Night Shift Schedules...how does yours work?

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

I have been on the night shift in my facility for about a year, but our schedule is kind crazy and I am curious as to what others do.

My schedule goes something like, work three days, off one, then work two, off two, then off three days.

In other words, kind of random....but looking to see how others do it.

[chloecatrn]

I always preferred to do three in a row and get them out of the way. I HATED night shift.

[NeoPediRN]

We self schedule. Rotate two weeks on days and two weeks on nights.

[BraeRN]

I have been on the night shift in my facility for about a year, but our schedule is kind crazy and I am curious as to what others do.

My schedule goes something like, work three days, off one, then work two, off two, then off three days.

In other words, kind of random....but looking to see how others do it.

We do self scheduling at my facility so we pretty much get what we want unless there aren't enough nurses scheduled for a particular night. Your schedule sounds exhausting! I absolutely love nights though and never want to go back to days.

[RNASHLEY]

my schedule is also random might work a monday tuesday and thursday then a wed thurs fri....totally random every week. The only thing that is set in stone is that nurses have to work every 3rd weekend.

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

My schedule is predicable. I work wed, thursday one week then the next week I work mon, frid, sat, sun.. It has been like this for 6 months. Sometimes I might have to work tue instead of mon but it stays about the same every two weeks.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

I just started nights, for the first time and am loving it. I am surprised and was a total nonbeliever of this type of shift. I have to say, like having kids, you don't believe any persons experience until you have your own to reflect upon.

I work random nights as well - some long stretches of 4 twelve's in a row, some are a day here, then two off, etc. I try to stay on some semblance of a night schedule, not going to bed until 2am on my days off. Some nights I'll go to bed at 11pm to "catch up" on those hours of lost sleep. I usually get about 5 hours of sleep during the day after a work night. I could probably get more, but 5 hours seems enough for me, until I have a day off and catch up and sleep for about 14 hours.

I have to say, until I worked nights, I was usually tired. I feel rested and have MORE time with my family. I couldn't have done this shift with little ones needing around the clock attention, though. It helps to have a supportive spouse, otherwise I could never do this.

[crb613, BSN, RN]

Mine is always the same. Wed.-Fri. one week the next Wed-Sat. 1900-0700....with constant calls wanting me to work exta. I hate nights, but love the people I work with.

[MisMatch, LPN]

Like you, our schedule is crazy and random - 2,3 or 4 nights on, 1 off. The only thing I can count on is having every other weekend off (Fri & Sat nights). I love working night shift, but hate the random schedule. It's hard to adjust. I try to stay on my night schedule, yet there are many things that have to get done during the day on my night off.

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

I don't work a lot of nights, but at my place of emplyment, the full time (8 hours) shifts are 6 on, 2 off, 6 on, 2 off, 4 on, 2 off, 4 on, 3 off. Start over.

Brutal.

[oldred]

I've worked night shift most of my 34yrs. Right now our schedule goes work 3day 12hr.weekend off 2 work 2 off 3. I've also worked where the nurses on the unit set their own schedule as long as the days are covered.

[I see you RN]

These shifts sound really hard to work. I'm at Baylor and have decided to go to the two day alternative. I'll be working every Saturday and Sunday night. That's considered a full time schedule there, but I want to pick up an extra shift so I'll also work either Friday or Monday night, depending on staffing needs.

Baylor is really good to its nurses. By working my regular two days I'll make as much as I would full time days, and adding the third shift I get an extra $1000 a paycheck for the same amount of time at work, which is 36 hours a week. I'll miss my lazy weekends, but this way I am availble to my school-aged kids and I can go back for my masters degree in a couple of months.