of the trick is to know what you want and what you are willing to do, be honest and then do what you said you would do. Good luck!

What a crappy thing for that hospital to do to those nurses who were waiting for a day slot to open. Had I been one of those nurses, you can bet I would have made my feelings known to HR and the manager.

aileenve, ASN, RN · Dec 3, 2006

At many hospitals there are unions, that being said, seniority gets first choice of unit and shift; then job is posted to outsiders. If you are a GNT you will be under a RN preceptor, most likely days; every one on day shift will rotate to midnights and afternoons by seniority and most likely the new nurse will be hired for night shift. We also rotate holidays and vacation time! If you were off last year you will work this year....thats life in a hospital :nurse:

AuntieRN · Dec 3, 2006

It used to be that new grads started on nights...they had to "do their time" so to say...doesnt appear to be that way so much anymore, at least not around here especially since we do 12 hour shifts. I am a new grad who wanted nights. My NM made me orient on days for 6 weeks first...during these 6 weeks she kept asking me to stay on days and had my preceptor "work on me"...LOL...anyways...I am staying on days instead of going to nights...there is one other new grad on days, she graduated the semester before me...and one other on nights on our floor. Guess it just depends on the needs of the unit you will be working on.

LilRedRN1973 · Dec 3, 2006

I started out working nights and would have requested nights had they given me a choice (here, it's by seniority and there are nurses who have been biding their time for years to do straight days). New grads are also given the option of rotating...doing nights for a schedule (which consists of 8 weeks) and then to days for a schedule, etc. Working in the ICU, I thought nights would offer more time to get my charting down pat (we chart every 2 hours) without interruptions from everyone and their brother. It would give me time to get myself organized and I could really learn without the hectic schedule days has to offer. In our unit, days are REALLY busy and there are many, many interruptions. Your chart may be taken for long periods of time by the MD's, family is in and out constantly, physical therapists are there, and there are trauma rounds at 10am.

Since there were slower periods at nights, I took it upon myself to find new stuff to learn. I poked around on the computer, teaching myself new information that even some of the veteran day shifters don't know. I read up on our policies and procedures, familarized myself with the many docs, and asked some of our 15-20yr nurses questions until I was blue in the face. I was able to attend many codes and see many procedures that I may have missed otherwise due to being too busy. I love working nights and can't fathom working days. I have stayed until 1pm, doing an 18-hour shift before and it reaffirms why I love nights so much! But then again, I've been a night owl since before I can remember and have never liked getting up early (it's torture!). I have no problem staying awake at night and feel better when I have to wake up at 3pm as opposed to 4am.

Melanie = )