pumpkin455

Hi everyone! I have been working the night shift (7p-7a) for my entire 2 year nursing career. While I love nights, I do not like how it makes me feel. It has been really bad lately and I feel like all I do on my days off is sleep. A day shift opening has become available on our floor and I would love to take it, but my own anxiety is holding me back. I am afraid that I am not going to be able to keep up with the craziness of days and the politics that take place during the day as well. I will miss my co-workers on nights, but I just cannot continue to feel this way any longer! Have any of you made the switch from nights to days? Any tips or success stories?? Thanks in advance!

I did not know that!! Thank you for sharing...I will have to see if our pharmacy is aware!

I have seen it come on the scene in the last 3 months. I work in Ortho and a bunch of our surgeons have deemed it "the miracle drug". We typically give 1000 mg Q6 x 24 hours post op- so that puts pts right at their 4G limit for 24 hours. Also one thing we have learned is that- per our pharmacy, the only IV fluid it is compatible with is normal saline, otherwise it must have its own tubing. Not so sure I'm convinced of its effectiveness yet, I really think Toradol is the way to go for a non-narcotic pain med.

Couldn't have said it better myself! I do want to say that I have the utmost respect for those nurses that work days...they put up with all crap that I avoid by working nights!

It happens to the best of us...I have had 3 people fall in the 2 years I have been a nurse, and I beat myself up every time! Sometimes there is just nothing you can do...pts are fast getting OOB and some are so confused that you just cannot make them stay in the bed!! We recently got cameras that we put in the pts rooms that we can watch at the desk so we catch them when they are starting to move...best invention ever!

We do self scheduling at my hospital. There are certain requirements on the days you sign up but they are very reasonable. We work every 3rd weekend...not bad at all! There are only a couple of nurses that work no weekends whatsoever but they work 40 hour weeks M-F and have been there for 20 + years...so I think that's fair.

I use the Littman Cardiology III- got it when I graduated nursing school 2 years ago. A bit pricy, but totally worth it!

They are considered a restraint at my hospital and require a doctor's order.

I sincerely believe night shift is what you make it...if you go in with a positive attitude the most of the time you will have a positive experience. There are so many opportunities to learn on night. I started out as a new grad on nights and 2 years later I am still there and loving it. As far as getting enough sleep...you will quickly learn what works for you..but always make sleep a priority. It is good that your fiance works nights too!! Same goes with exercise...you will not gain weight if you still make time to exercise. I usually don't exercise on the days I work (I work 3 12 hour nights). AND always pack your lunch! Don't rely on the cafeteria/vending machine! Lastly, if you are worried about not finding a pt. for several hours..don't be. If your floor is anything like ours...there is someone in and out of the room every hour (sometimes more!) between you and the CNA. Never a dull moment because somehow pts. never sleep at night...haha!! Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

I have been a nurse for a little over a year now, and feel pretty comfortably talking to doctors. I do work nights, so we usually just have one surgeon on call that answers for all of the other ortho surgeons for whatever we may need in the middle of the night. So, the other night I called the on call surgeon for some PO pain meds for my pt who was POD 0 still and only had 2mg morphine Q2prn. I just wanted to get her some Lortab or Percocet to hold her in between the morphine. He told me to let her surgeon deal with it in the morning and hung up! What should I have done different? I know he was hesitant because he didn't know her, etc, but I have never had an issue with any of the other docs in the past. Tips, advice? What would you have done?

Yes! It does get easier! I have been a nurse now for a little over a year and just within the past few months has most of the anxiety gone away. I remember nights before going to work where I would throw up from my nerves. I still get anxious, but not nearly as bad as it once was. I now feel like the anxiety I do have keeps me on my toes

I am 23, was 22 when I started as a RN. I get asked all the time what my age is because I look more like 16-17. Some patients and families even act nervous at first when they meet me, but once I prove myself competent, respectful, and friendly...they usually warm right up You definitely shouldn't let this prevent you from pursuing RN school, do it while you are young and fresh! Hang in there!

On my unit, we also use PCA with D51/2NS + 20K all the time...never had an issue.

I agree with GetReal, I had a good experience in nursing school as well, but my life as a nurse has been 10x better. I enjoy my job and work with a great team. Sometimes I think it is easier to focus on the negative rather than the positive..that doesn't mean you have to! I love having students with me, because I remember that was just me a year ago. I try to teach things that I wish I had been taught. It is always nice to have a second set of hands as well! :-)

1. Do you love, like or hate your job? - Love it 2. What field of nursing are you in? -Ortho, 1 year 3. Are you FT, PT, PD? - FT/32 hrs 4. Do you look forward to going to work or dread it? - Most of the time I do look forward to it, there are of course days where I am dragging a little. 5. What gives you the most job satisfaction? My patients by far. Ortho is a speciality where most of the time we see patients come in for elective surgery and after a short stay they are walking out the door. My co-workers make my job enjoyable as well. 6. On a scale of 0-10 (0 being least stressful, 10 being most stressful) how stressed does your job make you? - On average, I'd say 7 7. What causes you the most job stress? -Nurse/patient ratios, taking care of multiple fresh post-ops, and FAMILY MEMBERS!! 8. What do you think could make your job better, so you get the most joy and satisfaction out of your work day? -I wish I had more time to spend with my patients, but when you have 7 pts it is hard to give everyone the time I would like. As a night shift nurse, I wish we had more resources at night.