Help Me Get Excited About My Shift to Night Shift!

[seasidesoul]

Hi, AN!

I have a knot in my stomach, and I'm hoping to get some positive words to help me shift my thinking! I am currently orienting on days on an amazing unit. I'm in love with what I do. However, I was hired for nights, and I'll be switching next month. My floor has extremely low turnover (because the unit is wonderful!), so the waiting list for day shift is long. As a new nurse on the floor, I won't even ask for my name to be added to it until I have a few more months under my belt.

So, the reality is that I'll be a night shift nurse for quite some time. There are many posts about how to change sleep schedules, etc on this forum, but can anyone help me get excited about this change, rather than feeling dread? Part of it is that it's the unknown. If you've been in the same boat, please send some love my way!

[anewsns]

I think nights can be cozy depending on where you are.. Grab a nice warm coffee and get a good report and maybe have some time to chat with your insomniac patients and cohorts, depending how busy your nights are. As long as there are other experienced nurses around you can have help dealing with anything big that comes up

[ak2190]

I also started my current job on day shift and then went to nights. I like night shift and declined to go back to days when asked. I go to work, do my assessments and the major med pass of the night and things usually quiet down a bit and I can focus on things/interventions/patients that really need my attention. There are less people/visitors to get in your way. My night shift coworkers are more tight knit and supportive than when I worked day shift. I actually get to "know" my patients and their histories and needs a bit more since I'm not running around just trying to finish tasks like my dayshift coworkers are normally doing(though there are still nights like that). Although we do have to be more self-sufficient and independent, I'd rather do that than deal with having doctors, therapists, and management underfoot all day long.

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

Here ya go!! Welcome to The Dark Side!! You'll either love it or hate it, but I'm hoping you love it as much as I do!!

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/i-love-night-984830.html

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

Coming from someone who used to work nights...I feel like days are more chaotic. That doesn't mean that a night shift cannot be busy! Typically things are more chill, though.

* Fewer meds passed at night than during the day (just think of all of those accuchecks and insulin doses whereas you really only have to do it once at night time!)

* Patients are typically sleeping at night

* Management isn't around

* Less visitors

* I agree with the other posts...I feel like the camaraderie is better on nights compared to days! I miss my night shift crew!

[Double Dunker]

I'm on nights, too, and like the others said, it's nice to not have to deal with doctors and visitors running around. But the patients sleeping? Not so much. I really like nights, though.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I'm on nights, too, and like the others said, it's nice to not have to deal with doctors and visitors running around. But the patients sleeping? Not so much. I really like nights, though.

That's why I said typically...they're not always sleeping! Sometimes it's the complete opposite!

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

One difference between day shift and night shift that just happened this morning as my colleagues and I were leaving and had our jackets on. A patient started vomiting who was a very high risk of aspiration. The transporter ask for help from a nearby nurse to suction the pt, and the day shift nurse said "no, that's not my patient." The night shift, in their coats and backpacks, stopped to suction the patient before going home.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Some of the minor perks of working nights:

-you can run errands during the day, and making appointments is easier

-it's nice driving to and from work when there's little traffic on the road

-you can do your grocery shopping on your way home from work and have the supermarket pretty much to yourself. No lines!

-nobody will know or understand your sleep schedule, making it easier to weasel out of undesirable family commitments. "No, I can't go to cousin Gertrude's wedding because I sleep in the evening" is just as acceptable as saying you can't go cause you sleep in the morning. Either works.

[Littleguccipiggy]

I love night shift! Sure, my sleep schedule is all wonky, but I could never switch to days. Here's what I love:

There's less people around - respiratory, PT/OT, chaplin, volunteers, family members.

There's less procedures at night - nobody's going to get a 12am endoscopy or lumbar puncture

There's time when you sometimes can sit and actually read progress notes in between call lights or meds.

Staff at night are usually less grumpy, day shift usually gets nicer once the coffee kicks in.

Less accuchecks, unless you have a NPO patient on q4 accuchecks.

More time to actually talk with patients, instead of being task driven to give your next med. Don't get me wrong, it is busy, but a different kid of busy.

No lines at Target when you get off work!

No rush hour traffic!

[seasidesoul]

You guys are certainly giving me better perspective!

At this point, my only concern is sleeping during the day. I live in a pretty loud apartment complex. But, I suppose I can always move if needed!

Thanks for all of the responses. This community is wonderful.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

I love working night shift. I work in a very busy hospital, and I don't think my work is less demanding than day shift, I just have less crap to deal with, if that makes sense. I feel like I can be a true nurse, instead of dealing with all the ancillary stuff that goes on during dayshift. Dietary, PT, OT, nutrition, therapists, doctors, VISITORS... LOL!! All of this dies down at night...

... and all is right with the world. :)

Good luck!