I can't believe I actually *like* night shift!

[SopranoKris]

I'm a new grad (May 2015) and started my first RN job in July. During orientation, I was exclusively on day shift. I was so worried about switching over to night shift. I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I really like the night shift.

I was worried I'd be bored because the patients would be asleep. Nope! I bust my butt from start of shift to end. I feel I'm actually busier on night shift than I was on days. It's a rare night that all of my patients sleep at the same time. And even then, I invariably get a new admission from the ER. The only draw back to night shift is that we get short-staffed a lot (especially on weekends) and we have higher patient ratios.

If I need to have an appointment, I can just schedule it in the morning, so I don't have to take time off. I really like it. My kids are older and all of them can drive now, so I don't have to worry about schlepping them to sporting or school events. :)

Night shift rocks

[imthebriman1]

I'm not sure I could work any other shift. Night shift is where it's at.

[TNT_RN09, BSN, RN]

I worked day shift for 4 years and absolutely hated it. Too busy, too many people! I felt like i was just checking off tasks all day and not truly able to spend time with my patients. Before going to days I was on nights for 3 years as a new grad. Now I'm back to nights. I had another baby and nights work better for my family. I'm able to take my son to school and pick him up. I also have a one year old. I work fri-sun and it allows me sleep on the weekends because my husband is off so he has the kids while I sleep. I usually wake up at 4p and spend some time with them before I go to work. I will never work day shift again!!

[TNT_RN09, BSN, RN]

Also on my off days I switch back to a regular schedule so nights does not interfere with my sleep schedule. I'm only a night walker during my scheduled shifts. On my Monday off,(I work fri-sun), I only take a 2 hour nap and then get up and go about my day. Monday night I'm exhausted and go to bed around 9p & that's how I switch my body back to a regular schedule on off days. If you keep the same night schedule on your off days then you will feel like your missing out on life. You have to convert back

[Jonelrob]

I'm a new Grad as well and starting my new soon to be night shift job. I've heard various things and most that leave me with some trepidation. Thanks for posting the positive!! Appreciate it!

[RainMom]

Night Shift Nurses with Children: I'm a nursing student who will be done in December. I have a husband two children 10 and 5. How do you do night shift with children? On your days off, do you switch your sleep schedule to days?

I'm following to find an answer to this question, too. I graduate in May, and I am married with 2 young, school-aged kids. And we want another. I've toyed with the idea of nights - just don't know how feasible it would be with all that going on.

When I started my first RN position on nights 2300-0700, I had a 6 month old & 9 yr old. Baby & I would nap in the afternoon before my first shift & be up to pick up my older son from school. I could get the kids to bed before going to work (I still breastfed at that time, though not exclusively). DH got the kids off to school/sitter & were gone before I made it home. I would then sleep until school was out & pick up both kids. Sometimes I would nap again later in the evening, usually after I had worked 3-4 nights in a row.

I always switched back to normal sleep/wake hrs when off. I think those who stay on the same night schedule usually don't have kids. Doing 8hr nights, I saw the kids/DH the same amt of time as if I was on day shift. I made supper & put them to bed each night.

After several months, I was able to transition to 12hr shifts on nights. At that point, I wasn't tucking the kids in before work but only having to work 2 consecutive nights vs 4-5 was huge.

Having a supportive spouse & adequate childcare during day sleep hrs is essential!

[Jaykalkyn, BSN, RN]

It's good to see all of the positivity regarding night shift. I graduate from nursing school in December and recently accepted an RN position on night shift at a heart hospital. I have previously worked as a tech on night shift and it was okay. I didn't love it or hate it, I just liked it.

I, too, did what others have suggested, switched my sleep schedule back to normal on days I did not work, it worked out better for me.

To those who are wondering how to handle it with kids, working nights really works pretty good. You are often off in time to deal with them in the mornings and you get to spend a little time with them in the afternoon. Your time away from them is mostly their sleep time. It'll all work out, trust.

