Do you like day or night shift better and why?

danissa, LPN, LVN · Dec 19, 2006

on days I feel much better, even when tired i don't have that sick jet-lag feeling. It's also better for seeing my children, I leave home at 6.30 am, and am home by 8.30 pm on a day shift, so I still have time to see my teens! on nights, I feel that I don't see them at all, it's just a focus on work and sleep. Also, my house gets messed up when I'm nights, as i haven't got the energy to do any tidying before or after a night shift, (you just know that one hubby and three teens are NOT going to clean the house in the right way! or even at all!) That said, the actual working environment is so much better at night in the NNU, as mentioned NO managers and much more of a team effort.

the half hour drive home though is a killer, worse after a night shift.

chezie · Dec 30, 2006

I prefer... pm shift? as opposed to both night or am shift..

okay.. i'm not yet a registered nurse but a nursing student.. and i prefer pm shift..

in the am there are too many things to do, too many orders and u have to wait till the rounds for the pm shift is over before you can leave the place, coz you hafto endorse to the pm staff what happened to your patient.

if you're on night duty theres nothing to do.. all the staff does is talk to each other.. eat on breaks and etc.. no medications to give coz some patients prefer not to be disturbed..

pm shift is a mix between both because theres not really a whole lot to do, and not many doctors do their rounds. also the great thing about being in the pm shift is that you don't have to wait till the rounds of the night shift finishes.. (although i still don't understand why that is.. )

elizabeth321 · Dec 30, 2006

Days....nights are meant for sleeping....I am going into my second year of straight days and have barely scratched the surface of repairing the damage of shift work on my self and my life. I would not recommend shift work to anyone...bad for the health, bad for relationships.

Liz

danissa, LPN, LVN · Dec 30, 2006

:

I prefer... pm shift? as opposed to both night or am shift..
okay.. i'm not yet a registered nurse but a nursing student.. and i prefer pm shift..
in the am there are too many things to do, too many orders and u have to wait till the rounds for the pm shift is over before you can leave the place, coz you hafto endorse to the pm staff what happened to your patient.
if you're on night duty theres nothing to do.. all the staff does is talk to each other.. eat on breaks and etc.. no medications to give coz some patients prefer not to be disturbed..
pm shift is a mix between both because theres not really a whole lot to do, and not many doctors do their rounds. also the great thing about being in the pm shift is that you don't have to wait till the rounds of the night shift finishes.. (although i still don't understand why that is.. )

:smackingf OMG!! I am definately working in the wrong place, must come to where you have been a student!! NOTHING TO DO ON NIGHTS??? Our NICU is as busy at night as it is some days! Some times we don't even get the chance to PEE! never mind chat and eat all night!:angryfire

Maybe you are looking for an easier choice of career if you feel that there is too much work in the mornings and your'e in such a hurry to get out of there! Wake up to shift work and being busy---this is being a NURSE!!!!!

nurse414 · Dec 30, 2006

:
:smackingf OMG!! I am definately working in the wrong place, must come to where you have been a student!! NOTHING TO DO ON NIGHTS??? Our NICU is as busy at night as it is some days! Some times we don't even get the chance to PEE! never mind chat and eat all night!:angryfire
Maybe you are looking for an easier choice of career if you feel that there is too much work in the mornings and your'e in such a hurry to get out of there! Wake up to shift work and being busy---this is being a NURSE!!!!!

:barf01:True! I am sick of hearing the night shift are slackers- JUST NOT TRUE! You get "use" to sleeping during the day and as far as being busy whew! Granted it is not 24/7 busy, there are down times, but hey that's when we go and change are attends from not being able to pee for 8-12 hours (hee hee). It takes time, but many people grow to love nights or tolerate with respect nights. It's like taking a bath, some people love it and others are just shower people. Is there a right answer, no both are correct- what ever works, but don't be naive, both have ups and down. Let's all agree both take the guts to be a nurse and work hard for our patients. Are day shifters smart nurses? Are night nurses slackers? Yes, there are both and there are smart night nurses as well as those who need further teaching just like days- Just like, there are slacker nurses on days, those who sit at the nurses station and request the CNA's to be their slaves (which chaps my behind!). This happens at night too. Best advise, "the golden rule" treat others like you would want to be treated and things won't be divided and day shift and night shift will have love and respect for each other and we can bury the division hatchet and really have 24 hour team work! Ok, I will get down from my soap box.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 30, 2006

if you're on night duty theres nothing to do.. all the staff does is talk to each other.. eat on breaks and etc.. no medications to give coz some patients prefer not to be disturbed..
pm shift is a mix between both because theres not really a whole lot to do, and not many doctors do their rounds. also the great thing about being in the pm shift is that you don't have to wait till the rounds of the night shift finishes.. (although i still don't understand why that is.. )

How many pts. are on THAT floor, two???

