New Grads - Rotten Shifts?

Nurses General Nursing

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I have heard a lot of conflicting things from nurses and non-nurses regarding new graduate RNs and choices of shifts. The nurses tell me they had no trouble getting day shifts as a new grad. The non-nurses tell me most new grads end up on rotten graveyard shifts and night shifts and that you have no choice of day or night when you are new.

I have only talked to two nurses about this. One is a recent new grad and the other is a 23 yr. veteran. The new grad used to work as an occupational therapy assistant, so perhaps that is why she got day shift (people knew her)?

Can anyone else share their knowledge with me? I would like to go to nursing school to get my RN and I am doing research to see if it would fit in with my family life, as I have a 3 year old. Any suggestions/comments/responses would be greatly appreciated!

Specializes in Geriatrics/Alzheimer's.

I love the rotten shift. :)

I love the rotten shift. :)

He he, here I am right now, loving the rotten shift. The night people are outstanding.

Specializes in Correctional RN.
I have heard a lot of conflicting things from nurses and non-nurses regarding new graduate RNs and choices of shifts. The nurses tell me they had no trouble getting day shifts as a new grad. The non-nurses tell me most new grads end up on rotten graveyard shifts and night shifts and that you have no choice of day or night when you are new.

I have only talked to two nurses about this. One is a recent new grad and the other is a 23 yr. veteran. The new grad used to work as an occupational therapy assistant, so perhaps that is why she got day shift (people knew her)?

Can anyone else share their knowledge with me? I would like to go to nursing school to get my RN and I am doing research to see if it would fit in with my family life, as I have a 3 year old. Any suggestions/comments/responses would be greatly appreciated!

:Santa1:

An article from 2003 that might be of some interest:

NurseZone - Feature Stories - Spotlight on nurses - Archive

I was hired for the night shift but by happenstance, someone transferred out of the unit for greener pastures so... I made a written request for the day shift, shoved it under my nurse manager's door, and got switched to the day shift.

:paw:

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

In my unit it depends on what is available and what is the need. We've had many new grads get day shift. We've also had many new grads be told the only shifts available were nights - take it or leave it. Their choice. No one holds a gun to their head forcing them to do nights to pay their dues, it's just what is available at the time. Recently one of those who was offered only nights was able to switch to days after only six months.

Some new grads who have worked as techs on day shift while in school are shocked to be offered only nights. I feel for them.

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
I have heard a lot of conflicting things from nurses and non-nurses regarding new graduate RNs and choices of shifts. The nurses tell me they had no trouble getting day shifts as a new grad. The non-nurses tell me most new grads end up on rotten graveyard shifts and night shifts and that you have no choice of day or night when you are new.

I have only talked to two nurses about this. One is a recent new grad and the other is a 23 yr. veteran. The new grad used to work as an occupational therapy assistant, so perhaps that is why she got day shift (people knew her)?

Can anyone else share their knowledge with me? I would like to go to nursing school to get my RN and I am doing research to see if it would fit in with my family life, as I have a 3 year old. Any suggestions/comments/responses would be greatly appreciated!

Hello,

There are shifts for everyone. If you really feel that midnights are not a shift that you want to risk working then the way to gaurantee that is to work where there is no midnight shift. There are clinics and day facilities.

I have worked at hospitals, ltc facility, residential facilities, and worked all shifts. I also worked at an outpatient facility and did NOT work late afternoons, weekends OR holidays. Next I worked at a doctor's office and the latest we worked was 8 pm two days a week and we only worked two Saturdays a month. We had holidays off and home every evening.

I was not a nurse then but, was an assistant and worked with nurses.

There are enough shifts and facilities and opportunities I think for all of us.

Gen

Specializes in Jill of all trades, master of none?.
Just have to give my 2 cents!!! As a nurse who has been on days and nights... Yes, days can be more hectic but I feel that nights is also a good environment to learn in as well. On nights, you must use your critical thinking skills and contrary to popular belief, the pts where I work rarely sleep at night. In the ICU, our pts require care 24h/7 so days versus nights is more of a personal preference in my opinion. I prefer nights but some nurses I know cannot tolerate nights, they physically become ill.

