CNA: What is it like working nightshift at a hospital??

not2bblue · Dec 12, 2015

Lol you wont die but it dors take time to get used to nights. On mother baby, patients are awake all night, feeding babies and changing diapers. You won't do showers or help to the bathroom very much (once in a while someone on a pain control machine PCA, new c section, but will need help, but most are healthy young women). We only had 2 CNAs for 50 mothers. So it isn't as intense as a medical floor. Don't worry, getting used to night shift isnt too bad unless your neighborhood is very loud. Put tin foil on the windows in addition to curtains to make it dark. I prefered nights until I had kids. And I still prefer them, but it being a single mom, leaving little ones at home alone all night isn't a great choice.

BBboy · Dec 13, 2015

I work full time nights at mine. It's honestly the same experience that you would get during a day shift just hours later. Nurses seem to be more lax for the most part and often times you have more time to sit down than you would on a day shift. However, it can also be very busy throughout the night as well.

onemoreday, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2016

I LOVE working nights. I don't have kids, not in school, etc. Hubby works days, which means I hardly see him, but at the same time, I get the house to myself! Plus someone is nearly always home if something is wrong with our pets, if errands need to be run, deliveries have to be signed for, etc.

One thing I dread about going back to days is I don't find the nurses as helpful. I work with a WONDERFUL team, I do, but the day nurses are often so busy, they don't really think about what you're doing. They'll tell you "I told patient X you would go help him with ___ at some point and I see you're in the middle of something but also patient Y needs to be cleaned up, he's covered in stool and a two person max assist, and then when you get the time will you ______" - & when they walk away to sit down, you want to respond with "In the time it told you to explain that to me, you could have done it, and if you know your patient is a two person assist why are you walking away? There's only one of me!"

On our floor, for 19 patients we'll have three nurses and one aide. We're supposed to have more staff if we go above 19, and it's pretty common to get admits at all hours, but it's pretty rare they have an extra CNA to send us in the middle of the night. It may seem like there's less to do but there's also a lot less staff to do it.

Night shift is quieter, BUT I'm always busting a move- no patient is off the floor for surgery or dialysis, no PT or OT is there, and there's usually less visitors and nothing to watch on TV so now the patient is bored and anxious and lonely and has no one but you.

If mother/baby is really what you want to do, I would go for it- soon enough, with more experience, you could move to the shift you want. If a day shift spot opens up, they're gonna hand that to their current night shift CNA who they know wants a day shift, vs some aide from tele they've never worked with.

excited1 · Jan 3, 2016

I am a CNA on a Tele floor, adult med surg. When we are fully staffed, we have 6 patients. When not fully staffed, we have 9+. Its mainly hourly rounding, q2 repositioning, I&O's, answering call lights, and vitals q4 unless otherwise noted. Between us and the RN's, we keep them up a lot at night. We try to cluster our care when possible to promote rest. The more they see you pop in to check on them, the safer they feel and tend to rest easier. The only difference between day/night shift at my location (we are on 12 hr shifts) is less meals. But we still provide nourishment if its within the ordered diet. I LOVVVVVE working night shift. Compared with day shift, I feel that we are more night knit, have good sense of humor and demonstrate more team work. Regardless of what shift, you get out of it what you put in. Oh, and the cafeteria is closed, so DONT forget your lunch. LOL.