Night-shift workers, do you think you could successful work days?

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Just wondering what night-shifters think about if they could successful work days or not? I know a lot of people choose nights for many reasons and I was wondering if working night shift was something that works so well for you that you'd have a hard time goes to days?

What about day shifters? Could you work nights?

What about day shifters, do you think your night shift could successfully work days?

What about night shifters, do you think day shifters at your facility could work nights?

I want all opinions on this all ways, any combination is fine with me.

I know that I couldn't work nights, my sleep schedule would be too messed up and I have too many things to do during the day.

I think a lot of my nightshifters would have a hard time adjusting to working days. They have their routines and things they like to do and many of them told me that they don't like having so many doctors round and so many managers walking around. We have a fair amount of day regulars that will catch an occasional night, but we have no night shifters that will take an occasional day. I think it's a culture thing, the night shift has their own culture lol.

Specializes in Home Health/Hospice.
"night nurses on days had a hard time keeping up with the pace. "

Oh, please. Night nurses work with the SAME volume in an ER, most nights even MORE, with less staff, less resources.... it's by far much harder, and that is coming from my point of view of having worked all types of shifts. Nights have is much more difficult all the way around.

Thankyou for this, I hate it when my AM shift comes along thinking everything is just great because our pt's slept all night WRONG> It is more difficult and that's why I get a shift differnetial. I just wish my horribly incompetent DON could see it this way.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

I get the same sometimes from day staff. Nights are BUSY! People don't sleep at night as everyone assumes, and you have a minimal staff.

On a side note, I think it's sweet when my patients say, "Have a good sleep." As we settle them at night. Lol. Ok :)

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Specializes in Geri-psych Nursing.

I work night shift exclusively, but I started on days. It took almost 4 months to get used to nights, and I flip back whenever I have time off. It's hard to stay up all night when I'm not working and my whole family is sleeping. The good points have been mentioned: shift differential, no managers or family to deal with. The part I don't care for is that night shift never gets a "day" off; you get a night off. The first day is lost to sleep when you get off work and the last day is also gone because you have to sleep to get ready to go back. This means that, when I have 2 days off, I really only have 1 full day to spend doing normal people things. That being said, working nights is bearable, but I don't plan to do it forever.

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Specializes in ER/Critical Care/Management/Education.
I work night shift exclusively, but I started on days. It took almost 4 months to get used to nights, and I flip back whenever I have time off. It's hard to stay up all night when I'm not working and my whole family is sleeping. The good points have been mentioned: shift differential, no managers or family to deal with. The part I don't care for is that night shift never gets a "day" off; you get a night off. The first day is lost to sleep when you get off work and the last day is also gone because you have to sleep to get ready to go back. This means that, when I have 2 days off, I really only have 1 full day to spend doing normal people things. That being said, working nights is bearable, but I don't plan to do it forever.

Many years ago I worked nights, and I would like to share a "night-shift survival tip" a friend gave me. She said go to the manager and get all your 3 nights together (same nights), include one weekend night and your manager is more likely to approve it. For those 3 nights, you are likely to get the same patients, but most importantly you have 4 days off every week! Here is the trick: On your first day off, you must stay up till very late (and wake at 8am the next day), this will automatically push your body back into day mode! Now you can spend the next 3-4 days with your family.

By the way, this is the same method used by people around the world to overcome jet lag! KEY: The first day off night shift is the most important :-) I hope this helps someone...

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Specializes in oncology.
Many years ago I worked nights, and I would like to share a "night-shift survival tip" a friend gave me. She said go to the manager and get all your 3 nights together (same nights), include one weekend night and your manager is more likely to approve it. For those 3 nights, you are likely to get the same patients, but most importantly you have 4 days off every week! Here is the trick: On your first day off, you must stay up till very late (and wake at 8am the next day), this will automatically push your body back into day mode! Now you can spend the next 3-4 days with your family.

By the way, this is the same method used by people around the world to overcome jet lag! KEY: The first day off night shift is the most important :-) I hope this helps someone...

Interesting way you work out the transition from night to day. When I get home the morning after my last night worked (and I almost always do three in a row), I go to sleep at 8:30am and force myself to get up no later than 1pm. I go to bed as usual around 10pm, and it seems to work fine.

