Is it worth it?

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

Hi all, Hoping to get some advice from those who work nights. I am hoping to leave my current job or go PRN because of the lack of response from upper management regarding verbal/physical abuse on nurses by patients. I have an interview for a different hospital, considered "prestigious" and some of the best pay here in Bay Area. The post was for day shift, but manager said someone from nights may be taking the day position and then I would be interviewing for nights.

I have worked nights for short stints to cover people and it really exacerbates the symptoms of my bipolar disorder due to changes in circadian rhythms. I have many more manic/depressive episodes working nights, and trouble sleeping in the day. I'm thinking of taking the night position if I get the offer because I want a foot in the door, maybe do it for a year and try to go to days or another unit day position. Does this sound like a good plan? If so, any tips on surviving nights if you're not a night person? thanks!!

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Specializes in Peds ED.

A year is a long time when the schedule is making it hard for you to manage your mental health. 

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Specializes in Med surg, psych.

I agree a year is a long time. I tried nights for a week and couldn’t do it because it made my depression and migraines a lot worse. I have been managing my depression fine without meds for about a year and after working nights for a week I thought I was going to have to get back on meds asap. Basically I felt like with my mental health I fell off a cliff the decline was that quick.

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Specializes in ER, Pre-Op, PACU.

One thing I do want to mention is that a lot of times a manager may offer nights with the possibility of days.....but will never move you to days. That happened at my last job in the ER.....I waited and waited and was never moved up. For me, it was hard on me physically because of some health issues but I also felt like I just couldn’t think or process things well at work. Do you think you could handle things for a year or even longer if you can’t get moved up? 

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5 hours ago, LibraNurse27 said:

Hi all, Hoping to get some advice from those who work nights. I am hoping to leave my current job or go PRN because of the lack of response from upper management regarding verbal/physical abuse on nurses by patients. I have an interview for a different hospital, considered "prestigious" and some of the best pay here in Bay Area. The post was for day shift, but manager said someone from nights may be taking the day position and then I would be interviewing for nights.

I have worked nights for short stints to cover people and it really exacerbates the symptoms of my bipolar disorder due to changes in circadian rhythms. I have many more manic/depressive episodes working nights, and trouble sleeping in the day. I'm thinking of taking the night position if I get the offer because I want a foot in the door, maybe do it for a year and try to go to days or another unit day position. Does this sound like a good plan? If so, any tips on surviving nights if you're not a night person? thanks!!

Sounds like a hard NO, to me. Keep looking for something more suitable.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
1 hour ago, guineapignurse said:

I agree a year is a long time. I tried nights for a week and couldn’t do it because it made my depression and migraines a lot worse. I have been managing my depression fine without meds for about a year and after working nights for a week I thought I was going to have to get back on meds asap. Basically I felt like with my mental health I fell off a cliff the decline was that quick.

Yikes! I'm glad you got off nights 

1 hour ago, speedynurse said:

One thing I do want to mention is that a lot of times a manager may offer nights with the possibility of days.....but will never move you to days. That happened at my last job in the ER.....I waited and waited and was never moved up. For me, it was hard on me physically because of some health issues but I also felt like I just couldn’t think or process things well at work. Do you think you could handle things for a year or even longer if you can’t get moved up? 

Ah yes that makes sense! I don't think I could do it long term =( thanks for the advice!

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Specializes in Oncology, ID, Hepatology, Occy Health.

There is already on thread on night shift here:

 

If you know it's going to exacerbate your health problems I would say look for other options. You may go onto nights and get stuck there, and if it's malking you ill, that's grim. 

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Keep looking for a day job

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Specializes in Peds ED.
13 hours ago, speedynurse said:

One thing I do want to mention is that a lot of times a manager may offer nights with the possibility of days.....but will never move you to days. That happened at my last job in the ER.....I waited and waited and was never moved up. For me, it was hard on me physically because of some health issues but I also felt like I just couldn’t think or process things well at work. Do you think you could handle things for a year or even longer if you can’t get moved up? 

Yeah, I agree with this. The dayshift position is gone and if you get the job on nights you’ll be competing with staff who have more seniority than you when a dayshift position opens up. I think you have to look at this as a night shift position, full stop. And it sounds like that would be really bad for your health.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I'm thinking a little differently here. I have bipolar disorder too and I found that working straight nights, not rotating shifts or part-time nights/days, was compatible with life. I just switched my medication regimen to where I took my nighttime meds when I got home in the morning, and my traditionally AM pills before I went to work. I also did everything I could to promote sleep, like using blackout curtains and a fan for white noise, keeping my phone out of the bedroom etc. But my favorite sleep enhancer was soaking in my large garden tub after the kids went to school, while my blankets were in the dryer getting nice and warm for me when I went to bed. My cats were good about staying quiet while I slept and would snuggle with me, making me feel even more cozy. I slept until my husband got home from work around 1700, as the kids were old enough to look after themselves after school. In general, I averaged 7 hours of sleep a day, which is adequate for most people with bipolar. 

Unfortunately, I loved nights but they stopped loving me around the age of 40. I got confused as to what day it was and struggled with memory issues. So I switched to days, reluctantly because I am NOT a morning person, and the brain-fade resolved itself within weeks. YMMV.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

The downside of out-of-control mental health problems, particularly for a nursing license, is SO far down there. You don't deserve to have to deal with that. Besides, you would be jumping from one thing that impacts your mental well-being to another thing that for sure impacts your mental well-being. Keep looking.

Prestigious institutions with good pay tend to have more difficult patients and less support from management. You will find it anywhere you go, to be honest. Don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire and don't risk your well being and quality of life for this.

Take your time and find something you are sure about. Put your own health ahead of anything else.

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"The post was for day shift, but manager said someone from nights may be taking the day position and then I would be interviewing for nights." Appears to be a bait and switch. You already know that night shift exacerbates your depression, why put yourself though that?

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