Thank you so much for your "2 cents"! It was helpful!

Specializes in Jill of all trades, master of none?.
I started out working nights and would have requested nights had they given me a choice (here, it's by seniority and there are nurses who have been biding their time for years to do straight days). New grads are also given the option of rotating...doing nights for a schedule (which consists of 8 weeks) and then to days for a schedule, etc. Working in the ICU, I thought nights would offer more time to get my charting down pat (we chart every 2 hours) without interruptions from everyone and their brother. It would give me time to get myself organized and I could really learn without the hectic schedule days has to offer. In our unit, days are REALLY busy and there are many, many interruptions. Your chart may be taken for long periods of time by the MD's, family is in and out constantly, physical therapists are there, and there are trauma rounds at 10am.

Since there were slower periods at nights, I took it upon myself to find new stuff to learn. I poked around on the computer, teaching myself new information that even some of the veteran day shifters don't know. I read up on our policies and procedures, familarized myself with the many docs, and asked some of our 15-20yr nurses questions until I was blue in the face. I was able to attend many codes and see many procedures that I may have missed otherwise due to being too busy. I love working nights and can't fathom working days. I have stayed until 1pm, doing an 18-hour shift before and it reaffirms why I love nights so much! But then again, I've been a night owl since before I can remember and have never liked getting up early (it's torture!). I have no problem staying awake at night and feel better when I have to wake up at 3pm as opposed to 4am.

Melanie = )

You are living my fantasy! Your description of your job is my idea of the "perfect" situation. Yeah! I, too, feel better if I go to sleep after sunup and get up mid-afternoon--I feel more rested and need less sleep. Evidently as a child I overheard my mother joke that I must be a vampire, and took it my head that I was. I would sneak out at night with my robe tied around my neck like a cape and "fly" around the back yard, hoping to meet "someone like me." Needless to say, I never did. Perhaps I will, on the graveyard shift. ROFL!

Specializes in L&D.
I love the rotten shift. :)

I'm really looking forward to going back to "The rotten shift". That should be in January.

I changed my career to nursing in order to have a better family schedule (3 y/o and an 11 mo.). I recently got hired for a 3-11p shift although I was also offered a 7-3 shift. Most of the other positions I had investigated needed new grads on 7p-7a. I could not do that type of shift at this time.

I think it depends on what you can find at the time and in what unit you're willing to work. The nice thing about nursing is that you have a choice of schedules and areas you would like to work in.

Good luck to you!!

Evenings worked fine for me while my kids were young. As they grew older, though, I found that I was missing their games, concerts, family holiday gatherings that usually start about 4 pm, etc.

I have heard a lot of conflicting things from nurses and non-nurses regarding new graduate RNs and choices of shifts. The nurses tell me they had no trouble getting day shifts as a new grad. The non-nurses tell me most new grads end up on rotten graveyard shifts and night shifts and that you have no choice of day or night when you are new.

I have only talked to two nurses about this. One is a recent new grad and the other is a 23 yr. veteran. The new grad used to work as an occupational therapy assistant, so perhaps that is why she got day shift (people knew her)?

Can anyone else share their knowledge with me? I would like to go to nursing school to get my RN and I am doing research to see if it would fit in with my family life, as I have a 3 year old. Any suggestions/comments/responses would be greatly appreciated!

I think it depends on whether you want to work in an area that is closed after 5 pm or so or is open 24/7. MD office, clinic, outpatient surgery center, research, home health, community health, dialysis - these tend to be daytime jobs. Hospitals and nursing homes are not. So if you want to do any type of nursing in these facilities, think long and hard. We know some nurses are working Days. But the offshifts have to be covered. Including on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holidays. It is very, very painful to have to work on those days.

Specializes in ICU/Surgical.

My unit (a Neuro ICU) has a 50% vacancy rate, so if you want days, you can have them!

i also think thats important to point out that many of these daytime jobs that are being listed - doctors offices and outpatient clinics - require hospital experience first...

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