My biggest issue with nights and sleep is the first night worked: I find it impossible to stay up really late the night before, and I usually end up getting in, at best, a 30 minute nap before going into work that night. Brutal!

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Specializes in ER/Critical Care/Management/Education.
Interesting way you work out the transition from night to day. When I get home the morning after my last night worked (and I almost always do three in a row), I go to sleep at 8:30am and force myself to get up no later than 1pm. I go to bed as usual around 10pm, and it seems to work fine.

My biggest issue with nights and sleep is the first night worked: I find it impossible to stay up really late the night before, and I usually end up getting in, at best, a 30 minute nap before going into work that night. Brutal!

This is another great way - for those of us getting older staying up all day can be hard! So sleeping a little immediately after the night shift, still ends up pushing our body into day mode. How were you able to get a straight 3 day shift? Good pointnursie_pants!

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Specializes in neurology, cardiology, ED.

Where I work, I don't think dayshift nurses could work nights. Not because it's too busy or anything, but like others said, they don't know how to deal with not having masses of ancillary staff. I always laugh when a day nurse stands there and waits for the unit clerk to get off the phone so they can ask her to page the MD. Do it yourself! Or when one of them follows the tech around the unit with the glucometer. In the time it took you to track down the tech, and ask her to get your BG, you could have done three of them yourself!

As for why nightshift nurses don't generally pick up extra shifts on days... simple in my mind. Why would I work extra for significantly less money than I make on my regular shifts? It's a no brainer!

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Specializes in geriatrics.

When I am returning to my first night shift after a few days off, I usually go to bed by midnight, and wake up the next morning at 6 or 7 am. I'll stay up until lunchtime and go back to bed till 430 in the afternoon. I wouldn't be able to function on that first night otherwise. Basically, the majority of that day is spent sleeping.

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Specializes in LTC, drug and alcohol rehab.
I have worked all 3 shifts, but am a true night shifter and have no intention of changing to days. Never had any of the day shifters in my place work a night shift, but I have stayed over and worked days. The biggest shock is to the CNA's when I pitch in to help them - something they say the day nurses never do, even if they have the time.

Too much chaos, drama, politics and favoritism on days IMHO. Night shifters are better team players and multi-taskers out of necessity. Right now, I work with a great crew who busts butt when needed and has fun when time allows.

I agree, day time has to much noise, I could not even think because of all the noise. I prefer the Night Shift!:yeah:

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Specializes in LTC.

I've been working night shift for a year and a half now and absolutely love it compared to day shift. Virtually all the resident's are tucked away in their beds sleeping. Of course you'll have the occasional ones that get out of bed (I work in a nursing home) or holler out but in general night shift is alot nicer. Now mostly, I am working non stop and am busy throughout the night when I'm the only nurse...which is very often. It's a unit with a census of about 56 patients. By the time I give report, pass Midnight meds and hang the tube feeds, chart the ward report, complete three summaries, complete the daily charting( g-tubes, decubs), do the treatments and check orders(to see if they are transcribed properly in the mar) then eat lunch, then take my break....and perhaps if needed, write up an incident or a fall...it's time to do my second med pass. Then I'm DONE. It goes so fast...and I usually work with three CNA's and we all work together very well as a team. AND there's usually one or two supervisors working at night which will help out with writing up incidents etc if needed. I really cannot complain. Now for overtime, I have picked up part of a day shift after working all night...which was till 11am and I was fine, but yes I was really tired by the time I got home.:yawn: I have also picked up a day shift on one of my days off for overtime pay and will never do it again, it was very difficult to adjust. If I didn't work nights full time and had more days off, the transition to working the day shift would be alot easier. Plus, day shift is so much louder, and as most of you said...there are families, doctors, more people and pain in the but things to deal with. I am and always will be a night nurse.:nurse:

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Specializes in oncology.
This is another great way - for those of us getting older staying up all day can be hard! So sleeping a little immediately after the night shift, still ends up pushing our body into day mode. How were you able to get a straight 3 day shift? Good pointnursie_pants!

On the floor I work, we do self-scheduling so it's fairly easy to get three in a row. If there are wide gaps in coverage, we'll get moved around but the powers that be are very understanding of night shift demands placed on the body. Thank God. :)

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