Can I ask to work exclusively day shifts?

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · May 25, 2016

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Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · May 25, 2016

You can ask anything you want. Whether you get it is a whole other question.

kassiahgp · May 25, 2016

I've worked holidays before. It is not a problem for me. I have childcare set up for clinicals, I'm just trying to get ahead of the game.

Wrench Party · May 25, 2016

Good question to ponder: even if you do manage to find a daycare that will take your child before 7 am, what daycare/babysitter will be around to watch her/him until you get off at 8, even 9 p.m.? You need to develop a plan for a > 14-hour day.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · May 25, 2016

Your best and probably only chance of finding a day shift only position when you are a new nurse, or even a new employee despite your experience is going to be away from the hospital setting. I can't speak for other regions but where I live not a single hospital has positions that are only one shift, all positions rotate days/nights, days/PM's or occasionally PM/NOCS.

If you are open to LTC your odds of landing a day position are much better, but depending on the facilities staffing levels and policies you can probably expect some overtime whether you want it or not. Of course you could always aim for clinic or school nurse positions as they are only open days so the worry of working other shifts will not apply. The downside there is those positions are not always readily available to new grads, though that may depend on the job market in your area. The pay will most likely also be considerably less than other areas of nursing but you may find the trade off of guaranteed day only hours makes this acceptable to you. Also don't discount dialysis nursing, our local clinics only maintain day hours but I am honestly not sure if that is the norm nationwide but it is something else to look into.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · May 25, 2016

In my area, you do get an assigned shift (day, NOC, PM, mid) but the newbies nearly *always* get assigned to the NOC shift.

That said, my first job out of nursing school was on the day shift but even there, I was hired for nights but happened to be standing there when someone requested a shift change from days to nights and I was assigned the day shift. See how that worked? They didn't ask me, they told me. At that point, of course, I had the opportunity to refuse the shift but since there were no other openings, I'd have been refusing the job.

Since then, *every* other new job has required starting on the night shift.

We all have a "since" that we can attach to our request for shift accommodation and yours is no more important than anyone else's. That's why shift assignments are generally offered up by seniority. It can take anywhere from 6 months to 5 years to get onto a new shift depending on how much turnover there is. I have seen a couple of people jump straight to days off of orientation only because nobody else bid for the opening (but these were experienced nurses, not new grads).

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · May 25, 2016

I used to be that nursing student who refused to work nights. But then I realized just how difficult it would be and how many opportunities I would be giving up in order to get a day shift opportunity.

Pediatrics is a difficult specialty to get into. You would almost certainly be cutting yourself off from it if you refused to work nights (in most of the country, anyway).

I was offered a bedside position on a day shift unit. However, the organization was a hot mess. Giving day shift positions to new grads is often a red flag that something is amiss. The more desirable jobs will require newbies to put in a minimum of one year on nights before getting onto days.

BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN · May 25, 2016

All of the big hospitals here, including the Children's hospitals, are mostly 50% rotation with straight evenings or nights as an option. My hospital offers a minimal day rotation (25%) for people with 20-25 years in and no rotation after 25 as one of the seniority perks. Our day shifts are hard to come by, usually having to wait until someone retires, quits or transfers out, and then it goes by seniority or to an internal transfer.

The other hospitals also require on call time per month.

If if you want to specialize, it may not be a day position and even if you transfer you may have to work an off shift for a while.

And even some of the "straight" day positions really aren't if there are still patients to be seen or longer office hours or unforeseen problems cropping up that push things back. Many of these areas may require on call also, such as OR, radiology, dialysis, cath lab etc.

Just concentrate on getting thru school and see what happens. Having clinicals on off hours will kind of give you a taste of what it will be like.

Good luck!

And and to the people asking why they would get out on an off shift, make sure the wording in your contract doesn't say something along the lines of you may be rotated or placed on other shifts based on unit needs. That is the loophole many places have.

pigginsrn · May 25, 2016

Some of my local LTCs hire straight 7a-3p nurses. School nursing, public health nursing, clinic nursing are generally days only, but jobs can be scarce and/or difficult to obtain as a new grad. You may be able to find work in areas like private duty or home health, but I really don't advise new grads to take these jobs. New grads need backup.
No hospital I've ever seen hires anyone for straight day positions; they're nearly always taken by senior employees before thd job is even posted externally. I get what concerns you, as a mom myself...unfortunately I don't have a better answer.

I work days only at s hospital

tyvin, BSN, RN · May 26, 2016

Sorry...I had to laugh out loud when I read the title. Most all nurses must pay their dues. I did nocs for 2 years and than learned to do a nursing job that is usually done Monday thru Friday daytime. Whew...LTC wasn't where I wanted to go, but as an MDS coordinator, the hours are good. I came to love my residents. Than I joined a hospice...another day job (for the most part) snicker. I did it to be able to see my kids.

What area of nursing are you looking for? There are RNs lining the sidewalk, and three times as many new grads; lots of competition. Most of us have kids, and we all want to be home with them. When I first started, of course I put down days, but like some one else said; you can put down what you want but don't hold your breath.

When I first started working I was a single mom with no support system. You adapt. During school, and any other time, be on the lookout for support systems, resources, etc...

guest769224 · May 26, 2016

Interesting thread.

Day shift positions for new grads do exist.

I know of 6 new grad RNs who all asked for day shift positions and all of them got it, at my hospital. I asked for night shift. We were all in the residency together. I realize this is not the norm, but it's possible if you're in the right place at the right time. One of those grads even gets every weekend off.

NPOaftermidnight, MSN, RN, NP · May 26, 2016

Find out how the hospitals in your area are run. I'm surprised to see on here that so many do rotating shifts still. None of the hospitals in my area do these, if you apply and are hired for a day position then that's what you'll work (although it is usually easier to get hired on nights). It's totally not unreasonable to ask for one shift, single mom or not.