Doodle69

Thank you for your dedication throughout the years! Praying for the Lord to lift you up and bring you comfort and peace on your journey home❣️

Back when I first started my nursing career, I too started on night shift. I worked 7p-7a on our local hospital's largest floor, Med-Surg/Peds. It was was the biggest and busiest floor, even at night. We were always short staffed. Although working nights did not physically make me ill as you have described, after 2 years it came to where my schedule no longer worked for our family. I had to make a similar decision involving a cut in pay, changing to days, and changing jobs. I loved working at the hospital but the day shift was too busy and chaotic. At the time there were not any positions available that I could transfer to on another unit. It was a hard decision but I had to follow my heart and do what I knew was best for me and my family. After much prayer, I left the hospital (stayed PRN) and took a full time 7a-3pm job at another employer. Years later, when my children were older, I went back to the hospital full time on dayshift, more experienced, no longer feeling overwhelmed by the chaos and stayed 17 years. Night shift is hard. You work and sleep opposite of your family. I always went with less sleep so I did not miss out on things with my family. I would stay up endless hours after working. It takes a toll on you, whether you realize it or not. Follow your heart and do what you know will be in the best interest for you and your family. When God closes a door, he opens a window. Best of Luck to You!

BEDSIDE NURSING: Everyone always said I was crazy but I worked on a Pediatric/Med Surg unit for almost 17 years and loved it. My unit was one of the biggest and busiest in our hospital. Everyone knew if you could work on it, you could work anywhere in the hospital. Yes it was hard at times, often times at the end of shift we would sit back after report and be grateful that we made it to the end of our shift because it had been so rough we weren't sure how we were going to make it. They weren't all bad days, we did have some good days in between-just seemed like FEW and FAR Between. We had a very dedicated staff and the supervisors took full advantage of pulling our help to other areas often leaving us with a minimal staff. If we could have kept the staff we had scheduled each shift, we would have had a lot better shifts. I worked 12 hour shifts as an RN on the floor at the bedside for several years on night shift before I eventually went to day shift. I became a charge nurse/shift care coordinator the last 10 years at the hospital. I continued to assist my nurses and cnas on the floor helping with our patients, even taking a team of patients if we were short staffed. I loved patient care (still do even though I no longer do it in my current job as a case manager), but it is not for everyone. I have precepted a lot of students and trained a lot of nurses. Some love it, others don't. Nursing is hard work, especially at the bedside. Some are not prepared for the reality of what is involved with caring for patients-the toll it takes on you. physically, emotionally, and mentally. Good Luck to You !