Attention New Nurses in LTC. Night shift is where it's at.

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Specializes in Nursing Home.

Hello everybody. Hope everyone is having a great end to the summer. Since I became a Nurse about 7 months ago, I worked 3pm-11pm in a busy rural nursing home. We'll as of 3 weeks ago I made the best decision of my life, I voluntary switched to the 11pm-7am shift full time. I am finding this shift 100 times easier. No admits, rarely communicate with docs. Rarely deal with family members. Only 1 small med pass which begins around 3am. Residents get small amount of medications like synthroid , PPIs, spiriva LASIx. What I love about it is the fact that when I get to work, I have time to chart, start signing Computer MARS, do my night nurse qa checks, and chores and have time to get a lot done without getting consumed by evening rushes and med passes running into each other. It's like nursing heaven. Plus believe it or not 11pm-7am is much much better for a social life than is 3p-11p. I'm loving it so far I'm 100 percent less stressed and overwhelmee and I never stay past 7:30am. So new grads, if you have a choice between 2nd shift and 3rd shift, definently go 3rd shift. I would defenently recommend times 100 for a new Nurse In LTC.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I've been working 12-hour night shifts for several years. I used to work 8-hour night shifts in LTC, but hope to not return to that personal hell unless I was at immediate risk of falling into homelessness.

I suppose it was because the LTC facility where I worked took higher acuity patients such as postsurgical cases, wound vacs, TPN, and the occasional cardioactive drip. Anyhow, I was on the run for the entire shift. Also, we received the occasional 2:00am new admissions.

Moreover, day shift staff usually straggled in 30 minutes late because "the daycare center doesn't open any earlier," so my 8-hour shifts were actually 9 to 10 hours each due to waiting for the oncoming nurse to arrive.

I'm glad night shift LTC is working out for you, though! :)

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I currently work 7p-7a at a LTC facility. My 9pm med pass is a beast, but the 6am med pass is easy peasy. There has been talk at my facility about returning to 8 hour shifts. I'll definitely take the 11p-7a.

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Specializes in Nursing Home.
I've been working 12-hour night shifts for several years. I used to work 8-hour night shifts in LTC, but hope to not return to that personal hell unless I was at immediate risk of falling into homelessness.

I suppose it was because the LTC facility where I worked took higher acuity patients such as postsurgical cases, wound vacs, TPN, and the occasional cardioactive drip. Anyhow, I was on the run for the entire shift. Also, we received the occasional 2:00am new admissions.

Moreover, day shift staff usually straggled in 30 minutes late because "the daycare center doesn't open any earlier," so my 8-hour shifts were actually 9 to 10 hours each due to waiting for the oncoming nurse to arrive.

I'm glad night shift LTC is working out for you, though! :)

Oh my sounds horrible. Sounds like an area where Long Term Acute Care and Skilled Nursing Home Care have been merged. Luckily at my nursing home of employment, we don't patients of such high acuity. We have a PEGs, Decubitis, Colostomies, foleys. No woundvacs or any IV medications yet. We still have LTAC Hospitals luckily for that.

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Specializes in Nursing Home.
I currently work 7p-7a at a LTC facility. My 9pm med pass is a beast, but the 6am med pass is easy peasy. There has been talk at my facility about returning to 8 hour shifts. I'll definitely take the 11p-7a.

Oh yes I have pulled the occasional 12 due to short staffing. 7pm-7am, COMPLETELY differed ball game and strategy than 11-7. Night med pass is a beast, but imagine the 3p-11p nurse who has to do two bi med passes like that and everything else In 8 hours.

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Moreover, day shift staff usually straggled in 30 minutes late because "the daycare center doesn't open any earlier," so my 8-hour shifts were actually 9 to 10 hours each due to waiting for the oncoming nurse to arrive.

I['m sorry but that's awful. I'm a new graduate about to send out my resume to some places and seriously can't imagiane how people can justify this. Dh and I are looking for a center that opens before 7 in case it's needed. Currently he works from home so it's no problem for him to get my little one off to school once I leave, but he's looking to change jobs so we will need a back up

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Specializes in Allergy/ENT, Occ Health, LTC/Skilled.

I totally agree. I used to do a lot of 3-11 shifts...I am returning to rehab/skilled and hoping to avoid that shift lol. Its just two beastly med passes in 8 hours, literally no time to eat or pee...I haven't done nights often but hope to in a PRN position I am interviewing for.

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I'm happy night shift is working out well for you. When I worked nights (11-7) it was horrible. The med pass was at 6AM. And the shift ends at 7AM. The med pass was not bad at all compared to 7-3 and 3-11 (I have experience working in all 3 shifts.) But in my facility, things were different. Idk why, but all the treatments and dressing changes were done in the night shift. All the decubitus, and stage 4 pressure ulcers (this facility had a lot) were all scheduled for night as well. It was so hard to do everything. It was one of the worst jobs I've ever held. Second would be the current job I have. I still work as a LPN in a facility despite having my RN license. According to them, there not RN positions available ATM..yet the did hire someone from outside. Anyways, night shift for me was a nightmare. I guess it depends on the facility and how things are done. I'm happy that you like your job! :)

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Specializes in LTC, Med-surg.

I've been really divided with trying to decide whether or not to start out at night shift or stay on for evening shift. My mind tells me that night shift is slower and so good for getting my feet wet but I travel 20 miles for this job so I don't think that would be safe for me to drive home...

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Specializes in ICU.

I have to agree with OP!!! I've been an LPN for a year now and was hired at an LTC/rehab facility. I did the 3-11 shift, full time, and was completely overwhelmed and stressed beyond comprehension. My 5pm med pass and 9pm med passes were atrocious!!! Not to mention administration hovering over my cart, the doctor constantly pulling my away from my cart in the middle of my med pass to assist him doing things that a CNA could do, such as removing a patient's TED hose. The families never bothered me. It was administration that gave me the most stress.

There is NOT enough time during that shift to complete everything that I had on my plate. I made the decision to go to 11-7 because I thought it would be less stressful and a better time frame for me to have going back to school full time, next week, to complete my pre-requisites for the RN program. Boy, I was RIGHT!!!!! Going to this shift was the BEST decision that I made! I have a few medications to pass at midnight and nothing more to pass until 6am, and the med pass at 6 am is only on less than 10 people, instead of nearly 20. I have time to complete ALL of my tasks and I am RARELY staying late.

HOWEVER, I do not recommend that shift to a new nurse just starting out as there aren't any resources to turn to at that hour. There is no help from administration, should you need it. My DON NEVER answers her phone between the hours of 11pm and 6am. I would have to recommend a 7-3 shift or a 3-11 shift to brand new nurses, just because there is help around, should they need it, and more resources at their fingertips. I'm glad that I got my feet wet on 3-11 before going 11-7. :yes:

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Specializes in Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care.

My first (and only) job in LTC was a 12 hour NOC shift. I enjoyed it immensely and I learned a lot, especially time management. Three med passes actually ate up most of the shift, and charting between the hours of 2400 an 0300 took care of the rest. As has been mentioned, no management, no docs, fewer family members, and the patients slept most of the time. It really is a hidden gem of a shift if you can tolerate the circadian disruption.

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I just started at. Rehab/LTC center. I did a couple 7-3 shifts and a few 3-11 shifts. They were short one night so I decided to do the 11-7 shift one day. Man what a difference! I didn't have to deal with the family and barely the pt's. I had time to familiarize myself with the computer system and chart. I had a 6 am pass and it was all synthroid. I gave the occasional pain pill, and I left exactly at 7:30! I live about 25 mins from the facility so I work there prn.

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