Days vs nights

[roxie144]

I have been a nurse for almost a year and have worked only nights and currently a position is open for days. I have not adjusted well to nights and feel like a piece of me is taken away everyday. I'm just worried about going to days, my husband keeps reminding me it's the same job and that I'll be fine. I'm just wondering if some of you out their who have done both what the major differences are and any hurdles. Thanks

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

Days is much easier on your sleep schedule and gives you consistancy with your life. Days are usually busier as more goes on, the patients are awake, there are more visitors and staff working with patients. So get ready to work harder. Most places also pay more for nights but I'm sure you've already got that figured out. Good luck.

[NeoPediRN]

I rotate two weeks of days and two weeks of nights. Nights are boring, days get hectic and both shifts have their exceptions. With days there are rounds, no worries about waking doctors up, more family to work with (I'm in peds so there's lots of family), admissions and discharges, administration to avoid, generally more meds than night shift, different disciplines to work with (at my work we have PT/OT/SLP/volunteers/active chaplaincy/child life), kids who go out for specialty appointments, so on so forth...but it's a lot of fun. I don't mind nights, but I sit down as minimally as possible because I have a hard time staying awake....I clean out rooms, stock, set up everything needed for the next day, organize, bathe babies, etc. There is definitely more down time than day shift, which for me, is a negative...but I do love the differential.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Day shift has plenty of advantages.

I can see the doctors on rounds and find out the plan of care and be there to bring up issues that need to be addressed. Saves me phone calls.

I live on the same schedule as the rest of the family.

The hospital is fully staffed with CNA's, IV team, transport nurses and unit secretaries on days.

The patients who go wild and agitated at night are sleeping it off on days.

My eating schedule is normal. Nights used to do strange things to my appetite.

No more driving sleepy after a nightshift.

.The disadvantage for me is that parking is no free parking during the day and no shift differentials.

[violets ripple]

Hi RNperdiem. There is a big difference in the flow of work during each shift. I worked days the last 5 years, and the interruptions from docs, nurses, family members, the chart-hunting due to dietary, therapy,discharge planning etc. it's a zoo.

[SitcomNurse, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN]

Day shift is a zoo.. sometimes its a great zoo where you make contacts with people, and draw connections to people. You can see them at their best and worst..family involvement, kids, grandkids, grand-dogs... all come to visit. Its a Menagerie of spiraling out of control business.....and you have a whole support team with you. Nights.. is all of that without the support team!

Ok, the differences are vast and challenging. If you arent meant to work nights, and your body cant adjust, then by all means, go to days. The carcophany of intrusions are part and parcel to getting it all done for the patient/resident/population you serve. Is there a difference? Sure, but you will have to tell that for yourself.

Good Luck!

[mauxtav8r]

days are usually busier as more goes on, the patients are awake, there are more visitors and staff working with patients. so get ready to work harder.

i found the exact opposite to be true. bottom line: day shift has more staff so work is shared. on nights i was the rn, lpn, cna, unit secretary, admit nurse, line nurse and anything else. you name it, if somebody has that job on days and it's a specialty, then on nights the rn gets to do that in addition to assessments/charts/md contacts, etc.

best wishes and throw out those blackout curtains.

day shift for me!