I don't want night shifts

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I know this may be impossible but I'm going to try to avoid night shifts. I hate working nights. I don't care if they pay me more. Am I the only one that feels this way?

I'm sure a dayshift with no weekends or holidays on your preferred unit paying huge money is just sitting there waiting for you. If not, you might want to read a few threads on the new grads looking for jobs....

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I think the option of not having to work nights should be avaliable to people who cant work nights. I used to work nights for about four years before I had kids. Now I can not phathom working nights. I guess I could hire a nanny but that would be way expensive, plus I would not want my kids to be alseep the whole time i am at work since I would want to sleep during the day. But if the only jobs I can find when I graduate are night shifts I will be there with bells on!

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

No, you're definitely not the only person who feels that you'd rather work days and doesn't care that you'd get paid more on nights. That's precisely why it's hard to get a day position as a new grad with no seniority -- lots of people hate nights. Some people love them, but more people hate them than love them.

I was really hoping to get lucky and get a day shift position when I graduated from nursing school. I knew people who had been hired for days straight out of nursing school who had graduated just a year or two earlier than me. I figured if they could do it, maybe I could too. I had decided that I would consider evening shift positions too, but that I wasn't even going to apply for any night position.

Silly me. I graduated in 2008, just when the economy was starting to head south, and I realized pretty quickly that if I stuck to my original plan, I might never get hired. And as far as those other types of day jobs people are mentioning -- doctor's offices, school nursing, etc. -- I found that not only did these position pay way less, but most still wanted you to have a minimum of 1-2 years of acute care experience before they would even consider hiring you. I did manage to get one interview for a 9-5 public health nursing position as a new grad, but they didn't offer me the job. Where I work now as a PHN, we do occasionally hire new grads, but not often -- and they really struggle when we do hire them. I feel like the year and a half of acute care pediatric experience that I got has been invaluable to me in my current position working with foster kids and their caregivers, especially if one of our kiddos ends up in the hospital for any reason, which sometimes they do.

I did manage to avoid nights -- I got hired into an evening position -- but that was a total fluke. The unit I was hired into had one night shift position and one PM shift position -- I told the hiring manager that I would prefer evenings but would accept either shift. I learned later that the other nurse they hired at the same time was offered her pick of evenings or nights, and chose nights. If she had chosen evenings, I would have been stuck on nights. I did eventually manage to switch to days, but only after a year of working PMs.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I forced myself to work nights......for my kids, and ended up loving them. I have never spent a dime on child care. I have been there for every party, activity and field trip. Now that they are teenagers I am home to run them everywhere. when my kids we little they "knew" I worked....but I was always there......I had a wonderful and involved spouse who would let me sleep and I got real creative for naps, but it was worth every second. Straight day jobs are few and far between and with the market the way it is it won't be changing for a while.......you may not have a choice at first. Remember nursing is usually a 24/7 jobs holidays and weekends included. Good luck in shcool.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

I wouldn't want to either! I worked nights before nursing school and it sucked. I haven't worked a single night shift in the 18 years since i graduated nursing school.

It is not always easy to find, but if you really want to you will find a way.

It is not a rite of passage everyone must go through despite what some of the cranky sleep deprived nurses here are saying. However, you may have to compromise on the position to get the shift you want initially....

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.

If there is nighttime pay differential, I'd do it. Not that I would love it, but sure, we all have to put in our time, right? Even if the pay is the same, obviously, I'll still do it. I just want a job!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

I hate mornings and would LOVE to work nights. If I could work your nights, I would! But, as I'm a newish graduate looking for jobs, I'll pretty much take anything I can get!

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Specializes in geriatrics.

I'm glad not everyone likes nights, because I'm the opposite. I prefer nights, which I've been working for over a year. In this market, you can expect to work some nights, perhaps for quite a while. Most often, the senior staff chooses to work day shift. Take the available shifts until something opens up. Working a shift you don't really want is better than unemployment.

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While glad there are people able and willing to take this work on, I find it intolerable. Except in a position where no other option was possible, I would never take any job that involves anything more than rare nights - I've covered perhaps ten in 12 years, when there were sick calls we could fill no other way. I'd switch specialties, geographical region, whatever it takes - it takes me days to weeks to really feel normal again after a night shift.

We all have different priorities, of course, and I know lots of people who don't mind nights, don't care one way or the other, or prefer them. Fantastic, I say, it helps me avoid them having others around to take my place. Nursing's a big tent, with tremendous diversity, and we need all kinds to fill all those niches.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

The majority of people don't want night shift. There are a few who do. I did it when I first started because it didn't matter and I was just grateful to find a job. It's taken it's toll on me and I'm so glad the opportunity to have a normal hours job has come up. Don't feel guilty that you want days, most do, but just face the reality you may not be that lucky.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Neuro, Respiratory.

I am working NOC shift now in a SNF/LTC facility. It is challenging, I won't lie about that, but these past few weeks have gotten better for me (I've had this job since late fall). I think the shift itself isn't what's terrible; it's not being able to sleep well when I get home during the day. What works for me is melatonin and blackout blinds, or Benadryl for AMs that I can't fall asleep within an hour.

On the bright side though, working nights has helped me to become more comfortable relying on my own skills/prioritizing since there is only one other nurse in the facility with me at night if something goes crazy.

Best of luck to you! If you do end up on nights hopefully you will end up having a good experience!!!

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
If you're just doing pre-reqs now and you are totally adamant about not working nights, you might want to rethink your career choice.

Ya that. I am remined of people I knew in the army who were outraged about the possibiliety of being deployed to a war zone AFTER they had volenteered for the military and accepted all training.

I wonder why a person who is so adverse to working nightes would CHOOSE to enter a career where working nights is normal and expected?

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