How long have you worked nights?

TazziRN, RN · Oct 21, 2006

I worked nights for about two years because I had to, and then after that it was because I wanted to. In 11 years at my first job, I did a grand total of TWO day shifts, and I hated both of them. The personalities on each shift are different, and I just fit in better with eves and nocs. My ex was also a noc person so it fit with our lifestyle.

I've been at my current job for 7.5 years and have been on days for 5 of them. I went to days because I had a family by this time, with another husband who is definitely a day person. I could not do nocs with a family and I admire those who do.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2006

I worked nights for 13 years before I felt it was impacting my health negatively. My blood pressure was high, I felt like I was a walking zombie all the time. I feel better on dayshift and my BP is borderline high.

Good luck!

Trauma Columnist · Oct 21, 2006

I worked a rotating day/night thing for one year and almost died - it was the worst thing I've ever done!

However, I worked 10 years either 1900-0700 or 1500-0300 and it was okay. Not great, but okay. The people that I worked with were wonderful.

LadyLurker · Oct 21, 2006

I worked nights for a total of 21 years.... and stopped only because my new job required an RN for 3/11 shift.

I didn't leave the night shift job because of the hours... there were many and varied negative things about that facility, and working nights made it bearable.

I LOVED nights, and I raised two children and a husband :wink2: while working them. I made sure I had a GOOD babysitter, and I made sure that I got my 8 hours of sleep each and every day.

I'm a night owl by nature, and my husband is a morning lark, but that made working nights easier....he always did the early morning stuff with the kids, and I always did the evening and late night stuff.

My kids didn't feel neglected or hard-done-by, and my family always took my schedule into account for holidays and such.

And I learned to unplug the phone before I went to bed!

Health-wise.... there was no real impact on my health due to working nights, I think because I was so religious about getting sleep.

Now that I work 3/11, I actually see the sun, and can work the occasional 9/5 when my DOC needs me in an Acting DOC capacity.

But working day shifts????

NEVER. :yawn:

I don't wake up that early.

Karen

LadyLurker

Mimi2RN, ASN, RN · Oct 21, 2006

Nearly 15 years in this job, 18-0630, and either nights or a split before that. I don't do well getting up early. Even when I'm off, it's usually 1-2 am before I go to bed.

I've done a few day shifts, to help out, but I won't work week days if I can help it.

StNeotser, ASN, RN · Oct 21, 2006

Have now worked nocs for 2.5 years. I expect one more year or so of having to do it for family reasons.

I'm not a natural nightshifter, but do it for facilitating family arrangements.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 21, 2006

7 long years. But after this month, I am pretty much done. At least I work perdiem. I could not handle fulltime NOCs. TOO hard on this body.

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Sep 30, 2008

I just started my new NP job in hospital medicine last month, and am working 12 hour night shifts. I am still not used to working throughout the wee hours, and cannot sleep very much during the daytime. When I come home, I sleep from like 8 AM-noon, and then cannot sleep anymore! I am literally not sleepy at that time, even though I am tired. Does that make sense? And right now at 2:30 AM, I am feeling so out of it. I actually like it better when I get paged now, because if it's quiet for a while, I realize how tired I am....but if I try to sleep at work (which they let us do if no one is paging us) and then get woken up by the pager again, I get all groggy and worry I won't be able to make good decisions if I am groggy. But also, I have a hard time even trying to relax or fall asleep at work (when I'm not being paged), because I keep thinking the pager is going to go off at any second. Ugh, I can't win. Anyhow, since I am new to night shifts, I just needed to vent. Thanks! :) Any advice from anyone?

husker_rn, RN · Sep 30, 2008

I've been an eve/noc shifter for all but 18 months of my 17 year nursing career. I am NOT a morning person at all. While on days I had high blood pressure; now I'm back to nights and normal pressures { at least for now}. I'm married to a morning person so like LadyLurker, it worked out well for us.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Sep 30, 2008

3 years this November.

bagladyrn, RN · Sep 30, 2008

I've worked nights (11-7 then 7p-7a) for over 25 years now. It actually worked quite well in raising my son and foster sons as I was gone mostly when they were sleeping and would be up having coffee when they came home from school. You do need reliable sitter arrangements if you don't have a spouse.

I'm a hardcore nightshifter who has no desire to try and turn the body around - they'd have to pay me double to consider days! I don't mind staying up for sunrise, but I sure hate getting up for it!