night shift advice...

nurseinlimbo · Sep 23, 2008

In all fairness, when you decide to work in a place that operates 24/7 you need to be prepared to work varying hours. If you absolutely cannot work off hours you should probably be looking for a clinic job (for example).

True, BUT, only fair if everyone does their fair share of the "sh^t shifts", meaning nights, weekends, holidays etc.

Where I work, only 2 of the 7 staff nurses are willing to do nights, so consequently get them all. If you mention that you aren't interested in picking up more, they start looking for someone else to take your job.

I also find it backwards that while most of the activity and learning opportunities occur on Day shift, new grads are almost always on permanent nights for the first years of their career, which burns them out and doesn't give them good learning opportunities to start their career on.

I have no problem working SOME nights, as long as I get my share of the other shifts. I don't find it difficult to adjust back to days, as long as I haven't been stuck on nights for weeks.

SueNYC · Sep 23, 2008

Sorry to crash in on this thread but I am going to be in the same position working nights. I wanted to know what do you all do on your days off? Do you maintain the same sleeping schedule as you would if you were working and stay up all night?

jncRN · Sep 24, 2008

my rotation is two days, two nights, 5 off.

i don't mind night shifts, but it is hard to switch from day to night back to back.

my tips: i stay up late the night before i am going to do a night shift; when you sleep during the day, use a fan or other "white noise" to tune out neighborhood day activity, and wear a sleep mask; bring lots of healthy snacks and drinks; and wear sunglasses when you leave to drive home in the morning -- in order to fool your brain into thinking it's night time so you don't "wake yourself up" too much to sleep. when i first started working at my job, the nurse educator gave us these tips and they are surprisingly helpful.

nights are not easy, for sure...i find that these little things help me get through.

good luck...i'm sure you'll find your own little ways to get through the nights!

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nursescarlett, er rn :nurse:

beachbum3 · Sep 24, 2008

I wouldn't expect to have the option to leave. That said, you just do it. I don't really know how else to explain getting through the night. I find I really don't feel that sleepy because I am at work, and up and awake with my coworkers. If I tried to stay up all night at home, well, no way I'd make it through. At work, its not a problem. I typically sleep in as late as I can on my first day on- which usually isn't past 10am, and then stay up, but not doing anything really active. I typically lounge on the couch or in bed and watch tv in pjs, or read, and then go to work, come home and shower and go to bed immediately. Our shifts are 5p-530a, so I typically am in bed asleep by 645 am. I sleep until 230 or 3 pm and then get up and watch a little tv and hang out, then get ready for work. I tried the staying up until 3am thing on the day before I go to work, and it didn't help me. I still woke up at 10 am. You'll be fine. Its just a matter of finding a rhythm and trying to get a good routine down.

While at work I don't tend to drink alot of coffee- I crave cold drinks at night. Also, bring snacks with you. I usually have a lean cuisine and a salad for dinner, bring fruit for a snack, and a bag of microwave popcorn for my 2 am munchies. I also bring a can of soda and some gatorade mix. I love nights. I wouldn't assume off the bat that you will hate it or feel miserable the whole time.

On my days off I go back to a regular schedule. I'll get home and sleep until about 12 or 1pm, then go to bed somewhat early. I've found I have to have 12 hours of sleep that first night home or I will be like a zombie until my 3rd day off, at which point I have to go back to work.

uscstu4lfe · Sep 24, 2008

there's not advice i can give you. night shift sucks. you'll stay awake all night and feel like you've been hit by a truck for 2 days after that, which is when you'll probably have to go back and do it all over again!! i'm a nighter and it SUCKS.

Atheos · Sep 24, 2008

Two nights before stay up all night. Try to stay up long enough to go to sleep in the morning and wake up for night shift.

I call it my pseudo jet lag preparation. It kind of jump starts you into the opposite routine. It will be easy to get back on the day routine.

nurseinlimbo · Sep 24, 2008

My routine is, normal day the first day, go in for nights and go to bed as soon as I get home, sleep as long as possible, usually til about 3pm if I'm lucky. The second one I usually feel the worst, jet lag, and go to bed again as soon as I get home. If I am lucky I get 4 hrs of sleep the second night. I try not to do more than 3 in a row, but my new rotation has 4 in a row, so that'll be a challenge. On the last one, I sleep a bit less, usually not by choice, then go to bed as close to "normal" time as possible, and don't sleep in too long. I try to keep my longer groups of days off as days off, or take days or evenings instead of nights to try to stay on a normal schedule.

I don't find I have much of an appetite on nites, but I do drink lots of water and tea, occasionally popcorn if I get the munchies. Eating in the middle of the night throws my schedule off.

sudha123 · Sep 24, 2008

thanks for th information

oncologynurse77 · Sep 28, 2008

I was somewhat disappointed with some of this thread. I was not looking to get out of doing night shift, I was just scared and worried about whether I would make it. I wanted practical tips from seasoned nurses about how to manage this change. There was some of that here, but also a lot of complaining, and even ridiculing me for my fear of getting sick. For any other nurses out there who are looking for night shift advice, here is some of the things that the great nurses on my floor shared with me and things I learned myself.

1) You will make it! If anything, the adrenaline and stress will keep you up through the shift! It will be ok.

2) Try drinking lots of water. It helped me more than coffee, and somehow drinking and needing to pee let my body know it needed to be awake.

3) have other nurses double check any med calculations/insulin/IVP narcotic you are giving. most med errors happen at night.

4) Make a list of everything you need to remember to do. 4a vitals on the postop, daily weights, which labs on which patients, rounds, everything! I made a sheet with times straight through the night which helped me remember what to do when and allowed me to see that the night was progressing!

5) you might hit a wall and function less well at some point. write everything down, triple check yourself, even talk outloud if you need to.

6) other nurses are really nice and understanding. ask them questions.

7) you might really like it!! I might want to pick up more nights! it is fun.

nurseinlimbo · Sep 28, 2008

I don't think we were ridiculing you, just found it funny that you would think that anyone would be sympathetic. If there is one thing I have found in nursing, it's that no one really cares how tired you are, or how much you hate nights, or how many things you are missing at home because you are working evenings and weekends. They don't care, because they are missing those things too. Martyrdom runs rampant, believe me.... wait til you are a young mom, or call in sick for the first time and they can't replace you.

Farmer Jane · Sep 29, 2008

Sometimes the most valuable advice is not in the form of a soothing, happy-cheery voice telling you whatever you want to hear. Sometimes the most valuable advice is telling you the truth. So sorry.