Night shift nurses

JenKatt · Jun 29, 2005

Hello ,
I'll start working in August as a Medsurg nurse in night shift 7pm-7am.
Is anyone working the same shift?
Do you really get out at 7:15 in the morning???/
Can you keep awake for WHOLE night?
How is the work scenerio?
I'll appreciate if you can share your experienceand let me know how to make it easier.I really need to know as I am not a night owl.
Any tips to keep the eyes open and remain focused will help me.
Waiting to plunge soon.

I'm not in NJ anymore, but have worked every concievable shift and have found once you're on nights it's not so bad as long as you stick to it if possible on your days off. I really do get out by 6:15 (we work 6-6) usually earlier. I do stay awake usually pretty easily all night, but I'm more of a night person anyway. Most of us that I work with now, start with the cafeeine before work and stop by 2 or 3 in the morning. By 7 or 8 in the morning you're ready for bed.

I wouldn't work days if I had to ever again. Too much crud and no shift diff. Nights is much more laid back and less insane, but you don't have as many people around so when things go bad you have to rely more on yourself and others.

As far as staying awake, drink plenty of water, eat a decent meal and I find laying off a lot of refind sugars/ heavy carbs helps me not feel so slugish. And get 6 hours of sleep in between shifts if you can.

shopgal, RN · Jun 29, 2005

I work 7p-7a and I get out of there between 7:30-8:00am if I am pretty well prepared and start my last med pass on time and don't have any major catastrophes. I have worked noc shift for years and the only thing that is bad and this is in every facility that I have ever worked in, they think that you sit around all night and read magazines with your feet up eating bon-bons. I get a lot of the heavy treatments put on my shift and they always put a lot of meds and IVABTs on noc shift because they think that we have nothing better to do. I counted my midnight med pass the other night and I have more meds than the 8am med pass. I am so busy that I hardly ever take a break or sit down. You have less help at night and more pts so you have to be on top of your game. I hope that they don't pile a lot on you just because you are on nights. Another thing that I have to deal with at night is all of the day shift call-ins and then you are stuck with staffing because there's no administration there and our adminstration will never answer their phone so there's no use calling them if there's a problem. Good luck to you!

PeachyOrthoRN, RN · Jun 29, 2005

I love who I work with on nights that is what makes nights tolerable. I've worked night continously for 4 yrs now. I wouldn't trade it now at all. I like the steadiness of the shift and I like the fact that there isn't a lot of people trying to crawl all over you to get to charts or computers. I don't have a problem staying up all night as long as I get a good day's sleep. :)

Ms. Mad · Jul 11, 2005

Doesn't working the night shift affect your social life? I like the idea of working the night shift but am worried I'll be missing out on spending time with my relatives/friends who all work during the day.

PeachyOrthoRN, RN · Jul 12, 2005

It's a fine balance and sure there are things at times that you have to miss, but there have been plenty of times that if there is a family function or party that I want to go to then I just miss out on some sleep. Most of my family and my friends understand though if I can't be somewhere and are sometimes very flexible when it comes to my schedule. So to really answer your question I haven't had a problem in the past with my social life you just have to learn to balance. :)

Camelhappy1 · Jul 12, 2005

Howdy. 7p-7a are great. I work these and 11p-7am shifts also (I am strictly a night gal). I am also on a med-surg floor. Let me tell the TRUTH - I find it sooooooo much easier to stay awake on a 12 hour shist than an 8 hour because you are just GO GO GO, especially on a medical floor. I don't know what it is like in New Jersey, but here where I work in Canada, I am the only med RN for 30 patients - that means all the beeping IVs, monitoring IV meds all night, pain meds, gravol meds, admissions, assessments, (blah blah blah) are all mine (oh, and callbells - "I need some cream on my scotum" (censored) at 3am) . TRUST ME - you will not get bored.

Favourite things about nights - no bathing, morning care (no offense), no feeding, no entourage of residents crowding the desks, no phones ringing constantly, no whisking everyone away for tests - and you might actually get to read a patient's chart in depth on downtime (imagine that). Night crews also seem to be a heck of a lot more friendly where I am - it is more of a fun atmoshpere (we do Ensure shooters on downtime).... you have time to have a good talk with the charge RN if you need to know something (perfect for a new grad).

One last bonus - night shifts keep me mega slim. If your on a busy floor, you will get your exercise (we never have time to eat anyway).... Anyway, good luck!