Does Preferring to Work Night Shift mean you're lazy?

[Soliloquy]

I prefer to work night shift. I prefer a little bit more seclusion to the hustle and bustle of the day shift experience. If I HAVE to work days, I would prefer for it to be weekends. I just can't take all the doctors, hospital rounds, discharge rounds, meetings, all of that. It's exhausting for me and it takes a toll on my health. I've been told that it just means you're lazy and don't want to do the work. But in the grand scheme, my life doesn't revolve around my job and there are other things I want to do and explore with my life.

I initially loved nursing, but after all that I've experienced while working on this particular unit, I've started to suffer continuous headaches and fatigue from work. This isn't good for me. I love night shift because I have some time to recuperate. I still get the headaches but the fatigue is less. I would really prefer to work solely nights.

[Dranger]

Night shift is harder IMO and I have worked both. Less resources and some patients get cray cray at night. Not to mention a lot of codes.

[caliotter3]

Find it hard to see the "lazy" label when I recall all the things I did on night shift that the other shifts couldn't be bothered with. I even had one or two people from day shift thank me. They didn't thank me for being lazy. I prefer working nights to keep away from the aggravations, to include tbe personalities. I also prefer the better opportunity for peace and quiet.

[ParalyticAgent]

If day shift nurses want to see a lazy night shift nurse, they can watch me attempt to stay awake working a day shift.

I've always been a night owl, and I'm happy that I found a job I love which allows me to not only sleep until midafternoon, but also be a productive member of society.

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

when i was younger, several decades ago:roflmao:, i prefered nights, for all the same reasons, enjoyed accomplishing same with less and extra shift diff$s...greater teamwork.....that being said as i aged, my biological clock changed, and I am so very grateful for "night nurses". i do not think you are lazy, as i know what you do

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

Lazy? My husband only called me that once. I went on strike for a month then made him live my schedule for 3 days. I got an apology shortly after.

I work 12 hour nights full of critical patients, not to mention drunks, overdoses, violent patients, and all the usual abdominal pains, etc... then I go home and do everything that needs doing there too. I get around 2-3 hours of sleep every day that I work.

No day shifter would be able to keep up with me.

[eeffoc_emmig]

Lazy? My husband only called me that once. I went on strike for a month then made him live my schedule for 3 days. I got an apology shortly after.

I work 12 hour nights full of critical patients, not to mention drunks, overdoses, violent patients, and all the usual abdominal pains, etc... then I go home and do everything that needs doing there too. I get around 2-3 hours of sleep every day that I work.

No day shifter would be able to keep up with me.

My husband didn't call me lazy...he just said I have it easy. Hmmm...really? When I worked LTC, I had an average of 40 residents each night. I ran like crazy all night, would come home, do all the housework, help ths kids with their homework, make dinner and go back that night. I'm lucky to get 2 hours of sleep. He whines like a baby if he gets less than 6 hours of sleep. Not to mention the fact that he works 8 hours then comes home to take root in his recliner til bedtime.

[patticakes59]

I think we have to stop and look at what we say. People who work permanent shifts of any kind do it for a reason and we shouldn't question that. I worked my share of nights in my 33+year career and on any given night, it can be more chaotic than a day shift. There could be many reasons people elect to work night shift. Child care needs, personal preference, lifestyle, medical reasons, etc. I ended up having to work days because of a medical condition. I was thankful there were nurses who preferred the night shift to enable me to do days only. But people looked at me with contempt as well. Nursing is a work of passion and commitment and hard work and we should remember that. Each area of nursing has its challenges and rewards.

[RunBabyRN]

If that's what works for you, and you're actually WORKING, then you're not lazy. We all have our preferences, and there's nothing wrong with yours.

[DedHedRN]

I think preferring to work the night shift makes me the most valuable employee at my job, as there is no one else who wants to do it because they all know its the hardest most busy shift of all.

[rumwynnieRN]

I worked day-shift, and I didn't care for it. I'd always preferred working nights before even going into nursing. My preceptor told me about a former co-worker who when they both worked in MICU would tell his friends and the patients that night shift was just day shift's place holders. The former coworker was the same guy who wouldn't start an IV on a pt, and when one pt needed vanc and a continuous dose of dopamine to keep his BP up, he would DC the dopamine so he could run the vanc. You could see on the paper chart where he was running the vanc because his BP dropped to the 70s/40s. I heard, btw, the patient in question could've had another IV done for the vanc.

You can be lazy on any shift, and while I've found that both shifts tend to talk smack about each other, it's not like the other shift doesn't get busy. *shrug*

[SL2014]

Work smarter not harder.

Get paid more to do less? Why NOT?

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

Because the point of the thread is that we DON'T do less.