I don't want night shifts

Published

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?

Specializes in ICU.
People told my husband the same and he has never worked a night shift. If I end up not being able to find a job that doesn't require nightshifts then I just won't work until my kids are all in school. I don't want to manage with my children, I want to do what is best for them and my patients, since I would obviously be overly tired.

I just want to give you a friendly warning - with that attitude, with the economy the way it is, you're taking a big gamble going into this field. It's hard to find new grad positions these days, and if you go longer than a year or two after graduation without getting hired your chances of getting hired anywhere go down. Places don't tend to look favorably on people with no experience who graduated several years ago. You should really take some time to think about what you really want from life and re-evaluate your ideas if you think what you really want is to be a nurse. It's a really tough economy right now. Is there any way you could start nursing school later so you don't graduate until your kids are in school? :(

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

It never ceases to amaze me that people go into a profession that operates 24/7 including holidays and weekends when they have no intention of fulfilling the requirements of the profession. In this current job market with 47% unemployment of new grads in some areas of the country one needs to be appreciative of just finding a position. It never ceased to amaze me the amount of applicants would enter a job interview with their vacation laid out for the year, their shift preference, and what holidays they will NOT work because they had families...guess who I did not hire.

Man is not a nocturnal animal...that is agreed. However you can become accustomed to nights and many end up preferring nights. Less chaos, no/less visitors, no administration, no physicians, no tests, discharges, post ops, transports. I think new grads benefit from the decrease in chaos for they have the "time" to ask questions, get organized and fine tune their skills....to ask questions and learn.

No one likes nights....at least not at first. But you do become adjusted. Once I had children I worked opposite of my husband so we never had to place them in daycare and spend a fortune and then our children were always in our care. I made it to all their recitals at school and was the best school party Mom when they were little. When I realize that when I switched to days that as teenagers the were in more danger of getting in trouble by swan diving off the roof into the pool.....I knew nights would remain a good shift to work with kids.

I feel that there was less shift animosity when most of the staff had "paid their dues" on the off shifts. There was less shift envy/animosity becalms they all remember how hard the other shift works. But I'm an old bat and a proponent of paying ones dues.

It never ceases to amaze me the applicants to a position that arrive with their vacation schedule in hand and what holiday they will not work....guess who I don't hire.

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I'm not even a nursing student yet, but I think I will end up preferring night shifts. Although I am a night owl, I know it will still take some adjustment(s) to work nocs but I'll do what it takes. If I start in September, my little one will be entering preschool around the same time I should be starting my first RN position. I can get some sleep and run errands during the day. I'm not married, but I have such a huge support system that I'll have somewhere to take him the nights that I work. And as Esme mentioned, I think it would give me a chance to hone my nursing skills as most nights are a little less chaotic.

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I just want to add my 2 cents...I'm an LPN and the day shift is brutal to new grads, I know it's been said but you should consider working nights until you gain experience and then try to switch to days....The SNF I currently work---the nurses with seniority are brutal on new grads on the day shift...I work the night shift and love it you should rethink your options....just until you gain the much needed experience.

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Specializes in Hospice.
I am thinking of starting the CNA course, and working as a CNA while I take my nursing Pre-reqs. I am hoping if I do this I can work 3rd shift. I have kids and daycare is an issue, so working 3rd shift would solve that problem. But it would also create another. How do I go to school in the day while working 3rd shift. My kids are a little older, so I could sleep if they were home, they are just in that in between stage where they are too young to be left at home alone, but not so young that they need to be watched at all times.

My husband says it is impossible, but i really dont know what else to do.

Your husband doesn't sound very supportive of your dreams! He would need to be on board for you to make that work, but I am sure you could do it. I don't see how you could keep that kind of schedule once in nursing school but while you do your pre reqs you could. Many of those can be done online also.

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Specializes in Hospice.
It never ceases to amaze me that people go into a profession that operates 24/7 including holidays and weekends when they have no intention of fulfilling the requirements of the profession. In this current job market with 47% unemployment of new grads in some areas of the country one needs to be appreciative of just finding a position. It never ceased to amaze me the amount of applicants would enter a job interview with their vacation laid out for the year, their shift preference, and what holidays they will NOT work because they had families...guess who I did not hire.

Man is not a nocturnal animal...that is agreed. However you can become accustomed to nights and many end up preferring nights. Less chaos, no/less visitors, no administration, no physicians, no tests, discharges, post ops, transports. I think new grads benefit from the decrease in chaos for they have the "time" to ask questions, get organized and fine tune their skills....to ask questions and learn.

No one likes nights....at least not at first. But you do become adjusted. Once I had children I worked opposite of my husband so we never had to place them in daycare and spend a fortune and then our children were always in our care. I made it to all their recitals at school and was the best school party Mom when they were little. When I realize that when I switched to days that as teenagers the were in more danger of getting in trouble by swan diving off the roof into the pool.....I knew nights would remain a good shift to work with kids.

I feel that there was less shift animosity when most of the staff had "paid their dues" on the off shifts. There was less shift envy/animosity becalms they all remember how hard the other shift works. But I'm an old bat and a proponent of paying ones dues.

It never ceases to amaze me the applicants to a position that arrive with their vacation schedule in hand and what holiday they will not work....guess who I don't hire.

Totally agree. I am fortunate that I have grown kids and when I graudate in 2015 and start looking for a job, there is NO shift I won't work starting out. I have also heard that as stated above, it is much less hectic for new nurses, which would give you more opportunity to learn at a less hectic pace. I'm all for nights, I will adjust my sleep schedule, my dog's schedule, and my man's schedule to fit! Whatever it takes to get a job.

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I have always said that I want a night shift!! I love the idea of sleeping while my kids are at school & working while they sleep. It's really just opposite of the day shift but pay is better & chances of getting a job is more promising. So I'll do it, after working so hard to get my nursing degree when I get it lol I'll do anything to land a job!!

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I worked third shifts in diners while in college because I thought it was fun dealing with the night freaks.

Fast forward twelve years and sure enough, now I work nights, primarily weekends, in the ER.

I find that nights are so much more chill than days. I get time to sit and talk to docs and nurses about diseases, drugs, EKGs and whatever other topics come up. This isn't always the case, but it happens much more often on nights than on days that's for sure.

I'd like to emphasize like others have that writing off nights from the get-go is going to reduce your options significantly.

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