Since this is the place we all reach out to when we need to vent, I am going to consider this my very first "on the job" vent thread.
I've been working at what some people may call a "cushion" job.... It's an addiction recovery place.... the night shift. All I do is basically update the paper MARs every single night and do mini-assessments. I'm so bored here, it's ridiculous.... Just waiting to begin my new job in the place I've been wanting to work for a long time, beginning in January.
So, my vent is that I've been on the schedule for 4 nights in a row ever since I began working here three months ago. I work a 12-hour shift on Thursday nights, then 8-hour shifts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. In the beginning, I've handled it well, but now that I've been doing it for 3 months, I can see how it's interferring with my personal family life. All I want to do is sleep during my 4 days and my kids barely see me. I have absolutely NO social life now, because the time I have off, my friends are working (during the week). I do start an in-patient RN hospital position in January and I'm super excited about it.... So, I'm just hanging in here until my last day of work (which is Christmas night) as I've already put in my notice last week.
Since this is my first RN job out of nursing school, I was wondering if most RN shifts are schedule together like this job. I truly hope that I am not always scheduled 3 nights in a row, especially on the weekends. The pay is great, but not worth the loss of family time and social life. We all must unwind somehow, someway.
Any advice would be great right about now. During the weekends, when we all should be happy and spending loving time with our families, I've become the b**ch due to lack of sleep, night shift work, and wanting to spend time with my kids, but can't due to work and sleep.
Thanks for hearing me out and allowing me to vent for my first time.
Hopefully my experience can help you. I've been on night shift working 3 in a row for 3 years and I get to see my family A LOT. When I was on day shift, I would go days without seeing my daughter because I left before she got up and got home after she went to sleep. So it can be done. Here's how I do it. I work every Sun-Tues 7p-7a. I get up early Sun a.m so that I'm kinda tired, and I take about a 2-4 hour nap before I leave for work @ 6 pm. For the next couple days, I sleep during the day, work at night. On Wed. a.m., when I leave work after my 3rd day of the week, I sleep for about 5-6 hours and get up at about 3. I am still tired on Wed. from working at night and generally go back to bed @ MN, sleep all night till Thurs. a.m. so I can take my daughter to work. Yes, I do flip my schedule twice a week, but the extra sleep I get really makes it possible. Personally, I could not work nights if I didn't get to work 3 in a row. I'm much happier on nights, it's easier (day shift is total insanity at my job), I see my daughter every day (even if it's just for half an hour before I go to work--believe me half an hour is better than nothing.) Keeping to this schedule allows me to do errands and things with my family on my days off. I really like it, plus I get paid more. Hope you are able to figure out a schedule that works for you. (Obviously it helps that I am a champion sleeper--if I'm vertical, pretty much any time I can go to sleep. I also have a sleep aid that I take if I need it.) Good luck.
That's very helpful! Plus, it's nice that you have your 3 nights scheduled during the "week" and not on the weekends like I currently do. Your schedule is not too bad with it being during the week. Maybe I'll do that.....
During any of your interviews for your new job ... did the unit's scheduling requirements come up in conversation? Do you know if you've been hired for a specific shift, or if everyone rotates? Do you know the requirements for weekends / Mondays / Fridays / holidays?
I'm right there with ya, except I work swings. After dropping my kids at school this morning my word.. See you tomorrow just killed me. I left a days position at an AL to work at a SNF to get better experience. I've been working this shift for 5 months now and it's killing me how much I miss my kids and husband and how detached I feel fro my family and friends much of the time.
I understand dues etc but that doesn't make it suck less.
Three months isn't really long enough to get used to nights. I found it best for me to work my 3 12's in a row because I didn't have to switch back and forth.
I worked nights for 15 years and for the most part loved it. However, it does take a toll and I'm glad I work days now.
Hey there! My first hospital job (which was my second job, and the one I am currently at!) hired me for evenings .8. So basically I work 8 shifts in two weeks from 3p to 1130p, and every other weekend! I don't blame you for not wanting to work nights EVERY weekend! You were smart to take the job that was available at the time but I'd also go crazy not being able to really have a social life! Good luck and congrats with the new job!!!!! :)
I have worked nights for 18 years. For me, scheduling all three shifts (or in my case four) in row has helped me have a normal life on those days off. My normal days are Monday - Thursday nights. On Friday, I sleep till noon and then transition back to a daytime life through the weekend. The weeks I have my weekend requirement, I am off Thursday night.
When I split the shifts up it makes it harder to resume a daytime life with my family.
As for working every weekend, they should have outlined your expected schedule on the new job. Is this a weekend option position or one you have to work every other weekend, every third weekend etc.
Good Luck on your new job - you will figure out what schedule works for you eventually.
When I was fresh out of school, I had to work 3 12 hour midnight shifts per week, and every other weekend. What I used to do was schedule myself to work two shifts in a row-Monday and Tuesday, off Wed, Thur, Fri, work Sat and Sun. Off Mon, Tues, Wed, work Thursday and Friday. My working weekend was the split in the pay period, so Saturday would be on one week, and Sunday on the next (so I always made my 36 hours) I would get up early the first day of my two days, and go back to sleep from noon until about 5:00 or so, then sleep on the day of my second shift. Coming off my shift I would sleep about six hours, and see my friends and family. It worked for the time I had to do it.
I wish you the best of luck, I prayed to find a day shift job, and found one about nine months out of school.
Have you talked to your new job about the schedule yet? It had been my experience that hospital systems I have worked for , you have your core 2 week schedule.
In that you get one weekend off. I have had a few various scheudles one I worked every Tues and Thurs and every other weekend, so Tues, Thurs, Sat , Sun, Tues, Thurs, Tues...
Another shift I had were my 3 days were together was Thur, Fri, Sat, then Wens Thur Fri. I really liked that schedule as my weekend was only Sat not both Sat and Sun.
The job I currently have for nights 2 on 2 off 2 on 3 off... roating so I get every other weekend off.
I used to work 7p-7a fri-sun. I loved it. I saw my kids alot. Summers were even better. I now work random nights and hate it. I try as hard as can be to put 3 days together as much as I can when I self schedule. I find I sleep more and do not see my kids much now. A job change could be exactly what you need.
depends where you work, how the schedule works etc. working off one work one off one work one, esp nights and 12 hours might leave you just as exhausted.
I think three in a row is much better then every other night. It takes time to adjust back to a day schedule and if you have to switch back and forth every day you will be really screwed up.
In a hospital you will probably work everyother or every third weekend so you can get some of your social life back.
MystyqueOne, BSN, RN
290 Posts
That's very helpful! Plus, it's nice that you have your 3 nights scheduled during the "week" and not on the weekends like I currently do. Your schedule is not too bad with it being during the week. Maybe I'll do that.....
Thank you!