I'm doing night shift again after about 15 years of avoiding it like plague . . . and was SO surprised at how easily I transitioned.
I think I just couldn't sleep during the day when I had kids to worry about. Now all I have is a parrot to worry about, and he plays with his toys (which don't keep me awake, I know he's OK) and about once a month, he'll crawl up on the bed and bite my feet if they are sticking out of the covers. He has run of the house (it's a converted studio). So I think NOT having 'worries' about kids coming home, homework, who's going where after school and so forth enables me to actually relax and sleep.
I don't work with other nurses (private duty) but there is down time for me to chat with my friends in Australia and the UK , or bring a project with me to work on, or catch up on reading.
The only downside, which is minor, is when I need to make phone calls or run errands to places that don't open until noon, but that has been a rare inconvenience. It's a very quiet kind of life.
The major thing is *IF* one can sleep well during the day, get enough GOOD sleep. Then night shift has PLENTY of bennies, even if there are no other nurses to catch infectious giggling with
I must mention all of the awesome food that tends to show up at night where I work and you have fewer people to share it with. I also love playing my pandora (at a reasonable volume of course) at the nurses station without nurse nag being there to say anything.
Specializes in Cardiovascular Progresive Care Unit.
I LOVE everything about night shift! Unfortunately my body doesn't 😥 Since I started working NOC I have been having major health issues. I applied for day shift today and I hope I will get it...
I started on day shift then moved to nights when I switched specialties. I'm definitely happier on nights and actually turned down the opportunity to go to days. Plan to stay nights till I can't handle it anymore.
I worked days for a short period of time at a LTC facility and got suspended! It seems I let my mouth override my backside . I do better without having all of administration breathing down my back. The biggest perk of nights is that most families go home!
It is amazing how the stress level falls once day shift walks out the doors, this is my personal observation, so please don't anyone get over sensitive.
Seriously that's one of the benefits. I hear all about state coming from coworkers, but NEVER have to deal with that mess myself!
Couldn't agree more! We just had the state AND corporate come at the same time. They were in every day for almost a week interviewing/quizzing staff, reviewing charts, rummaging through med carts, etc. Thankfully, I dodged it all simply by being a night owl who LOVES working night shift.
I currently started on PACU on weekend days although for training I am working 8 hour day shifts on weekdays. But the only way I will work on the floor again is on night shift only. I don't do well with too many people getting in my way during day shift.
. I do better without having all of administration breathing down my back. The biggest perk of nights is that most families go home!
Gooselady, BSN, RN
601 Posts
I'm doing night shift again after about 15 years of avoiding it like plague . . . and was SO surprised at how easily I transitioned.
I think I just couldn't sleep during the day when I had kids to worry about. Now all I have is a parrot to worry about, and he plays with his toys (which don't keep me awake, I know he's OK) and about once a month, he'll crawl up on the bed and bite my feet if they are sticking out of the covers. He has run of the house (it's a converted studio). So I think NOT having 'worries' about kids coming home, homework, who's going where after school and so forth enables me to actually relax and sleep.
I don't work with other nurses (private duty) but there is down time for me to chat with my friends in Australia and the UK
, or bring a project with me to work on, or catch up on reading.
The only downside, which is minor, is when I need to make phone calls or run errands to places that don't open until noon, but that has been a rare inconvenience. It's a very quiet kind of life.
The major thing is *IF* one can sleep well during the day, get enough GOOD sleep. Then night shift has PLENTY of bennies, even if there are no other nurses to catch infectious giggling with