new nurses and shifts

[prairiegirl]

Hey to all. I am in the 2nd year of my BSN program and still a little unsure, but going on with it. I am going on the fact that I know several peopl who HATED nursing school, but love being a nurse. On to my question.....when new nurses graduate and get their first RN jobs, is it common for them to get stuck on a night shift? Are there many opportunities for day shift work? I worry about this becaue I have just finally learned to sleep at night (I have had many sleep problems) and I do not want to even attempt to retrain my body to stay up at night and sleep during the day. Plus, I know my body, and it does not think or process information correctly when it is dark outside. I used to try it some when I'd be studying....I'd stay up all night and sleep during the day (8 hours) till my class....but I cant do it. I am not a night person at all. Will this be a problem for me as a nurse?

Laura

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

Eves is really a pretty good compromise. There may be more need for staff, plus many places will give an off-shift differential and it adds up. Working eves doesn't really mess up your body clock all that much; depending on your commute you can still get a good night's sleep during the night hours.

[mattsmom81]

You can ask about a day position in a hospital. they may say no. Depends on the need of the facility at that time. If your facility is the only game in town you may have limited choices.

Be ready to compromise, as mentioned. You may not get the unit of your choosing. You may have to go out of hospital and work a clinic. If day shift is an imperative for you, go from there.

Personally I prefer nights...12 hr shifts...4 days a week OFF.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

We've got three new grads who got day shift at our unit. Depends on the needs of the unit. If your flexible in where you work, you should have no problem getting days.