Advice please

[colleennurse]

I am a nursing student who will be graduating in June this year. I went on a job interview at the hospital I want to work at and on the unit I would like to work on. It is a Med-surg unit and I was offered a position for nights. As a new grad, I am well aware that I would most likely have to work nights/evenings. My worry is will I be exposed to enough on the night shift? Will I get the same hands on experience at night that I would on days/evenings? My orientation would be on days/evenings. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[hbncns35]

I am really looking forward to working Nightshift after reading this thread. I worked 7 nightshifts as an extern/tech over the summer and I loved it!!!

I had no problem sleeping until 1:30pm, only there is more traffic going home in that direction but coming in there was none.

The only prob. I did have was getting sleepy at 5am when things settled down, but if I was eating a snack I was ok.

I ended up losing weight on NS because I just wasn't hungry. Then I would be sleeping from 0830 to 1330 or 1400 Get up eat, eat more around 2000-2130 then more at 0300 How does everyone else resolve the eating situation?

I graduate in May so I will be looking for a NS position. I enjoy having the time at night with my husband before I leave for work @ 2230 and then seeing him at 0800. No kiddies yet....but I assume that would work well for them. I esp. like to go home in the morning while everyone else is stressed about going in to work.....I like being the oddball....HB

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

The only prob. I did have was getting sleepy at 5am when things settled down, but if I was eating a snack I was ok.

I ended up losing weight on NS because I just wasn't hungry. Then I would be sleeping from 0830 to 1330 or 1400 Get up eat, eat more around 2000-2130 then more at 0300 How does everyone else resolve the eating situation? . .I esp. like to go home in the morning while everyone else is stressed about going in to work.....I like being the oddball....HB

I had different sleep hours. I tried to stay awake at home until 1pm or so and then go to sleep. That way, it seemed to me that getting up at 9pm and getting ready to go to work was similar to getting up at 6am and getting ready to go to work during the day. When I changed to those sleep hours, the 5am lag kind of resolved itself, although not always. I think it has to do with the rotation of the earth and the position of the sun. When things start to take a lull at 5am is a good time to take a break or just do some physical activity. Sitting down will only make it easier to fall asleep.

I almost never eat, or only eat very little at work, especially nights. The reason is because if I eat a full meal at night, within an hour or two, the blood is draining from my head to my digestive organs and I get sleepy. For some reason, this is easier for my body to detect during the quiet night shifts. I don't want to risk falling asleep or becoming a bit drowsy and ruining my ability to concentrate. On the way home from work I sometimes stopped at a fast food for breakfast, otherwise I waited until I got home to eat.

It's a good idea to establish a routine of sleep and eating for yourself. It doesn't matter about the times, just so that it works for you. My mother, who worked night shift for years, taped aluminum foil over the windows of her bedroom to help her sleep during the day. Her bedroom was pitch black with the door closed. I slept over there one day and when I woke up I really was a bit disoriented because of the darkness and couldn't figure out what time of the day it was!

Like you, I really enjoyed coming home during the morning. If I got caught in rush hour traffic I couldn't have cared less. Also, it's really great to go to the supermarkets on the way home from working night shift. You have the store all to yourself (mostly) and the shelves have usually been stocked up by their night shift stockers. It's great not to have to be in the middle of a crowd of shoppers. Also, you will find that for doctor and dentist appointments that the day workers schedule their appointments for first thing in the morning or toward the very end of the docs office hours. When you work nights it's easier to schedule stuff for later in the morning or the early afternoon and get an appointment almost right away. Driving is much nicer after the morning rush as well. Mostly it's retirees out on the roads and they are much more cautious in their driving although sometimes a little slower. The other drivers are just going about their business and they are not usually rushing around, would you if the boss was paying for your time on the road? Safe is always better than being in a hurry when it comes to driving, I say.

[schwalmys8862]

I worked both and there is a difference. Days are busier in a different way. Lots of activity and doctors needing assistance. Xrays, tests, getting pts ready for surgery ect. but it doesn't mean you'll never get to do it just not as much. Plus you have meals and baths which is nice because you dont have to deal with that on nights. The only thing I didnt like was calling the doc at night. Just make sure you have your ducks in a row before calling and make sure its a really good reason. Check with your charge nurse if you arent sure if you should call.