night nurses talk to me

SueNYC · Apr 8, 2009

Hey Erin

As far as your day/night dilemma, I was just having this conversation with a fellow nurse who is also a mother however she prefers nights due to the issue of having someone watch them while shes at work. However, if you take a night position and your not a "night" person, it will be a big change for you and your body to adjust to. Also, on your days off, most night nurses maintain a similar schedule as if they are still working to ensure continuity in their body clock. It's doable but isnt for everyone. If you take the job and find that you cannot handle this type of schedule, after a few months, there may be open positions that are better suited for you. Good luck in whatever you choose. I read your previous post about the position being in l & d , do you mind me asking what hospital this is?

erin01 · Apr 8, 2009

Thanks for the info! tuff decision ..i am not a night owl=(. The hospital is montefiore=) gl

NurseFairy · Apr 9, 2009

I worked nights in an ICU for a little over 1 year. I hated it. Partly because of the nurses on that shift and partly because you always needed your first day off to recover if you wanted to resume a day schedule. I also live above someone so there were always noise issues.

For some people, nights work. But (and I can only speak about the unit I worked on) for those people who chose nights because of family issues were awake for a major part of the day, slept only a few hours before coming to work and then slept on their break and relied on others to wake them up and then woke up groggy. This was the norm, not a one time occurrence. That practice NEVER seemed safe to me. Not safe for the patients and not safe for the nurse.

Working days is much more normal for you body and your life. Remember, although you may not see your child on the days you work, you're only working 3-4 days a week. The rest of the week you'll be with him constantly.

Good luck in your decision!

Sue

jess41378 · Apr 11, 2009

I have been nights on and off for 10 + years now. It has its advantages: save on childcare, less stress at work, night differential, able to enjoy daytime in the sun, run errands during business hours. Although I would like a normal 9-5 job, most nursing jobs are not 9-5 anyway. My main issue is childcare and always has been as a single mom. I still find myself every now and then popping a vivarin to stay awake during my homecare overnight cases. Oh, another advantage to woking nights in homecare: able to surf the internet all night and study if furthering your education. On another note, nights is not for everyone. my mom tried nights and it increased her migraines and she found herself always tired. If you try it out, give it a few months for your body to adjust before making a final decision if you like it or not. Definately try the (3) -12hours shifts overnights, much better than (5) - 8 hour shifts. Good luck.