Hi all. I'm a pre-nursing student with a shift/family question. I hear about the shifts hospital nurses work (usually 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) My first choice would be to work days, but what if I get stuck working graveyard? I'm sure there are plenty of nurses out there who have a husband who works during the day and kids and also work 7 p.m.-7 a.m. but I'm wondering how do they manage...especially with kids who are school age? I'm married with two kids, 10 and 4.
I'm also hoping my husband will find another job where he works days every day, and will not have to work nights before I become a nurse. (Trying to avoid hiring a sitter.)
So, graveyard moms, how do you do it? Do your kids ride the bus to/from school? Do you go to bed right after work, and make sure you're awake by the time the kids come home? Or do you sleep until its time to make dinner, eat, then leave for work? How do your husbands feel about it? (I don't think mine will like it.) Do you still get to spend time with your families? Sorry for all the dumb questions, but I've never worked nights before and I want my family to be prepared if this happens. Maybe I'm worried for nothing and it's not all that bad. I would appreciate your take on this!
Specializes in Med-surg, NICU, Telemetry/Step Down.
Hi Dottie78,
When I started at a different hospital I had to go straight to night-shift 7p-7a. I had a lot of trouble sleeping during the day. At the time I had a newborn at home and I wanted to be up and cuddling with her so that was even more difficult to sleep. I had no trouble staying awake at night during my shift but I got pretty run down because I didn't get enough sleep during the day. I tried to go right to bed after work while my daughter was still sleeping. Usually when when 12 hr shifts, you only have to work 3d/wk. So on the other days I tried to live everyone else's schedule. Some people love night shift. I did not happen to be one of them. As soon as a dayshift position opened up I jumped on it. Hopefully you can too. Good Luck!
Specializes in clinical pathways - ED, home infusion, IT, lab.
it won't be 100% hosps in your area doing those shifts. there have got to be other choices, even if not as common.
for when i used to do it & it worked ok...
>>wear dark eye patches when you're sleeping
>>unplug phone (have some kind of emergency system, eg. certain setting on cell) if someone really needs to reach you
>>put dogs in pen
>>try to get at least 6 hrs in a row
>>drink lot of fluids & try to keep meal schedule somewhat regular
>>get a routine (eg. decaf tea, light stretching, no television, knitting or light reading) before "bedtime" (if you have any trouble falling asleep right away!)
but i'm going back to work with big noisy kids who come home for lunch, husband who works @ home & barking dogs so this time around... it's pm's for me!
I haven't worked nocs as a nurse, but I did work graveyard for a while in my previous career. I would come home, get the kids off to school, then go to bed. I'd wake up when the kids came home, hang out, have dinner, put them to bed, then go off to work. It actually worked really well. I didn't have to drive, of course, as we lived just around the corner from their school.
I love working nights. My kids are both in school, and it works out great for my family. Our schedule goes something like this:
Husband gets the kids up and ready, and takes them to school on his way to work. (I call them when I clock out, to wish them a great day.)
I go home, put dinner in the crock pot, tidy up the morning mayhem, walk to dog, and climb into bed. I'm typically in bed by 9:30 or 10.
I set my alarm for 3:30 or 4....get up, showered and dressed.
My daughter is in after school stuff that is over at 5pm. My son goes to a friend's on my sleep days. My husband picks them up on his way home.
We eat dinner together about 5:15 or 5:30, and I head to work at 6:15.
I call them at 9 to tell them good night.
I try to work 3 in a row every week....usually Mon, Tues, Weds. Then I work 1 full weekend a month to meet my requirements for my unit. The next day, then...I usually sleep 3-4 during the day, hang out with my family for the evening, and go to bed with them. It catches me up well, and I'm usually all set for the next 3 days. I do tend to stay up later anyway, and nap during the day just to stay on a similar cycle.
When I worked days, I felt like I missed everything anyway...on those days. I was up and out the door before they got up, and I got home after dinner....with about an hour to spare before bedtime. NOC gets me the same time with my family, and more pay. Win-win for me.
Hi, Dottie....LOTS of moms choose to work the 7p-7a hours because most of the time they're at work, their kids are sleeping. And it leaves four days a week when we're NOT working, plus can attend events our daytime-working pals cannot.
We learn to juggle sleep, that's true. I'm usually pretty tired, but I'm also happy to have more time with my kids while I work these hours.
