Night vs Day shift

boogsmom · Mar 13, 2011

i will be graduating in may and was wondering how the two shifts differ in responsibilities and work load. i hear you either prefer one or the other but what are the benefits of each one?

i'm a new grad (may '10) & pardon the pun, but it's night & day difference!

on days, (i'm on a surgical unit btw) it feels like you're trying to keep your head above water the whole shift. dietary is in & out, pt is in & out... same for ot, the drs, etc... not to mention the patients need to be walked, meds given... patients being sent to/from surgery, radiology, etc. i can go to other nurses to ask questions, if i can find them, & hope they have the time to answer me. then again, you have the benefit of having everyone there (including the doctors) to get a lot done.

on nights, we have teamwork! the more experienced nurses are super helpful. the aides work better with the nurses too. i have time to look up answers, ask questions, etc. on the other hand, you need to be independent. not too many doctors at our hosp (& i'm willing to bet this is the case at most) want calls at 3am for something you could do. so you have to think ahead. i love the pace of days, but as a new grad, i highly recommend nights. it has taught me to critically think, which during the days, i'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off keeping up with everything. also on nights, we are responsible for making sure that all orders written in the last 24 hours are correct, have been entered into the computer, & have been executed. all that time in the charts has been good for me as well. i also have more patients deteriorate on nights than on days, and while i have yet (knock on wood) to have to call a code, those experiences have taught me to think more critically than i think i would have gotten to on days. plus, the shift differential is awesome! love the paychecks! on the downside of nights, i feel like a zombie. add being pregnant to the mix & i'll sometimes sleep for 12+ hours at a time.

either way, i love my job!

MissBrahmsRN · Mar 13, 2011

night shifter here. LOVE IT!! less management to annoy you, we have WAY better teamwork on our particular night group, i have time many nights to chat alittle with my patients and just listen for them. i also gross 8K more on night shift! :lol2: that extra moula is going toward my kids college fund. we do have more paperwork and tend to have more ER admissions than days but i really enjoy it. i eat breakfast after my shower when i get home, dinner when i get up, and take a light lunch and 2 healthy snacks to work.

i'm a night owl though. there is a shift somewhere in nursing for everyone IMO. i know people in our ER who work 0300-1500, 1100-2300, 2300-1100, 1500-0300, 2300-0700, etc etc.

try them both, see which you like best.

JulieCVICURN, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2011

The big draw back for me was I always feel like I was hung over! I am working days now and running around like a dog (and I mean running...from the time I hit the unit until the time I leave) but at least I am feeling better on my days off. I still however, consider myself a night shifter at heart!

That certainly is true! Not to be TMI, but I had a lot of GI issues that I thought were just chronic and something I'd have to learn to live with. When I got off of nights and onto a normal day shift, those issues literally disappeared within a week. Oddly, I am biologically a night owl - I sleep best from about 4 am to 2pm and have, all of my life, even before I ever worked a night shift. Still, as adaptable as I should have been, that part of it was hard. I never had any trouble staying awake for an entire shift and going out for a beer after though.

SMARN · Mar 13, 2011

I work in the ED as a night shift nurse but pick up lots of overtime day shifts. I would never, at this point, trade my night shift for days. I have found the night shift atmosphere much more to my liking - I love that it feels more like teamwork and that there are less administrative personnel around to get in the way. There are plenty of times where the crap hits the fan and being so tightly staffed hurts, but that's not very often. Plus, I work while my kids sleep and sleep while my kids are at school. I don't feel like I miss out on too much that way.

OleMissRN · Mar 13, 2011

I've worked nights and days, and you couldn't pay me enough to go back to nights. I'm in the ICU so it is a little different than on the floor. I like all the night people, but having a regular schedule is so much more convenient for me.

Both shifts are busy, just a different type of busy. Day shift is burdened with daily orders, discharges/transfers, feeding, generally more meds (daily stuff), procedures, radiology, etc., but nightshift is often burdened with more admissions (due to vacuum created by dayshift discharges/transfers), baths, etc.

Dayshift often is more involved in the "care plan" of the patient (in my opinion) such as LTAC placement, changes in care, family meetings, withdrawal, etc.

Just depends on what is important for you. The $7,000 wasn't worth my energy and sanity.

MJaneP, NP · Sep 2, 2011

I always enjoyed the evening shift - quieter, I could get more done for patients that I maynot have been able to during the day - and the differential is great!

Poi Dog · Sep 2, 2011

I like night shift because our crew of 3 rocks. We get along and we help one another out :bowingpur

NewbieNurse78 · Apr 27, 2012

I work night shift because honestly I can't get out of bed that early and be civil let alone have a clear enough head for ICU patients. But I did write this post about what you should think about when deciding....take a look

GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 27, 2012

but i did write this post about what you should think about when deciding....take a look
rn: real newbie, a nurse's blog: days vs nights

unquestionably, a well thought of blog thank you for sharing :yeah: ...aloha~

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Apr 29, 2012

Nights: pay is the biggest incentive, and the biggest reason why I won't go to days at the moment, at least at my hospital. On average, a dayshift nurse makes $600-$800 LESS than a night shift nurse and that is too hard of a pill for me to swallow right now. There are less visitors, no management, rounding doctors (but that is a big con, too...if the patient is a hospitalist patient, we only have one hospitalist on call at nights), no tests (unless x-ray or CT). Typically you have less meds, too, but not always. I find the teamwork aspect to be GREAT on my shift, too. I feel like dayshift nurses don't have the teamwork like the nightshift has.

The only cons are having a wonky sleep schedule. Lately I've been only getting two days off in between (which is more like a day and a half, because you still work for 7 hours one morning and then you spend half of the day sleeping) and on my days off I find myself vegging out on the couch a lot. Health-wise, my blood pressure has suffered....I used to be a nice 90/60 and last time I had it checked (recently) I was in the 130's/90's. I haven't gained any weight, but if you eat healthy and don't just sit and pig out on sweets, you really shouldn't gain any weight.

Personally, I love nights. I don't see myself switching to days for quite awhile :)

bratmobile · Apr 29, 2012

I do PMs and I love it,, we don't do 12's so I'm 2-10 M-F..it fits my personality I'm not a fan of being rushed in the morning,, I like my coffee, dog walks,, news ,,taking my kids to school.. We all have different kinds of busy on our shifts so I'm not saying mine is the hardest or busiest,,I do have the most family,, lostsa meds, IV's, lotsa treatments and usually dealing w docs over family questions and SSI's over 350..I also get the most admits so lots communicating w docs and pharm.. etc....it's a busy busy shift but I like to be busy,, usually I look up at the clock and large chunks of time have gone by quickly,,generally it slows down after 2000 med pass so I can get paperwork done and be ready to roll for shift change and thats about it for PM shift :-)

Guest586237 · Apr 29, 2012

I prefer nights for the same reasons mentioned, especially less people being around. The only things that I hate about nights is if you work 8 hours and work five days a week, your social life takes a beating. Working 3-12 hour shifts isn't as bad, but that first day off is pretty much spent in bed. I am not a happy camper when I'm tired, so my moods "sway" a little more often now that I'm on nights. If it wasn't for melatonin, I would probably be a modern day Jekyll and Hyde. But, for the most part, I'm pretty satisfied with nights. I won't be doing it long-term, though.