Why is Night Shift always picked on?

[lilaclover6984]

Hi everyone,

I have been a full time night nurse for almost the past 2 years and am getting tired of how the rest of the staff treats the night shift. Everything wrong with the unit always seems to get blamed on nights since we are not around during staff meetings to defend ourselves. Also day shift always seems to have this misconception that "nights do nothing and have it easy". Is so frustrating! We work with half the staff they do and without the support of clinicians, quick access to MDs, management etc. So when something happens it can get very hectic in the night. Yes, it can sometimes be quieter in the night but do people not realize how much harder working nights is on the body? Staying up all night and staying alert is no cakewalk. it's not the same as being awake in the day. I just don't understand why people can't see that? So lately it seems like management has been listening to the day staff and giving us all this extra busy work to do on nights. Yes, on some nights we have the time for it but when something happens we don't have the backup they do in the day time ... I'm just so tired of people blaming nights for everything and not recognizing the work we do and sacrifices we make. If nights are so easy why don't I see these people lining up to volunteer for night shifts?

Does anyone else have this problem? And if so can you offer any suggestions of how to get some respect for our shift and stop all the "blaming and dumping" on the night shift?

Thanks

[VANurse2010]

I've done both nights and days. While it's true that night nurses are certainly not at the nurse's station with their feet up eating bon-bons, the workload usually is somewhere between measurably and significantly less. You are not discharging patients, dealing with MDs as much, dealing with crazy family (as much), having your plan disrupted by procedures, meals, therapy sessions, etc. I got off nights because I was tired of being tired all the time. I know you don't want to hear this, but the majority (I'm not saying all, by any means) of the work really is done on days for less money. Take a swing on day shift sometime and see how it is. For me, it was worth the $300 a month to get to sleep at night.

[faerygoddess]

We have the same problem on my unit! Day shift does nothing but complain about how we do nothing but sit around while patients sleep which is not true because our patients seem to never sleep! Between RT going in to give breathing treatments, lab, and me getting their VS the patients never seem to sleep for longer than an hour. Now the manager has added extra work for us: check charts (make sure right forms are in there...umm why am I doing secretarial work?), do scheduled EKGs (our RT used to do this), turn patients every 2 hours (we don't have a medical asst over night), empty trash in all rooms (again, isn't that what housekeeping is for?), be the charge nurse (some nights we don't have one then everyone has to fight over who gets the next patient!), draw labs. And the list goes on...Meanwhile dayshift has 3 to 4 MAs, a secretary, access to all the Dr's, they don't have to check charts or do EKGs or worry about patients with sundowners climbing out of bed! I just wish some times day shift would give us more credit.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

Usually what I say is, then if night shift is so easy why don't you take the next available post? You'll get paid extra for sitting around. Usually the answer I get is something about it interfering with their personal lives. What you don't think it messes mine up??? Yeah because I don't have a life outside of work.

+like!!

I'm pretty open to my dayshift coworkers -- I think night shift can get a little defensive about this and that - I make $6.00 more an hour to do less work, usually. I also have completely messed up sleeping habits and a dysfunctional social life. Why are there waits to get on to day shift, despite the massive shift diff? Because most people can leave the hectic-ness of a day shift at work, but you take the sleep dysfunction and social issues that accompany night shift home with you.

[squatmunkie_RN]

I work days. 12 hr shifts. I get annoyed when I get handed something like "Oh the pt has a Mg+ level of 1.0 but I couldn't call the doc. cause I was too busy"

Day shift sucks because you have mgmt breathing down your throat all day...lol. I LOVE working when no upper mgmt is there (like on holidays or weekends). Why wouldn't you go to staff meetings? Night shift is there for the ones at my hospital????

[squatmunkie_RN]

We have the same problem on my unit! Day shift does nothing but complain about how we do nothing but sit around while patients sleep which is not true because our patients seem to never sleep! Between RT going in to give breathing treatments, lab, and me getting their VS the patients never seem to sleep for longer than an hour. Now the manager has added extra work for us: check charts (make sure right forms are in there...umm why am I doing secretarial work?), do scheduled EKGs (our RT used to do this), turn patients every 2 hours (we don't have a medical asst over night), empty trash in all rooms (again, isn't that what housekeeping is for?), be the charge nurse (some nights we don't have one then everyone has to fight over who gets the next patient!), draw labs. And the list goes on...Meanwhile dayshift has 3 to 4 MAs, a secretary, access to all the Dr's, they don't have to check charts or do EKGs or worry about patients with sundowners climbing out of bed! I just wish some times day shift would give us more credit.

Um...everyone is responsible for a chart check. We are suppose to do 12 hour ones at the end of the shift. If an order written at 8am is missed until 9pm (or whenever you do a chart check) they'll blame days. And we NEED all that staff on days. I know ever floor is different but the norm on my floor is a for a pt to have 3-4 docs. on their case. They go through MANY MANY orders, procedures, discharge paperwork, orders for OOB....etc

[eatmysoxRN, ASN, RN]

Many nights are much easier than days I've experienced. However, I also don't have access to the doc without really needing to do so. We are usually understaffed. We can admit several and don't have a charge or resource to help like on days. Chart checks get tedious sometimes.

There are good and bad things about both. I say that many of the tasks they put on nursing should be put on other departments. Housekeeping doesn't do anything with our rooms at night so we have to do everything. Empty trash. Clean spills. Etc.

~ No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent -Eleanor Roosevelt ~

[lilaclover6984]

I agree that nights are "usually" easier than days. However people need I realize that is sort of the trade off that we get for having to stay up all night on a regular basis and the toll it takes on our bodies, relationships and social lives.

I don't see many day shifters lining up and asking for night despite how "easy" it is. And there is a reason for that, they don't want to pay the price of working nights.