**As an FYI note? PLEASE don't say "graveyard" to a hospital nurse--we NEVER use that term! :) We work nights.....we work nocs.....never "graveyard"
lol @ graveyard
7p - 7a worked out ok while the kids were in school. You will need a quiet very dark room if you're not used to daysleep.
Specializes in LTC/SNF, Psychiatric, Pharmaceutical.
I'm not a mom, but I will tell you you probably will not feel as rested from sleeping all day as you would all night. When I worked nights, my daytime sleep was very restless, and I always woke up with a raging headache and a nasty metallic taste in my mouth. Eventually I was such a wreck I had to get off of the night shift.
I als work nights extremely difficult at times but I love my night staff we all get along and I know that's hard to come by. I would never switch to days. Anyway I do have a nine year and when I work I send her to my mother in law because my fiance schedule is jacked up also so when I have to do 3's she spends the night over there I pay her though because she's not working at 800 a month not to mention she also goes to private school. I miss just being a regular parent sometimes just spending time together everynight but it also has its good side we have days off were we can spend all day together. I'm completing my first year and I want to work in a hospital so you take the good with the bad off to NP school in Jan so I won't have to deal with shifts for long
I work four to five shifts per week, 1845-0715. I have four kids (ages 2-11; two are stepkids). Hubby works days and we're lucky enough that he can be fairly flexible in his schedule. I did eight hour evening and night shifts until the oldest started school, then switched to twelve hour days for about 15 months, then to twelve hour nights. Our kids have never had to be in daycare b/c we've always been able to pull off working opposite shifts.
My husband HATES it. But the shift diff is too much to miss out on, and days was killing me....too chaotic, the staff is too high school. I much prefer our eclectic mix of personalities on nights!
I'm also in school parttime now, so it's been stressful trying to adjust to that with a toddler at home. Before he was born it was easy; I'd work, come home and throw the bigger kids on the bus, send hubby out the door to work and go to class. I'd sleep until the big kids got home from school then get up and make dinner, do homework, do laundry, etc. until it was time to go to work.
Now, I come home, get big kids off to school (via bus), get hubby out the door, stay up with toddler until naptime, then catch a few hours of sleep before I have to be up getting ready for work. The older kids usually check in when they get home from school then go off to play with friends for a little while. Then go to work and repeat.
this has been a great thread!!! i am starting nursing school in january....i pretty much have every intention of doing nights (or nocs, as you say) and i can't wait! i used to work at a hotel during the night audit (11pm-7am) i loved it...i was pretty exhausted sometimes especially when i was pregnant, but it was still great!!!
i am really curious though about this statement: "it is possible to work days, but in my local hospital all new grads (which is what you are when you graduate) work nights. it is mandatory for numerous reasons i won't post" i really wish you could elaborate because that seems crazy to me...some people simply can not do this for many reasons. please elaborate so i may understand even if you email me!?
I love nights, worked 11-7 in the lab and RN the last 1.5 years 7p-7a usually 3 in a row. i only lay down around 1pm to get up at 5 for the first night and get home in time to see my daughter (older though) 17.
Do some stuff if i have to and then go to bed till 5 but usually up at 3 anyway. After my 3rd night i sleep till the afternoon and then go do whatever and go to bed that night and then i am on a reg schedule till the next time...lucky that way..good luck and when i had little ones they were in day care so i could sleep deep and not worry about their safety etc. I have a friend whos little one ate moms earring while she was sleeping and another friend who woke up with black "sharpie" polka dots from her 3 year old all over her body! Thank goodness she didn't do patient care!
Karen's Hart
3 Posts
Hi Dottie78,
When I started at a different hospital I had to go straight to night-shift 7p-7a. I had a lot of trouble sleeping during the day. At the time I had a newborn at home and I wanted to be up and cuddling with her so that was even more difficult to sleep. I had no trouble staying awake at night during my shift but I got pretty run down because I didn't get enough sleep during the day. I tried to go right to bed after work while my daughter was still sleeping. Usually when when 12 hr shifts, you only have to work 3d/wk. So on the other days I tried to live everyone else's schedule. Some people love night shift. I did not happen to be one of them. As soon as a dayshift position opened up I jumped on it. Hopefully you can too. Good Luck!