Leilah75_RN · Dec 30, 2006

I work the graveyard shift . I dont like it for sleeping purposes because I work every other week. I work this shift because I dont want to work with the bosses, the people who want to be boss, the people who think they are the boss , the people who wish they were the boss, the doctors, the nurses who think they are doctors, the doctors who want to be any place else but where he/she is, the doctors that I cant understand because of heavy accents and then get angry because I cant understand them, the family members (no explination there) and all the people who are only there because they have terrible home lives, never leave the building and are miserable. Thats why I work nights and I LOVE IT !!! :)

OMG!!! :bow: :beer: :bowingpur very well said! it was like ready my heart and mind! hehehehe

i am basically a night owl. been like that since birth hehe. i would choose night shift not just because of being less chaotic but more because i feel more in control as a nurse. I worked as a neuro surgery nurse for 4 years in England b4 i moved here in CA and mind you, neuro doesnt sleep at all! with a 20 bed capacity unit there were 8 nurses during the day plus the nursing assistant and a student or 2. and there wer 3 nurses working during the night (1 incharge and 2 nurses)+ 1 more NA if there is a wondering problematic client. nights are way calmer due because there wer less doctors, no visitors, stable patients sleeps, no Physio, no pulmo therapists, no SALT review, there will be one doctor (SHO)on duty if incase we need someone more than the SHO, we will just call the neuro ICU for help, rarely there will be referrals and admissions. but when you have spinal injury clients on paragon bed plus sub-arachnoid hemorrhage patients and patients with extra ventricular drain that needs every 2 hr vital signs monitoring plus glascow coma scale, turnings, pain killers, that becomes chaotic. been wondering why neuro patients tends to become more confused at night as well hehehehe...so nights tends to be very busy.paper works, checking of supplies etc. the only plus is that there are less people to annoy me rather than help. lol.

danissa, LPN, LVN · Jan 1, 2007

How many pts. are on THAT floor, two???

:lol2: TOTALLY HERE WITH YOU BABE! I alternate between days and nights, busy on BOTH shifts. Just easier to get up for a day shift than a night shift, day shift = normality, night shift = UUUrgh! until you are there! :lol2:

DeeSuGee83 · Jan 2, 2007

Nights! In 20+ years, I've worked every shift, every combination of shifts. My body may have liked the night time sleeping part but my mind & soul hated the chaos, the constant noisy drone and the interuptions of patient time and bedside care that hospital/acute care day shift brings. So many people who all want a piece of your patient - and at the same time a piece of your time as well.

On nights I provide more comfort, relieve more pain and complete more education while having real patient interactions. I've even given back rubs and held a patients hand.

Yes, new Grads can learn alot on nights - theres time to read the charts, look up and learn new stuff. But be aware - there are often less resources to ask questions and getting things "done" for your patient will move much slower than the day time. It's all a trade. Night shifters are a special breed. Try it. You might like it. And if not, it's okay. In nursing, theres a niche for us all.

Lovely RN · Jan 9, 2007

Days no other way I tried nights I did it for about a month and quit. I couldn't stay up on the ride home. When I was at work at night I felt I should be in my bed sleep.

DolphinRN84, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jan 10, 2007

I do day/night rotation and I definitely like nights better..only because I can sit down and actually have time to chart! Days I'm getting used to since thats the majority of shifts that I work, but it does get hectic and busy. I can still function both during the day and night while at work.

pedsnrs1 · Jan 19, 2007

Night shift hands down. I am a home health nurse. The parents of the child I care for has a computer set up in the family room just outside her room. The nurses have their own page to surf the net, play games, or whatever they want. We are only required q 2 hr bedchecks on her and clean equipment. What an easy job.