11am-11pm ER nurse help!

Specialties Emergency

Published

Hello,

I currently have been working for the past 2 years on a med/surg oncology floor 7pm-7am. Recently, Ive decided to try something new. While I am over working 7pm-7am I don't know how working 11-11pm will be. I also will be working in the ER and am coming as a floor nurse- scared and dont know what to do/expect. Any help/advice working that time schedule and working in the ER?! Thanks fellow nurses

In my hospital, that is one of the worst shifts :(

It is busy from the beginning until the end and the nurses who work that shift cover 7-7 lunches and usually don't get their own. Just bring snacks! And be prepared to hit the ground running from beginning to end!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

My advice: take a lot of deep, slow breaths. ESPECIALLY when it hits the fan.

Take just a second and make a list of "to do" on a post it and prioritize.

If it gets near overwhelming, ask for help. Tell your preceptor or charge nurse that you need some help getting things done.

Techs can make you or break you. Treat them well and they'll be good back to you. Ask, don't order.

It is like being a new grad all over again. Give yourself a year before you feel ok at it and another before you feel proficient.

Don't be afraid of the providers. Floor nurses are trained to never call for some reason. Just go talk to them like you do with your fellow nurses and techs. It's ok to bounce ideas off of them.

Don't fully trust any smiling coworker faces until you get to know them for real. Everyone's nice at first, then you learn who can actually be trusted.

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Specializes in Emergency.

I work 11-11 and love it. Yeah, you'll miss some meals even though you spent the 1st few hours covering others meal breaks. But i get to float the er and can get different assignments during my shift. I personally like that.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

This is disheartening. I just took an 11a-11p shift (I currently work 7p-7a) which I was excited for but now I'm not so sure!

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Specializes in Emergency.

At our facility the traffic picks up around 10a, so the 10-10 and 11-11 shifts were very hard to fill, as you came in and had to hit the ground running. The 7a-7p shift nurses usually had time to stock the rooms, check the crash carts, and ease into the day a bit more. Also, it was very difficult to see the crew you had been working with leave and a new crew come on while you still had 3 or 4 hours on your shift.

On the good side, as some have mentioned is sleeping in a bit later, and if you like to be busy, you will not be disappointed! I also felt like I could be a part of both the day shift crews and night shift crews I worked with. I didn't mind it so much (I was 10a-10p), but traditionally they are harder shifts to fill.

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Specializes in ER/ICU.

Totally agree with the statements below. I worked 11a to 11p for a year and hated it most of the time. I was also a new ER nurse and my position was primarily as the triage nurse (I had previous EMS experience, but no nursing experience). Make sure they spend time orienting you to the whole ER, not just triage. That was my biggest complaint. I had my own patients probably 1-2 shifts every two weeks and sometimes it was a struggle. I went to nights about 4 months ago and there's still quite a bit that I don't know how to do because I spent most of my orientation time in triage.

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! :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
This is disheartening. I just took an 11a-11p shift (I currently work 7p-7a) which I was excited for but now I'm not so sure!

Take the position!

Some days are jumping, some steady, and some days it's like watching ships passing by. ;)

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Specializes in ED.

1100-2300 is my favorite shift in the ER! You don't have to get up early and you don't have to stay up all night. I also like being busy because it makes the day go faster. At my job we would open 2 more pods at 1100 and then close them at 2300 so that's usually where the 11-11ers would go. It was nice because you could start fresh with your own patient load. At another facility, I would usually end up floating from 11-15 or fast track or something until a more "standard" shift change time (1500). I thought it was a great shift, but I'm not a morning or overnight person. You won't know til you try it!

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