11am-11pm ER nurse help!

mvm2 · Apr 29, 2015

Personally I would not want that shift. Your day is so broken up and things like drs appointments would have to be right away being they don't open till 9 and you have to be at work by 11.

I'd just feel like I would never get anything accomplished. Even cleaning my house I'll feel like I got up at 5 just to get things done

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Apr 29, 2015

I work that schedule and ENJOY it; mainly because I am not a morning person. :no:

Depending on your population, some feel as though that is the busiest time in the ED; people wake up and finally get themselves together to walk in, as well as more people are up, moving and excrement happens.

Since I am new to the ER, the most I can tell you is be a sponge and then stay to incorporate what you use in your nursing practice to transcend to the ED-focus assessments are key; and getting to do a head-to-toe in 1 minute is key as well, along with monitoring frequently and regularly per ESI level helps. A good healthcare team is also key in place to buddy up for lunch, to know who is knowledgable is key as well.

NGYSUN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 29, 2015

From my experience, I hated that schedule. Our ER was the busy type and my day was soooo broken up that I don't get to do anything else on the days I work. I never do get home on time. I did prefer 7pm to 7am or even 1pm to 1am.

Well, you may end up liking it though so, keep an open mind.

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Apr 29, 2015

You may like that schedule, however I hated it. As for being new to the ER I have no advice on that. I do agree with Ladyfree be a sponge and soak up all the knowledge you can.

ScrappytheCoco · Apr 30, 2015

I did that shift for 6 months in the ED and it was awful. Just my experience, but this is how it went for me. It is the busiest time of the day in most EDs, and the minute you walk in the door the dayshift nurses are clawing for lunch relief. You do all the things that they lazed around and didn't do because they knew you were coming, and then you get your own assignment or float. When 7p hits the charge nurse may uproot you from your assignment to cover the holes on nightshift, so you dump your pts and get new ones, or possibly head up to triage or Fast Track. I would ask the charge nurse at 7 who was going to relieve me at 11, and sometimes he did not know. Sometimes there was no one and I'd have to stay two extra hours while they went down the list calling someone in. Basically you get crapped on the whole day, it's not fun. Maybe your experience will be different, I hope so! I still work swings on my new unit and I like the hours, just not the way they played out in particular to my ED.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Apr 30, 2015

I work that schedule and ENJOY it; mainly because I am not a morning person.

^^^Me too! Personally I love the shift.

bbcewalters, NP · May 1, 2015

So I worked for 6 years in the ED and the swing shift can be VERY difficult. I worked 1p-1a, 3p-3a, and 11a-11p. Being new in the ED is hard enough. If you go through with this you need to be certain that you will have a great preceptor.... They cannot just throw you in like you know what you are doing ED is very different then the floor. 11-11 is a sink or swim shift some love it while many others hate it... Good luck and most importantly insist you have a great preceptor with a real orientation!!!

ohiobobcat · May 1, 2015

I worked 11a to 11p (it was actually 12p-12a at first) as a new ER nurse, and it is a busy shift. Be prepared to hit the ground running, and make sure you TAKE A LUNCH BREAK. Your break can get forgotten because no one else is taking a break at "supper" time. Speak up for yourself! I always tried to eat before day shift left because our staffing numbers went down once night shift came on. Both hospitals I worked at had no staff scheduled to relieve the 11a to 11p shift. When I left at the end of my shift, it felt like I was leaving the night shift minus a nurse, so that made it hard for me to leave on really busy nights. I also used to have certain night nurses ask me to "do just one more thing" before I left, which often times would put me way past the end of my shift. I'm OK with that every once in a while, but it happened more often than it should have. Again, don't be afraid to speak up for yourself.

Good luck to you! :)

HikingNinja, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, APRN, NP · May 1, 2015

I've worked every shift in ED and like mids in certain hospitals. Like some of the others stated though, this is not a good position for a new to ED RN. You have to be extremely flexible. You will be bumped around floating, lunch relief, and pt assignments multiple times in a shift. The charge nurse WILL forget you will need a lunch break. You need to be loud and proactive. I've often had to approach my charge and say "ok. I asked for a lunch which I didn't get, now it's 10:30p and I leave in an hour. I recommend you plan for this or I will be reporting off to you to take my pts at that time" I've never had a crn not s ramble to get my pts taken care of before I had to leave after informing them of this. You all have to figure out who your resources are on each shift. How long is your orientation? Is your preceptor midshift also?

Racer15, BSN, RN · May 2, 2015

I work 11a-11p and quite like it. My two biggest issues though: I have to fight for lunch breaks, and I rarely get off on time. Working the mid shift means I have no one to relieve me when my shift is over. If the main ER is busy and I have two patients still, I am SOL. And as someone else said, it can be hard to leave when night shift is getting killed and here you are going home. More than approximately 200 times I've had a charge nurse ask "why are you still here?!" I have also been kicked out of the ER more than once, lol.

Uncle Rico · May 2, 2015

I work 11a-11p and its not for everyone. I love the hours (avoid traffic) but hate the shift. The zone i'm assigned to normally doesn't open until i arrive and I'm normally bombarded with patients once i clock in.