Day shift vs Night shift

navyguyhm3 · Sep 16, 2012

I just got hired for my first RN job on med surg tele floor in a residency program and they have put me on day shift 7a-7p. She said after my 10 week residency I can do nights if I prefer but they do need day shift. Nights pay 3/hr more. I have a four year old tho and I figured it'd be nice to see her every night. And oddly enough with where I live I'd be in horrible traffic with night shift unless I always took the toll roads. But I still need some input.
Can any one give me the pros and cons of day shift vs night shift other than the pay difference? Or give me your own experience with either one or both?

Well..I like the night shift because..you don't have to deal with much/if any, of the patient's family, if the facility is in survey mode, you don't have to deal with the state inspectors (they come during the day), no dealing with upper management, just a charge. It's generally slower paced and easier to get all the work done. This shift you don't have to deal with all the other BS, it's just you and your patients and you're not being dragged around every-which-way!..(most of the time). You can focus solely on your patients and the work at hand and provide better care and less of a chance and getting fizzazzled and making a mistake, day shift burns me out, with night shift, I actually enjoy working. It's still a hustle & bustle but only this big (---), day shift is (-------)! Just got to find what fits you.

amy007 · Sep 16, 2012

Love Noc :)

threebrats46 · Sep 16, 2012

I have 3 kids and did nights for about 5 years..eventually it wears on you. I think night shift staff is much more cohesive just about everywhere and more support. For a new RN you'd have the pace to learn much more.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Sep 16, 2012

i have worked both. days was usually a lot busier but there were more people to help. the manager was there, usually free charge, transport, aides, unit clerk . none of those people are there at night . sometimes thAt is a pro but when things go bad (often do) at night you have to be on your own with little back up. many times everyone on was a new nurse and this tended to work out worse on nights than days. the pros (less staff around) cam become the cons. less orders being put in at night. but it is you and the night float intern (unless you page the attending at home). i felt that there was a lot more team work on days than on nights. alot of the night people liked to do their own work and be left alone. day shift was always throwing some sort of party and helping each other. i like not having to deal with as many addmissions. rare discharge, less visitors ,no meals, less baths, less oob, less meds and treatments, no pt/ot or administration and less drs ( gen surg, im , ob and a few others still have in house coverage at night) . i like usually having time to read the chart(never did on days)

sherdk · Sep 16, 2012

I believe that it is an individual decision-- some people love nights and others dont--- I think that you will have to try it for yourself to see what happens with your home life and if you like being awake all night and which work load suits you best.

LOVEGREEN · Sep 16, 2012

I love nights. I worked 10-6 for years once my children started school. Nights are actually ideal for parents of school age children- sleep while they 're in school and go to work when they' re in bed. Now that I am working 12 hour shifts, it is a lot harder. My son has football after school and doesn't get home till after I leave for work, so I did not see him for four days this past week. It was awful. Thankfully, football should end in October.

Some people have a hard time adjusting to night shift, usually these are people who can not sleep during the day (because of sunlight or small children) or who try to switch to day schedules on their days off. Readjusting your sleep schedule every few days can wreak havoc on your body, I don't recommend it.

NurseJeeper · Sep 16, 2012

I've worked nights for about 3 1/2 years now. I love it. To me, it's well worth it. More pay, less management, a bit more down time, and because you don't always have the resources that you do on days, you get to build more self-confidence and knowledge. Calling a grumpy doctor is no big deal to me, I would rather wake them up and get yelled at then not and have a patient crash on me. That being said, I have only worked nights, am single, and have no kids. My responsibilities are limited in that department.

kayern · Sep 16, 2012

Both shifts have their pros and cons.

Days you contend with visitors, physician rounding, three meals, most of the testing and procedures and the inability to chart because someone always has the chart you need (we're not electronic yet). You have the opportunity to teach, do dressing changes, etc whenever because the patient isn't sleeping. The day flies by sometimes not permitting you to eat or even use the bathroom.

Nights you do not contend with physician rounding, any meals limited testing and procedures and only an hour or so of visitors. However, you have limited time to assess, teach, dressing changes, etc because patients need to sleep. So maybe you have from 0730 until maybe midnight to do whatever you need 1:1 with the patient. Nights will provide you an opportunity to navigate the patient's record (paper or electronic) and you should have a good working knowledge of their hospitalization and history. You sleep off hours than the rest of the world, you'll jump into bed at 0900AM and count on your fingers how many hours of sleep you'll get before you have to get up and go back to work.

I did nights for 5 years and it was good for me and worked for my family but believe me you don't know how abnormal nights is until you work days. Hope this helps

joanna73, BSN, RN · Sep 16, 2012

I work permanent nights, which I prefer. However, I always have been nocturnal and I sleep more soundly during the day. The money is irrelevant if you can't function well on nights, which depends on you. Some people don't function well on nights. Perhaps you could try it and decide?

Music in My Heart · Sep 16, 2012

I did day 3x12 for a year and then night 3x12 for two more. Now orienting on days and will be headed back to nights at some point.

I have mixed feelings but prefer the lifestyle of working days. On the other hand, there are some advantages to doing nights because you have flexibility with your day time hours: for example, going in to you child's class, keeping the kid home from school, etc. It comes at a cost, however.

In terms of environment, I greatly prefer nights where it's just more laid back. Fewer suits, fewer families, etc. And the night crew just seems to be a more cohesive team everywhere I've been -- even before nursing.

As a newbie, I think days are better because there are more resources available to help, it's easier to get hold of the docs, and they're usually more pleasant than at 0-dark-30 (though I take secret pleasure in waking them up).

amoLucia · Sep 16, 2012

Staff who regularly work NOC do so by choice (or necessity, which is still choice). As a result, I've found that we all try to make the best as possible for ourselves. There tends to be more staff cooperation & supportive helpfulness among ourselves. It sometimes is scarey how sympatatico & in-tune co-workers can become that they fall into one another's pattern. Depth of personal involvement does vary but it turns out to be mutually acceptable.

There's all the other points that other posters discuss as positive or negative per their selection, but IMHO the staff closeness trumps all the other benefits. As far as I'm concerned, that's worth everything for me. (Just my 2 cents)

Hmmmmm .. I would venture that much of the complaints about lateral bullying, 'meanie old nurses', 'know-it-all newbies', unfriendly peers, unsupportive mgt, etc etc etc might statistically be lower on NOC. I'd be interested to see if any studies bear this out. Might be a nice topic for any thesis, research projects out there. Hint, hint, hint.

sapphire18 · Sep 16, 2012

...but IMHO the staff closeness trumps all the other benefits.
Hmmmmm .. I would venture that much of the complaints about lateral bullying, 'meanie old nurses', 'know-it-all newbies', unfriendly peers, unsupportive mgt, etc etc etc might statistically be lower on NOC. I'd be interested to see if any studies bear this out. Might be a nice topic for any thesis, research projects out there. Hint, hint, hint.

I agree!!