Bored on night shift- should I ask for transfer?

[Happyday1]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new grad and I've been working night shift on a tele/med-surg floor for about a month. The hospital is giving me 3 months of orientation with a preceptor. So far, I love what I do (taking care of the patients) and even though there's a lot I don't know, I feel like work isn't challenging enough and I'm bored on my shift. The first 4-5hr of the shift is okay, but through out the night it's very slow and there's so much down time. Is night shift usually like this?? I don't like it all because 1. I'd end up sitting around and being bored, 2. the nurses tend to group together and gossip ALOT which I don't like. and 3. I feel like I'm not getting the experience I need to become competent. As a new grad, I want to get my feet wet as much as possible and I don't know if night shift allows for that. I'm thinking of asking for a transfer to another unit. My question is, would it make me look bad since I was hired to cover for the shortage on the unit I'm on now? Or would the director try to fire me since it'd come off as I don't want to work on her floor? I really don't like my unit, my coworkers, my preceptor, my director...I don't know what to do.

[carebearsRN]

you don't necessarily have to transfer to "another unit"... you might want to ask your manager to switch you to day shift. I'm a new grad working days and it's super busy.. I don't even have time to sit down and end up going to lunch around 3-4pm =\ but other than that, i love working days because I see so much going on during rounds, changing orders throughout the day, visitors... etc. Sometimes I wished I had "down time" like the rest of my friends who are working nights

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

if you're already bored, you must be missing something.

night shift can be slow, but it's a great shift for learning. you have time to read the policies/procedures before you attempt a new skill. you have time to read up on all the medications your patient is taking and all of the disease processes. you can look up all the lab values and think about what they mean in relation to the patient's disease process and medications. you have time to read the doctor's notes, consult notes and histories. you have time for your preceptor to quiz you on "what ifs". day time is so busy you won't have nearly as much time to catch your breath, much less learn something.

[Sonjailana]

I recommend that you ask yourself a few things:

a) Are you taking a full pt load?

b) Are you reading your charts and multidisciplinary notes?

c) Are you checking your aides' charting?

d) Are the med rooms/linen cupboards/pantry/blanket warmer stocked? If not, do it.

e) Are you rounding hourly on your patients?

f) Are the other nurses busy? Help them.

f1) Is there a confused little old lady that is constantly setting off her bed alarm and could use a friendly face? Be there.

g) Do you have every weird tele rhythm known to man down? How about doing everyone on the floors' strips if you're bored? They'll thank you.

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

Chances are you are getting the easier pts. Do you get an admit during the noc? If not ask for one, that will give you something to do. Do you offer to help your co-workers? I would stick with for a year, 3 months is hardly enough time to judge a unit by. And just my honest opinion- I find it hard to believe that a Tele med/surg could be boring!

[caliotter3]

You have a job. I would deal with the boredom until you are in a better position to ask for a transfer. Imagine being bored from putting in job applications and getting no responses.

[KeechieSan]

You are bored because you are on orientation. I remember feeling the same way.. oh man, I was so wrong.

[morphed]

I would give it a year, like others have mentioned. When you're totally on your own it'll be different. Besides, it'll look better when you're trying to get a new job/unit if you have a year's experience. As far as gossip...it will NOT change on day shift. More women, more feelings, more egos...most likely it'll be worse.

[alem-tsahai]

Wow this is the first time I've heard of anyone being bored during orientation! When I was a new grad (on a step-down/ medsurg floor) my preceptor worked me so hard I had no time to think of anything outside of my patients and proper procedures. Even after orientation when I placed on nights I was very busy for the first few months. As I should have been, I was a new grad!

Take the advice from the others and use your downtime to learn learn learn! I doubt your boredom comes from having already mastered the many nursing and technical skills tele nurses are required to have (12 lead interpretation, anyone?).

[anonymurse]

Hang out with the monitor tech and learn to do that proficiently. If there's a secretary on nights, learn her job too.

[RNKel, ASN, RN]

Wow I could've written your post, OP! (except the last sentence; I did love my unit and coworkers, I'm still on the same unit, just day shift) I transferred to days after 8 weeks on nights (still was in orientation) and I am SO happy I did. Days is much more my speed.

[tencat]

If one is in a small hospital with no high acuity patients (been there), then yes, night shift is SOOO boring it will make you want to poke your eyes out with a stick.

However, on a tele floor, I would think it would be lively and interesting, even at night. I would give it at least 6 months before making a decision to leave. The economy is always a factor, and it will be good for you to have the experience under your belt.

[Happyday1]

Thank you everyone for replying to my post! Sorry I've taken so long to respond, my computer was acting up.

So just to give you all an update, I've asked the educator to have me orient on day shift for the rest of my orientation (1month left). She approved and had me orienting day shift on an orthopedics/oncology floor. I started last week and I love love love the unit, not to mention my awesome preceptor! I worked only 3 shifts last week and I learned SO much compare to the month and half I'd been on nights.

However, my excitement was crushed after meeting with my director for debriefing. I told her that I really enjoyed working day shifts and how I love my preceptor's teaching style and that I learned alot from her in just 3 days. Instead of being glad that I'm gaining something from orientation, my director replied with "I'm not going to transfer you over there." I didn't even say anything transferring!! FYI, she got hired onto the tele unit at the same time I got hired, so she's new and learning the ropes herself. It was the director of orthopedics/oncology who interviewed me and gave me the job (she was filling in the director spot on tele unit at the time).

So my director decided that she's going to pull me off the orthopedics/oncology floor and have me orient on my unit (tele) and be with yet, ANOTHER preceptor. It's going to be my 4th preceptor in 2months!!! At this point in my orientation, I should feel as if I'm ready to be on my own, but every time I'm placed with a new preceptor I'm back to square one because I have to learn a whole new routine. Arg...