50/50 Day-Night Rotation

[mrod, LPN, LVN]

Does anyone do 50/50 Day-Night rotation? I am currently on a tele floor 7p-7a, 36 hours. I will be moving to a CV Step-Down unit in Jan and the shifts are day and night rotation (still 12 hour shifts). The manager explained to me that it will be 2 to 3 overnights a month with the rest days.

Does anyone find this a drag or does it work out okay?

Thanks!

[Jolie, BSN]

2-3 night shifts/month is not a 50/50 rotation. So either the manager is not being up-front with you, or the staffing does not currently require a full 50/50 rotation. What will happen if staffing changes, and you are required to actually work a full 50% of your time on each shift?

I did a 50/50 day/night rotation, and it was the worst 9 months of my life. When I worked days, I left for work at 6am, got home at 8pm, worked in a unit with no windows, and for 3-5 days in a row, never saw the sun. When I worked nights, I left for work at 6pm, got home at 8am, struggled to sleep in the daylight, and could barely manage to function for my 3-5 night stretch. The constant rotation between days and nights was hard on my sleep habits, eating habits, personal life and health. I finally went to my manager and told her to put my on a permanent shift (any permanent shift was fine with me), or I would quit.

I would never agree to do a 50/50 rotation again.

[nurseabc123]

2-3 night shifts/month is not a 50/50 rotation. So either the manager is not being up-front with you, or the staffing does not currently require a full 50/50 rotation. What will happen if staffing changes, and you are required to actually work a full 50% of your time on each shift?

I did a 50/50 day/night rotation, and it was the worst 9 months of my life. When I worked days, I left for work at 6am, got home at 8pm, worked in a unit with no windows, and for 3-5 days in a row, never saw the sun. When I worked nights, I left for work at 6pm, got home at 8am, struggled to sleep in the daylight, and could barely manage to function for my 3-5 night stretch. The constant rotation between days and nights was hard on my sleep habits, eating habits, personal life and health. I finally went to my manager and told her to put my on a permanent shift (any permanent shift was fine with me), or I would quit.

I would never agree to do a 50/50 rotation again.

I do it now. 6 weeks days/6 weeks nights. It's not something to do for the longterm.

[cvicugirl, BSN, RN]

If you only have 2 or 3 night shifts/month, schedule them all together and make sure you have at least 2 full days off to recover before going back to days.

[DaveCRNA]

I work on a unit that has about a 60/40 split self scheduling. I find that if I lump my night shifts together I can get through it. It's all about finding the right sleeping pattern for yourself. If you can figure out what you need for sleep and when, you can live with the rotation.

good luck!