Advantage to daytime versus evening clinical?

caliotter3 · Aug 4, 2012

I had one evening clinical and found it to be optimal for learning experiences. The nurses were better able to take the time to help me in a somewhat less chaotic atmosphere. I recommend PM clinicals.

RNbethy · Aug 4, 2012

Hey,
My name is Blair and I will be starting a two year BSN program in a couple of weeks. Prior to the start of classes we have to complete a questionnaire as to our preferences for clinicals. A question I'm debating on is when we would prefer to have our clinical; either from 8am-2pm or 2pm-8pm. Is there an advantage in the hospital as far as experience goes for either? Thank you!
-Blair

I'm a morning person but preferred evening clinicals because it gave me more time to do patient research.... I would spend all morning on research and felt more prepared for each clinical day. When I had day shifts, I wasn't as motivated to research after a long day at clinical (our days are typically 10 hours) and I would be up at 2 am to research.... and felt more rushed to get all this done. However, mornings tend to be busier and you get more experience. It totally depends on you and what you're looking for! Good luck with your choice :)

Melissa0181 · Aug 4, 2012

I did all of my clinicals during weekends, sometimes in the morning, and sometimes in the evening since I had to work during the week. I would discourage you from taking weekend clinicals if that is an option. I found that my classmates that had clinicals during the week were able to see and do more in terms of treatments and interacting with different departments involved in patient care. Also many doctors would try to discharge patients on Fridays to clear the hospital for the next week so as weekend student nurses we did not get to see as wide a range of clinical presentations. If you are a morning person I would go with AM clinicals. If you are an evening person I would go with PM clinicals. Just make sure you have time to review your material so you'll be prepared during clinicals.

EarthhAngel2013 · Aug 4, 2012

Never done weekend clinicals or nights. I've done daytime clinicals. I personally dislike them, but I'm not a daytime person. I'm a night person, I do everything better at night. 6P-6A. I seriously have to push myself to make it through daytime clinicals, and I feel like I'm never prepared enough for a daytime clinical. I would love to do nights if my school gave us a choice!

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Aug 5, 2012

Personally, I preferred the day shift.

We had clinicals in a relatively small hospital, and for most rotations (such as peds) there was a clinical group on the floor in the morning and afternoon of the same day. Since the nursing students in the morning were there to learn skills, they would often get to do more skills. If they knew a patient needed a cath that day, or needed an NG tube placed, or needed a dressing change that shift, they would do it on their clinical time. By the time the afternoon group got there, most of the stuff was usually done.

If the nursing staff works 12 hour shifts, it's nice for a student to be there in the morning when they start. You get to listen to report and see how the nurse organizes her day. Most of the time the nurse would do a full assessment in the morning and try to get most of the major care (dressing changes, foleys, etc.) out of the way in the morning. By the afternoon, they only had med passes and focused assessments to do.

Also (your clinicals might be structured differently) but in my clinicals, you were assigned patients the day before and had to go in the night before clinical to do patient research. Since discharges were usually done in the late morning, there was a good chance your patient might be gone if you had the afternoon clinical. Which meant you either had to complete a care plan on a patient you never saw, or do all that research again on a new patient.

However, morning when the doctors do rounds and write orders tends to be much more hectic for the staff. In the afternoon/evening, when the doctors are not on the floor and there are fewer ancillary staff members, it might be easier for the nurse to have time to teach you or help you perform skills.

bubblejet50 · Aug 9, 2012

i had evening and daytime clinicals in my programs along with one overnight. daytime i learned the most and stayed busy. evening was super duper boring since i only had one patient at the time and the bath was usually done and 1700 med pass is nothing compared to mornings. i would volunteer to help my nurse with her other patients to keep from going crazy. the overnight was fun. i had 4 patients by then and the nurses were more relaxed and willing to let me do things.

mbf1986 · Aug 14, 2012

Everyone thank you so much for responding to my post! I decided to go with the morning 8am-2pm clinical. I appreciate everyone's advice! :)

-Blair