New Grads - Rotten Shifts?

holtgirl · Dec 7, 2006

Hi everyone, When I was a New Grad, ( a LONG time ago) we orientated on all three shifts. We charted with 3 different ink pens. Black for 7-3 shift, Green for 3-11 shift and Red for 11-7 shift. I found out HOW WONDERFUL NIGHTS WERE. I have worked the night shift for 25 years.. YEP 25 YEARS.. I have 4 children and it worked out for the best when they were young. The two older ones were in school but my younger two boys were 3 and 4 yrs. I could go to my childrens plays at school or any special event, take them to the dentist and things that had to be done in the day time. The younger two went to a preschool down the street from me, very nice and close to home. I always said I would take a day job when my baby boy graduated high school.. I NEVER DID. I did try days for awhile and the rat race drove me crazy. All of the administration people and things going on, phone ringing constantly. I also have a wonderful husband to had them at night. So i know you single moms may have a problem with night shift. But try it if you can. holtgirl

bmh-lpn · Dec 7, 2006

I started out as Day shift for 3 months as a new grad. This was to help us learn and get exposed to more stuff under more supervision. Then I was changed to my choice of either evening or night shift. My husband worked nights so I took evenings. I wanted to stay on Days but there was a senoirty thing. I waited for 2 years to get days, husband was now evenings shift d/t they stopped night shift at his employment.I never got days so I quit to stay home awhile with my 3 very young children for 2 years then went back to work at a Dr's clinic. I just could not find a good trustworthy sitter during the evening. And the expense of 3 in day daycare at the time took all my check!

Boneta

FellowRN · Dec 7, 2006

When I was a new grad I was able to to get a split shift position between first and second (but I mostly worked first). It was always busy, challenging and I learned alot. Looking back it was the experience of working first shift that I needed as a new grad. If this is what you want I recommend you keep looking because as we all know there is ample opportunities out there.

ICRN2008, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2006

In my area almost all new grads are ending up on the night shift. I applied for three second-shift positions but in every case was offered nights. I finally settled for 3 12-hour nights per week, because at least I will have the other four evenings to spend with my husband.

Lightning Bug RN · Dec 7, 2006

Hmmm. Never thought about it like that. I am a student and a night owl as well who will welcome the "rotten shift," but I do want to be in a position to learn as much as possible, and I do like to stay busy. Any suggestions? I do so want to make the right choice!

As a nurse who works the "rotten shift" 7p to 7a, I have to tell you that if you work night shift, you most certainly will be very busy. There is a large misconception that during the night, the pts sleep, I have to tell you that for the most part that is far from the truth.

Also, there is less staff, so each nurse has double the amount of direct pts that a day shift nurse has. Time management skills are well learned on this shift, due to necessity. The call bells are constantly lit, and there is only on nurses aid on, so for the most part we are running all night.

Another thing is that there are PLENTY of learning opportunities on this shift. If a pt is going to go to experience Afib, chest pain, Low or Hight Blood pressure, a fall out of bed with or without a change in mental status, or become SOB, this is usually the shift that this occurs.

The one thing I would make sure about if you do take a night shift postion, is to make sure that there are experienced nurses working that shift to assist you when someone indeed goes south.

One thing I must say to recommend this shift is the fact that you are home during the day to be with family, and not miss alot of the things that I used to miss when I used to work evening shift.

rita359 · Dec 7, 2006

Reality is hospitals are a 24/7 operation. Most day shift personel at hospitals already did their stint of other shifts. If what you want is 8-5 Mon_Fri. you won't find many of those jobs in hospitals.

westies · Dec 7, 2006

Shifts at our institution depend on what is open at the time after offering it up to current staff in the event they want a change. I was originally hired for day/pm, have since then done every rotation available. Now with 2 young kids I've done straight nights for..oh my goodness 8 yrs. I choose to do this, so that I may be at home when my kids arrive home from school or if they are sick or hurt. Not to mention I don't miss the politics of day shift, constant interruptions and phone calls. Although I may suffer a bit more stress with less help, no doctor in house, 2 staff only that are usually on, I do it for mental health as well. For my nights, I especially prefer my weekday 8 hour shifts since they go to bed at 7-730. 12s don't work for us and make it too chaotic in the evening, so I only do it on weekends when my hubby plays stay at home dad all weekend. It helps that I can sleep anytime anywhere.

DonC36 · Dec 12, 2006

My wife has been out 6 or 7 months and it's been a requirement that new nursing students orientate on days, 7a-3. Like someone else said that's not the best money shift.

BlueEyedRN · Dec 12, 2006

My first two weeks off orientation were scheduled to be night shift so I could orient to nights if I needed to do it. I was scheduled for four nights in a row and I was completely dreading it and all the experienced nurses thought it was horrible that they would do that to me. The first night was horrible, but by the end of the fourth, I was loving night shift. I learned more in those four nights than in the previous month. I wasn't just giving meds and talking to doctors the whole time like during the day. I was able to do all the stuff for my patients and then go learn from all the other patients on the unit as well. The other nurses totally let me follow them around and practice procedures on their patients. It was still busy, but everyone worked together and it was way more fun and I got so much experience. I loved it! Everyone always said that you learned way more on day shift than night because docs did rounds and you went to ct and did discharges. But at night, you learn a lot more critical thinking because you don't have the doctor right there and you'd better have a darn good reason for calling so you really learn what is important and why and be anticipating a lot more than during the day. I work in the ICU though so we still get a lot of interesting stuff at night when patients code on the floor or traumas come in from the ER. But it totally isn't necessarily true that you learn more during the day.

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

I used to be a night owl/vampire. In fact, one of the reasons I entertained choosing nursing as a career was because it offered nights. In my current career, it is only days. I learned to be an early bird after I had my son. Everything centers around him now. I will have to wait until he's away to college before I can work nights, that is....if I had a choice. It seems that it really depends on a lot of factors, after reading all the responses. Thanks to all of you! It really helps me out to learn everyone's experiences!

Actually, nights work well with small children. I will be working nights (7p-730a) and I have small children. I enrolled my younger children in before/after school care at daycare the 3 days I will be working. My husband will take them to daycare in the morning and I will pick them up around 4:00, when my older kids get home from school. This will allow me to sleep from about 8:30-3:30, make dinner, help the kids with homework and have a bit of a normal family life before going to work.

I interviewed for and was offered day positions, but the night shift job is in an area I have a passion for. I am a night owl anyways, I usually do my heavy cleaning and laundry at night, starting at about 10 pm. My only concern with night shift will be the stretch between 3am-5am, I naturally want to go to sleep then.

RNperdiem, RN · Dec 12, 2006

Twelve hour shifts were less common when I graduated. One reason I think hospitals went to 12 hour shifts was to eliminate the 3-ll shift. Nobody seemed to want to work it. New grads were rotated to it until they could claim a straight days or nights position. I liked 3-11 as a CNA/student, but for a lot of people it meant rarely seeing their family, and having little evening social life.

Uberman5000 · Dec 12, 2006

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!

Hmmm...I dont follow - It seems like a pretty uneducated statement. "All new grads dont have a choice of shifts".

Try not to base your entire decision whether or not to join the nursing profession on one person telling you that new grads are forced to work only nightshifts. Then again, if you like ill defined uneducated blanket generaliziations you should keep listening to non nurses.

Hospitals need nurses, they cant "force" you to work a nightshift...you can set your own hours k?