How does working night shift impact your FAMILY?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

I'm convinced that half the battle in working nights is getting your family interactions and issues figured out.

Discuss!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

The increase in pay seemed to offset any issues when I had family at home. Now, most of my family work nights with their own families! I guess lesson learned....or at least adopted.

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Specializes in Operating room..

Worked great for awhile...but five eight hour night shifts finally got to be too much and after two years I quit. If it were twelves maybe it would have worked better...I just never saw my hubby. Love night shift..and kinda hate it too....mixed blessing.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I love working night shifts. I am miserable with the hustle and bustle on day shift.

Night shifts do not impact my family because. . .well, I do not have a family of my own. I'm single with no children, and I am childless by choice.

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I'm actually in the process of switching from nights to days. I love night shift but after 1 year, my sleeping schedule is SO bizarre! Even on my days off, I'll nap at odd hours and be wide awake at 0400, it sucks, especially for my poor boyfriend who comes home after work and I'm asleep.

I'm nervous about the switch though, money being the biggest factor. Also, I've hated the "feel" of days since I started, night shift is a whole different world. And lastly, I'll be getting paid less to deal with a lot more. Night shift is not easy but I don't deal with discharges, meals, PT/OT, etc. We are, however, ALWAYS understaffed on nights.

It's a really tough decision for me but I think I'd pick having a more normal life with my S.O. over money/"feel" any day.

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I'm actually in the process of switching from nights to days. I love night shift but after 1 year, my sleeping schedule is SO bizarre! Even on my days off, I'll nap at odd hours and be wide awake at 0400, it sucks, especially for my poor boyfriend who comes home after work and I'm asleep.

I'm nervous about the switch though, money being the biggest factor. Also, I've hated the "feel" of days since I started, night shift is a whole different world. And lastly, I'll be getting paid less to deal with a lot more. Night shift is not easy but I don't deal with discharges, meals, PT/OT, etc. We are, however, ALWAYS understaffed on nights.

It's a really tough decision for me but I think I'd pick having a more normal life with my S.O. over money/"feel" any day.

I'm doing the same thing right now too after almost 2 years of straight nights and for the exact same reasons as you I would like to start having a normal life with my boyfriend

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Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

I have the perfect schedule, IMO. :) I am a weekender on nights. I work every Saturday and Sunday night. I am around to take my kids to soccer games, etc on Saturday before I go in, and I am awake and ready for the week after they get home from school on Mondays. They really only miss me on Sundays, when I sleep HARD from the time I get in until almost time to go back to the hospital. (I do not sleep the day leading up to my first night)

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

I started working nights for very practical reasons. Childcare mostly. My husband and I had opposite work schedules which enabled us to skip strangers watching our kids.

Now, sigh, it has become something else.

Since I have all day off, I'm expected to do things that are simply not compatible with life.:woot:

Phone calls need to be made? I do it since I'm home all day.

Errands run? Appointments made? That's me.

Someone needs to meet with the repair man? Of course I can get up after 2 hrs sleep and let him in the house to look at the AC. After all, I have the whole day off. It doesn't matter that I haven't had a total of 10 hrs sleep in the last 72, and I'm scheduled again that night.

I enable the machine that is my family to run more smoothly, and it's probably costing me my health.

I'm really going to have to set some boundaries.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

It made holidays very very tough. Not to mention weekend plans - I was either pooped from working, or getting ready to go into work.

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Specializes in retired from healthcare.

I have tried all shifts and they all contributed to ruining my family life. The only stabilizing part was the money. All I could do about it was reduce my hours

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Well, here's a question for you then: Would your life be better or worse if you worked eight hour nights instead of twelves???

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Well here's a question for you then: Would your life be better or worse if you worked eight hour nights instead of twelves???[/quote']

I would never do 8 hour nights. I love my 12s! More days off that way. The way my schedule is set up, I get 5-6 nights off in a row every 3 weeks. It's like a mini vaca once a month. I make the most of that time with my family and plan fun things to do. :)

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