Interviewing for Night Shift Charge

rncat2000 · Sep 16, 2013

I would say that if you have already done night shift before and found it hard to do then being charge and doing it will be impossible. You will have greater responsibility as charge and every one will look to you for leadership.

I work night shift and I'm charge nurse. If you are not able to function on nights I would say to pull your name out now. The shift diff is nice but for your sake as well as those that you will be working with it's not a big enough incentive to go to nights.

Not every one is able to work nights which is good cause I'm not able to function on days. :) my body is set to a night time clock, huge nights owl!!

2bTraumaRN2008 · Sep 16, 2013

Thanks rncat2000. I do relief charge now, on days, and that occasional on nights which is manageable. My other concern is my drive. I have an hour drive one way from work. I did charge/night shift 2 weekends ago, it wasn't bad, maybe because I knew it wasn't permanent, but my last 10-15 minutes of my drive home were hard. I found it hard trying to stay awake. This is concerning when we have bad weather (snow) and it takes me 2 hours or more to get home.

sapphire18 · Sep 17, 2013

Definitely don't go to nights. You already know that you will be miserable. That it won't work with your lifestyle and other responsibilities. There's really no question, from my point of view.

Crispy Critter · Sep 17, 2013

It sounds like your life is good right where you are now. Some people can never adjust to nights. I know I never could, even after doing it for almost 2 years; I felt like crap and had no family life. You already do charge so they know that you're capable. If a charge position opened up on days I'm sure you would have a good crack at it. Make a list of pros and cons. Talk it over with your family. See if it is worth it to change things so much. From some of the things you said, you have some serious doubts about this job. Even though it could be a great opportunity for some, I think in your heart-of-hearts you know you would probably be unhappy. Good luck with whatever you decide, and keep us posted.

dansamy · Sep 17, 2013

It sounds like your life is good right where you are now. Some people can never adjust to nights. I know I never could even after doing it for almost 2 years; I felt like crap and had no family life. You already do charge so they know that you're capable. If a charge position opened up on days I'm sure you would have a good crack at it. Make a list of pros and cons. Talk it over with your family. See if it is worth it to change things so much. From some of the things you said, you have some serious doubts about this job. Even though it could be a great opportunity for some, I think in your heart-of-hearts you know you would probably be unhappy. Good luck with whatever you decide, and keep us posted.[/quote']
This.
I'm a night shift nurse, through and through. My natural circadian rhythm has me always a later in the day type of person anyway. (Like crack of noon getting up. Day shift was a nightmare for me.) I think people do better if they don't fight their natural biorhythms.
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xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Sep 17, 2013

I think you already know this wouldn't work. The extra money would be nice, however it isn't worth it if you're struggling in school and miserable. Stick to days and wait for a charge position to open there.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Sep 17, 2013

Some people are just not suited to nights. It seems to work for some if you "live your life" sleeping in the day, and up at night. And I am not sure the animals would be too in tune with that idea.

I don't mind an occasional 11p-7a, however, that is when I sleep a few hours in the morning, then a few hours in the evening.

If you take occasional charge shifts now, then keep on the current schedule.

Another problem I see is that if you go to nights, hate it, transfer back, then you are not necessarily going to be able to keep the same hours....and then your whole schedule is off base.

Once you finish school, you may be able to have a lot of choices that would not seem feasible now. The money may be awesome, but at what cost to your peace of mind?

chrisrn24 · Sep 17, 2013

Okay if night shift made you cry then don't even consider this. A job is not worth losing your sanity.

adjappleton · Sep 18, 2013

I'd also be concerned about you long drive home after a night shift. If it doesn't agree with your natural rhythms you might fall asleep at the wheel. Can you pick up any per diem/home health work close to home 1day/week to boost your income?

Best of luck!

2bTraumaRN2008 · Sep 18, 2013

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I sat down with my manager yesterday and told her to pull my application. I have too many concerns about the hours.....not the position. I will just have to be patient and wait for day shift charge positons. Patience is a virtue, I guess...

I have not heard from anyone yet on the two dayshift ones I also applied for. We'll see!