Day Nurses Who Used to be Night Nurses

LPN-K · Sep 21, 2010

Hi Tait,

Oh ..you poor thing! But it is easy...you should try to adapt the day shift...I understand that it is not easy to change your life style suddendly from night to day. But, sometime you should change your lifestyle depend on your situation. If I were you, I will work rotating shifts. Because, you can spend your time with your family in some evening if you work morning shift. You can spend your time to cook for them and prepare their breakfast or lunch box in some morning if your duty is afternoon shift. You still can work night shift but you can discuss with your nurse manager to put your rotating night shift in some weekdays. But, try not to in weekend if you want to enjoy with your family at night time in your weekend. So, even though you r busy superwoman, you still can enjoy with your family.

Nurses lifes are tough. But, you have adjust your time to spend with family. Pls don't forget that money can buy anything but not happiness. So, you have to adjust yourself to find the way.

kay, singapore

Tait, MSN, RN · Sep 21, 2010

Hi Tait,
Oh ..you poor thing! But it is easy...you should try to adapt the day shift...I understand that it is not easy to change your life style suddendly from night to day. But, sometime you should change your lifestyle depend on your situation. If I were you, I will work rotating shifts. Because, you can spend your time with your family in some evening if you work morning shift. You can spend your time to cook for them and prepare their breakfast or lunch box in some morning if your duty is afternoon shift. You still can work night shift but you can discuss with your nurse manager to put your rotating night shift in some weekdays. But, try not to in weekend if you want to enjoy with your family at night time in your weekend. So, even though you r busy superwoman, you still can enjoy with your family.
Nurses lifes are tough. But, you have adjust your time to spend with family. Pls don't forget that money can buy anything but not happiness. So, you have to adjust yourself to find the way.
kay, singapore

Our facility is all 12 hours shifts, so unfortunately it is all night or all day. I worked 8 hour nights for about seven months at my first job and was nearly suicidal by the end of it, so I don't think anything shorter than 12 or rotating would support my mental health! :)

Tait

LPN-K · Sep 21, 2010

Hi Tait,

So, what time do you start work for day/night? If you starts work at 7am, so it must be 7am-7pm. if you starts work at 7pm, so it must be 7pm-7am. Then, you can change your shift to day 7am to 7pm. At lease, you got few hours to chit chat or share with your husband at night time.

humm:idea:. I also have a plan to migrate there in next year. My husband lives in NC and I started looking for a job in that area. But still don't have clue to get a job. I will going to sit NCLEX-LPN on november.

Life is struggling and challenging.

kay

Tait, MSN, RN · Sep 21, 2010

Hi Tait,
So, what time do you start work for day/night? If you starts work at 7am, so it must be 7am-7pm. if you starts work at 7pm, so it must be 7pm-7am. Then, you can change your shift to day 7am to 7pm. At lease, you got few hours to chit chat or share with your husband at night time.
humm:idea:. I also have a plan to migrate there in next year. My husband lives in NC and I started looking for a job in that area. But still don't have clue to get a job. I will going to sit NCLEX-LPN on november.
Life is struggling and challenging.
kay

I work 7p-7a, so working days would offer me a few positives: I not have to flip my schedule on days off, hopefully less trouble sleeping on days off, less fatigue, less napping and potentially less fatigued moodiness. Also I feel like being by my husband at night, even it is while asleep, might be a comfort for me.

We shall see :)

Good luck on your move to NC!

Tait

wooh, BSN, RN · Sep 21, 2010

At night I felt like a nurse. During the day, I feel like more of an executive assistant, making sure everyone gets to where they need to go. You've got more resources during the day, so instead of doing it yourself or putting it off until the other departments arrive, you spend all day making phone calls begging people to do their jobs.

It's different, but you get used to it soon enough.

LPN-K · Sep 21, 2010

:hug: poor thing! don't worry...if even though impossible for you to change any shift, just take annual leaves , then go vacation or honey moon with your husband. You can have your own life by that way every year. Just do it!! I used to work like you the last time. We have 3 rotating shifts. I keep on working overtimes morning and afternoon continuously or afternoon and night continuosly. But, after sometime, I felt like , I don't have life at all. No meaning for earning money. I become thinking like " if I die suddenly, how? I haven't enjoy my life with my family, somemore ..I can't bring all those money with me together, Sooo what is my life????" ... like that Tait. Then I started taking breath and give myself some spaces to enjoy with my family. Now, I m still working, but only 2 or 3 times overtime per week.

SlightlyMental_RN · Sep 21, 2010

I've recently made the switch, and I'm LOVING it. As for how I did it in regards to sleep, well, there were were a few nights that I didn't get enough sleep. However, after a few weeks, your body will adjust to the new schedule. I would try to make the switch like I did, and take off for a few days to try to start working your body back to going to sleep at a decent hour. Professionally, it was very different and challenging to move to days, but it does really help if you can schedule those first few transition days with a team that is willing to help you. My first couple of transition days were with a very supportive team, and that made a world of difference.

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · Sep 21, 2010

I made the M-F 8-5 switch about 18 months ago after 15 years on night shift. It can be done just understand that your body takes time to adjust. I am a night person so that made it a little harder. I will say that my husband also worked night shift and I would not have worked nights after I got married if he wasn't on the same shift. It's just a bad idea. Some will disagree but you asked for opinions and that's mine. Get as much sleep as you can and relax when you are off. It took me 6 months to fully adjust but it was well worth it. hang in there. You can do it !! :)

himilayaneyes · Sep 21, 2010

Hey. I was a night nurse before I went to dayshift. Just know that days are way busier than nights...that's why it often seems that nightshift is cleaning up after the dayshift...b/c way more goes on during the day. My main advice would be to prioritize, delegate, and take a deep breath. It's definitely a transition....but it can be done. Good luck.

Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP · Sep 22, 2010

Be sure you ask for a few days of orientation to dayshift. Just b/c it's the same floor doesn't mean it's technically an easy transition. Going from nights to days means that you'll have drs coming in all day writing new orders. Family members in your face. And the discharges added to the admissions just don't help at all. You'll need a day or two to get your routine paced out and used to the new/additional paperwork.

Tait, MSN, RN · Sep 22, 2010

Thanks for the responses! I was talking to my boss and some of the day shift staff this morning after work. I know it will be a different kind of busy, and a lot more running, but I think it will be good for me :)

Hopefully we can get another hire or two on nights soon and I can make the transition in the next couple schedules. I am actually getting more excited about the change and less fearful.

It is always hard to go from something you have grown strong at, to something new, but that is all part of growing as a person!

Tait