PM Shift?????????

SmilingBluEyes · May 3, 2007

I always LOVED it before I had my babies. I could sleep until 7 or 8 a.m., go shopping when the stores were quiet and empty (everyone else at work), go work out at a quiet and uncrowded gym, and then mosey to work at 3. I was only up til about 1 a.m., would sleep and get to do it over again. Never was tired, never screwed up my sleep for days off (unlike graveyard shifts always did) and I just felt great. Once the kids came, however, it got harder cause I missed a lot of their big moments, like school plays, etc, esp after school. Never can see them when you are not home til midnight, they are in bed. And had to get up early so I could get them off to school and spend a few minutes with them---the only time in my day those 5 days a week I could.

Eves are great esp when you have no kids. Harder once you do, at least IMO. I miss my 3-11s.

TazziRN, RN · May 3, 2007

I liked PMs because I slept at night like "normal" people but I didn't have to worry about the politics of days or admin being around. Best of both worlds, days and nights.

fultzymom · May 3, 2007

I liked PM shift because I never was one to get up early in the morning. But now that I have kids it is hard to work that shift. I am on days. But I loved sleeping in until about 11 am et getting up moseying around the house doing nothing until time to get up et get ready for work. I also am one who likes to stay up late so it worked out great for me. I know a lot of people who I work with never liked it because of working evenings on weekends. But we are not partiers so it did not matter to me. :lol2:

loricatus · May 3, 2007

I think shift changes go a lot smoother for the PM shift. That is the main reason I am starting it next week, although mine will be noon to midnight. When you come on, the majority of the staff will already be well into their respective shift and not scrambling to do the last minute catchup. When the AM shift is ready to leave, you are already settled into your shift and have a good handle on what is going on when the PM shift arrives. When you leave, you don't have to wait around for your shift replacement to show before giving report; and, actually have a chance at getting out, either early (if you have that 1/2 hour window of shift overlap built into the system) or, at least, on time. In the ED, (not sure what unit you are going to be), streamlining report is a major plus because of the constant influx/outflow of patients in varying degrees of the evaluation/admission/discharge process. The main drawback I see, for the shift I will be starting, is that I will probably be doing a lot of break coverage when I first come on shift and may find myself floating at the latter end of my shift-no big deal, really. Don't know how that works on the regular units.

Rizpah · May 4, 2007

I always LOVED it before I had my babies. I could sleep until 7 or 8 a.m., go shopping when the stores were quiet and empty (everyone else at work), go work out at a quiet and uncrowded gym, and then mosey to work at 3. I was only up til about 1 a.m., would sleep and get to do it over again. Never was tired, never screwed up my sleep for days off (unlike graveyard shifts always did) and I just felt great. Once the kids came, however, it got harder cause I missed a lot of their big moments, like school plays, etc, esp after school. Never can see them when you are not home til midnight, they are in bed. And had to get up early so I could get them off to school and spend a few minutes with them---the only time in my day those 5 days a week I could.
Eves are great esp when you have no kids. Harder once you do, at least IMO. I miss my 3-11s.

:yeahthat:

I'm used to the 8-4 shift I have now and if I'm there past 8 pm I feel like I'm DYIN'! Back in the day before the babies, I too enjoyed the pm shift, not so many higher-ups running around, I was able to do what I needed to when I got up in the am and the job got what I had left. Now on days the job sucks the life out of me during the day and I've got nothing left when I get home. Downside to PM shift (in LTC) is the sundowning of many of the dementia residents - some evenings I felt like I was in one of those movies about the asylums (sp).

Cmariehart · May 4, 2007

I am not a morning person!!!!!!! That's why I like 3-11. I don't have to deal with the majority of day time politics and I kinda get left alone by most people which is a plus in my book.

nursprl · May 4, 2007

less people to deal with...different medical service teams (chief, many residents, and med students..about 10 people on each service), administrations isn't around, less family members and visitors

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · May 4, 2007

I do only PM 7p-7:30am and I love it. You only have one fellow and one resident to responds to (in the PICU). Also there are fewer road trips, i.e to CT, MRI, transfer to the floor. People on nights are generally more helpful, you have a good groups of people that are on nights and you bond more with your co-workers, you feel more a part of the team.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · May 4, 2007

Fewer MDs, less bureaucracy.

gradRN2007, BSN, RN · May 4, 2007

Hi

By PM do you mean 3-11p or 7p-7a or 11p-7a?

I have worked in the lab 10 years 11pm-7am 5 nights and enjoyed being able to be home to take my daugher to school, sleep pick her up take her to dance and then dinner and sleep again for 2 hours before i got up at 9:30pm..was still able to volunteer and finished nursing school (pt transitional program in 21 months), passed the boards and now I am so excited to be start working 12 hour shifts 7p-7a. Only 3 nights a week and i orientate for 6 months (icu) t-w-th only :monkeydance:

I will be taking an ekg class, iv class chemo class and shadowing and being one on one with my preceptor for 6 months!!

I never worked 3-11pm because I never would of seen my kids, they were in school till 4:30pm..

Hope this helped and good luck

nursemike, ASN, RN · May 4, 2007

I like 3-11, because it matches my circadian rhythm--left to my own devices, I'll stay up until two and sleep until ten every day. But I work 7p-7a, which is probably the next best thing--sorta.

The good things about noc probably apply to afternoon shift, as well. Not so many docs around, pts don't go to as many tests, a lot of daily meds are passed in the am. Management at home, sleeping, fewer visitors, co-workers as brain-dead as you are...

Of course, most of these advantages are disadvantages in disguise. It's a sad but true fact that there are times when you really need to talk to a doctor. If a patient needs a test, they probably need it now, and with less staff, you probably have to take them yourself. Some visitors sleep in, and some of them are practically another patient. God forbid you get a problem that needs social services or any other ancillary staff--although you have a built-in excuse to palm it off on day shift.

There's a camaraderie on nights--goes back to the brain dead thing, most likely. Also, I work the weekend program, as do most of the weekend night shift, so on two out of three nights, I work with the same core group. We get to know each other, and it's a pretty laid-back group. A lot of younger nurses aren't so sanguine about giving up every weekend, so weeknight shifts tend to be more noisy and boisterous--which is okay, too, but I do appreciate my quiet weekends with the other old fogeys.

Bad thing about nights, if you do three 12s, is that you have four days off, but you sleep through at least one of them. Kind of a drag when the weather is nice.