Explaining: WHY nightshift, to family and friends

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 17, 2007

"OK, so I'm not normal... moving on to another topic..."

skislalom · Aug 17, 2007

"OK, so I'm not normal... moving on to another topic..."

LOL, I never claimed to be normal...you'd think after 17 years he'd know this.

jtjames · Aug 17, 2007

I'm sure many of you who work nocs have experienced this...
HOW in the heck do you get through to people who think that you are out of your mind for working nights and "normal" people would never CHOOSE to work the night shift...that you LIKE night shift, it is not a punishment, and HELLO nursing is a 24/7 operation and MOST of us knew that when we went into this profession.
My FIL is the worst, I'm sick of making excuses as to why nights are OKAY to work. In my previous career, I also chose to work nights (law enforcement). I have explained all my rationale to him and now I just need some good comebacks. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy...I really like him. He is just very opinionated and I'm sick of the comments! I know I'll never change his mind, I'd just like to shut him up for a while! LOL

hopefull your FIL never needs a trip to the hospital in the middle of the night, but its nice to know that for those who do you will be there to help them!!!!!! people do not just get sick during the day. They get sick at night and on the weekends.

vashtee, RN · Aug 17, 2007

Maybe he is worried about your sex life.

Cosper123 · Aug 17, 2007

LOL, I never claimed to be normal...you'd think after 17 years he'd know this.

Naw I agree with that poster. The well placed sarcasm and a look on your face of "yeah...haven't heard THAT before..." would tell him real quick like how immature he is acting.

Or it should at least...I mean it's the same look you give a child who is pushing it

So yes, utilize sarcasm and deflection with the suggested line:

"OK, so I'm not normal... moving on to another topic..."

At that point if he pushes, then move onto the second suggestion given by the other poster -

"Well, someone has to be there in the middle of the night to take care of patients...lets hope that is never you"

Or...if he is being particularly annoying, tailor to him. Does he have a eating problem? Smoke? etc? Then it may become...

"Well, lets just hope someone is there to take care of your near death experience when you -

1. Choke on a chicken bone"

2. Eat one too many donuts"

2. Smoke yourself into oblivion"

Or ya know....just insert whatever.

Or hey, if you can both deal with it like adults...you could always pull him aside and have a serious discussion about how it bothers you.

Cosper123 · Aug 17, 2007

For me...I love night shift because:

1. I like the lack of traffic on the roads on my nights off

2. I am conditioned to outlast any of my buddies who want to try and party longer than I am. Oh wait, that was before I was married

3. I like going to the grocery store and not having anyone else around or a line to wait in.

4. I like the pretty lights.

5. I like the extra pay

6. I like the lack of management lurking around

7. I like walking into a bar in the morning and not feeling guilty. Oh wait, that was before the kids came along.

8. I like eating breakfast as dinner. Yum breakfast.

9. I don't have a problem sleeping during the day...so that's not an issue.

10. We are young parents with young children...I'm used to being up all night anyhow helping the wife fight the good fight.

psalm, RN · Aug 17, 2007

My mil thinks it is awful I work nights and that I like it! I work only part-time. Maybe our relatives think we have so much time on our hands we are all having affairs or something...

But, we don't need to explain to others, really. It's just who we are...

iLovemyJackRT · Aug 17, 2007

greattttt thread, can 100% relate, i just started working nights not to long ago.....I'm 23, and let's just say my income is pratically a gold mind compared to what my BF of 4 years is making...anway, whenever I have to work a weekend his parents are always like " oh really, that's such a shame" or " oh man , you have to work fri and sat night " it is soooo annoying, it makes me feel like crap....good response though by everyone, it cheered me up :balloons:

Brooke

Nightcrawler, BSN, RN · Aug 17, 2007

I always do the math on shift diff for them. If you work it out I make close to 10k a year more for working nights

The second reason that I always tell people is that I was always a night owl, find it impossible to be at work at 7am. As a matter of fact, I helped to teach unit skills this spring, a three day process that required me to be at the hospital by 7 on each of the three days. I slept through my alarm on the third day!!! I couldn't even make it through a week of dayshift.

I would actually drink MORE coffee if I worked dayshift. I find that if I work days I go home, want to watch tv, eat dinner, talk on the phone....have a life, and the next thing I know it is 11 or 12 pm and I don't get enough sleep. On the flip side I have absolutely no problem with going straight home in the morning, going to bed and getting a solid 8 hours sleep and running errands on the way to work

AngBthatsme · Aug 17, 2007

I know people think it's a punishment to work nights. So funny. Let me count the reasons I work nights. I dont have to deal with PT/OT, family members after 9pm, hunting the chart down .......because 6 people need it at the same time, three meals a day, social services, management, and patients going off the floor for procedures. Sigh, what else??? I have time to think at night, I can look into a patients H&P, check test results and use my thinking skills and amazingly its much quieter so I can do so. I have so much energy all night long, but as soon as I'm driving home and the sun is up, I'm done. The extra money thats a bonus, but I would probably do it even if I didnt get paid more. The only down side I see is that as a night nurse, you are rarely remembered when they hand out the thank yous. We see them for 2-3 hours put them to bed and then wake them at 4am to stick them with a needle for lab work.....haha it's alright though. Its great!!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 17, 2007

"Then I'm not normal am I?. It makes me happy, it's what I choose. Don't you want me to be happy too? If it's working for us, why worry about it?"

I told my spouse and family that nights was all that was available when I was hired here. Truth was I told my employer I was only available for nights. I stayed on nights for 13 years and loved it for the most part until I switched to 12 hour shifts and my body went crazy the last five years of nights and I had to "normalize" my life.