Are new grads destined to the graveyard shift?

[Jmiami]

I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the future and satisfy my curiosity as well. As a new grad RN/ADN, in your experience, do you think I'd be destined to work the overnight shift? I'm hoping to be lucky enough to secure a hospital scholarship in which I'd work for an area hospital for 3 or so (probably longer for me out of choice if it seems to be a good fit) years after graduation. If I am chosen for this, what do you think the chances are that I'll be assigned to overnights? For the record, I'd love to work days, 3 12's would be amazing. I also realize that if I scored a scholarship I'd be beholden to the hospital that invested their resources in me, so they could and would probably put me in the shifts that nobody else would want (which for the most part I would imagine that being overnights). I also realize that as a new grad, if I were lucky to score a job in the first place (we're talking plan b with no scholarship), it might also be overnights since the RN's with experience would most likely have first pick of shifts. What do you all think?

[Crux1024]

I agree with you. RNs with experience and time invested usually do get first pick, but i feel thats how it should be. Be prepared for nights shifts but you may be pleasantly surprised with an available day or eve. Who knows? Also, nights isnt that bad.

[Blackcat99]

I use to work nights and I loved it. However, in these past few years I have been unable to get night shifts. I feel that someone must have put a "day shift only curse" on me. . I sure do miss night shifts!!!!

[Jmiami]

Thanks for the replies! The only reason I have a preference is because I have a young daughter (about 5 when I graduate, 1 1/2 now) and I feel that if I work nights, I'd be very absent from her life. I don't want her to grow up and wondering why mommy sleeps all the time. Sure, she'll be in school 5 days a week but it's worse on your circadian rhythms to flip flop back and forth to days and nights. If I were to enjoy days with her when I'm not working and then have to flop back over to overnights it would be really hard. Right now I work days, nights, overnights, early mornings all in one week and I hate it. I especially hate having to sleep all day to recover from my overnight when my daughter is awake and playing and doesn't understand why I can't get up to play with her. That being said, in this economy I'll just be grateful to have any sort of job in a hospital environment when I graduate and will suck it up to do what I love and to provide for my family if overnights is my assigned shift. Days are fantastic, evenings are great, 12 hr shifts - the best. I'm a hard worker anyways and I could see myself enjoying blasting through those three days of work and then putting my "nurses hat" on the mantle and enjoying my days off with family.

[MassagetoRN]

Keep in mind at 5 yrs old, school starts. Alot of moms like nights cause they tuck them in before work, work while they sleep, get them off to school in the morning, and sleep while they are in school. 12 hour say shifts are 7a-730p, so you'd miss before school, after school, and lucky to get home to tuck them into bed..... Plus its only 3 days a week, so you'd get 4 days off with the kids. It actually works well to do nights!