[lovemykiddos]

When I started my first RN position on nights 2300-0700, I had a 6 month old & 9 yr old. Baby & I would nap in the afternoon before my first shift & be up to pick up my older son from school. I could get the kids to bed before going to work (I still breastfed at that time, though not exclusively). DH got the kids off to school/sitter & were gone before I made it home. I would then sleep until school was out & pick up both kids. Sometimes I would nap again later in the evening, usually after I had worked 3-4 nights in a row.

I always switched back to normal sleep/wake hrs when off. I think those who stay on the same night schedule usually don't have kids. Doing 8hr nights, I saw the kids/DH the same amt of time as if I was on day shift. I made supper & put them to bed each night.

After several months, I was able to transition to 12hr shifts on nights. At that point, I wasn't tucking the kids in before work but only having to work 2 consecutive nights vs 4-5 was huge.

Having a supportive spouse & adequate childcare during day sleep hrs is essential!

This is so good to hear - and that you were able to keep up with some breastfeeding is great because that has always been important to me. Fortunately I have the support system in place so I will seriously consider it as I start applying for jobs.

[franhoover]

As an older retired nurse who was just in the hospital for a DVT I can only beg and plead with you and all your fellow staff members to please respect your patients by attempting to be as quiet as possible. During the night shift while I was there no one was quiet, spoke in loud voices, turned the overhead light on when the patients bed light would have been enough. I was in bed-2 furthest from the hall and I could have told you how many days people worked in a row,how long until their next day off, what their weekend plans were,details about their children ,etc. Finally someone gave me earplugs and my daughter got me a sleep mask to cover my eyes. These things did help but I was appalled that these things were necessary in a hospital which is supposed to be therapeutic environment and not getting any sleep in not therapeutic.

[debdouc]

I work in one of the few outpatient night nursing jobs as a county jail nurse and every time I think I'd like to go to evenings or days I work early or stay late and the chaos reminds me of why I love nights! Rock on, nurses of the night!

[MSICUnursey]

I have been working night shift for 3 years and I will never ever ever ever switch to days!! I adore night shift for many reasons -- the shift diff, the bonding time with coworkers, no administration around, not being stopped every five seconds to talk to a doc doing rounds or family members who hover.....

But my favorite, and the most important, reason I adore night shift is the quality one-on-one time I get with my patients. During the day they have so much information thrown at them, and I find that when 2100 comes around, they begin to really process it all. That is a beautiful time... They're already vulnerable by being in the hospital in the first place, and I have a unique window to truly BE THERE for my patients as their vulnerability becomes raw. To not only care for their physical body, but for their soul and spirit -- to show them the love and compassion they need as they process difficult, and often times devastating, info regarding their condition.

This time is a beautiful time. A sacred time. A time that should never be ignored.

I love being a nurse -- and I am so happy that my calling is on nights!

[MSICUnursey]

@franhoover -- I'm sure I can truly speak for all night nurses when I say that we are so unbelievably sorry for not respecting your right to have an environment that facilitates rest, comfort, and rejuvenation -- with our care truly clustered so we wake you as little as possible.

thank you for bringing this up, as us night-shifters forget that not everyone is up at night!

Please forgive us -- I know I will be more aware of my volume in the halls and outside patient rooms.

[Bat Lady]

I preferred night shift, but only after my kids were grown. Before that it was pretty difficult. When I worked PRN, it was mostly okay because I could sleep while they were in school, but summers were hard. I couldn't do scheduled night shift then, however, and while they were all getting through high school, a period of 6 years, I did home health so I could go to all the cross country and track meets, choir concerts, soccer games, PTO meetings, etc. etc. and so forth. After everyone graduated, I happily went back to night shift, and when I separated from my husband and became a traveler, I preferred nights. Did days on a few assignments, but only if the location or assignment was good. Otherwise I've always liked the less cluttered environment, less interference from management, less politics, and just being able to do my job with fewer people in the way. That's in addition to having been born a natural night person (you could have asked my mother about that before she died!) and still operating pretty much that way since I retired.