nurseling

I'll find out. That might be a good option. As long as I don't do nights is what's important.

I first began doing 8 hour shifts (rotating days and evenings). I found it difficult to be at work so much, but mind you I was a new grad and everything was a challenge for me. Eventually I switched over to 12 hour shifts (days and nights) and while I had more days off, the quality of my days off was ruined due to this constant state of fatigue from rotating days to nights, nights to days. My body never had time to adjust. I began to feel really depressed and unwell. Now I am considering going back to 8 hour shifts days and evenings. I figure, for me the benefits will outweigh the cons. For one thing, my day will be broken up. I wont spend so much tim inside the hospital or at the patient's bedside. I will still have time to eat healthy meals at home, sleep in the comfort of my bed and get at least 8 hours regardless of what shift I work, I will be able to exercise more and maybe actually have more of a life.. I'm wondering if anyone here has returned to 8 hour shifts after 12's. Did you find it was an improvement in any way?

Wow! I admire you a lot. You must have a ton of energy! I'm heading out to the gym and a yoga class soon. I was just thinking how I want to get more yoga in as well. :)

Nice to know I'm not alone needing time to be alone.

Yeah I lean towards introversion. Oh well I guess this is just where I'm at in life right now. Maybe I will find another type of line of work at some point or work part time...

I've tried doing 2 weeks of one then the other. I find I can't handle too many nights. I feel pretty useless on my days off. I might try it in the winter when there's less sunlight anyway

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best handle rotating shifts. I work 12 hour shifts on a busy med-surg unit, but I rotate between days and nights. I will generally be 1 week on days, 1 week on nights, then switch back with about 2 or 3 days in between. I find that I feel kinda jet lagged all the time and it's pretty much become a 'normal' state of being for me. Is there any way to make it easier to adjust to this? I've been thinking of maybe working permanent nights, since days are not available, but then I worry I will never see the light of day..

Hi, I'm a relatively new nurse on a busy neurology unit. I work 12 hour rotating shifts (day/nights). This is all that was available at the time so I'm just trying adapt as best as I can. Thing is, I find that on my days off, I increasingly need more and more alone time. I often neglect to see my friends and family, let alone make time for new connections. Part of it is that I'm tired and just need that time to recuperate, but there's a part of me that feels like I'm missing out on life.. Does anyone else feel this way? Do you need to spend a lot of time alone on your days when you're not working?

What thread is this? Can u send me the link?.I'm sure lots of nurses do all kinds of "extracurricular" activities on their time off that's none of anyone's business.. I don't know about how moral or immoral it is. I don't judge any of it...

Thanks so much. What a refreshing perspective, especially that its about your attitude. I work rotating days and nights. Some people tell me it will ruin my life and I say, only a bad attituse about it will ruin my life. Days and nights are great because I get to enjoy the busy hustle of days while getting in some downtime, not to mention premiums working nights. :)

I wish I could work only days but that's not possible at the hospital I work at now. So I accept it and manage as best I can.

I'm wondering if other nurses exercise on their days off. I started going to the gym at least 2 x week and feel it has made a tremendous difference in my overall mood and energy levels. I think it might be the endorphins but I was feeling a bit depressed between shifts at a time and exercise and healthy eating has literally reversed that. Anyone else have any experiences with how exercise has helped or not so much in improving the quality of your life and inadvertently the quality of your work?

I'm curious as to what other RN's do on their days off between shifts.. I work 12 hour rotations and just finished my nights. For the first day or even 2, I basically spend the day vegging..watching movies, reading, napping and being antisocial. Day 2 or 3 I might make time for family and friends, workout at the gym and do some cleaning. Does anyone else have a hard time coming to their senses after a few shifts in a row?

After my night shifts, I usually spend the day in bed. I sleep till about 2pm, but lounge around lazily during the day. I watch movies, read books and eat. And I make no qualms about it! At night, I go to bed around 10pm. I have no trouble switching to sleeping at night after night shifts, because I am naturally a day person. The next day, after I've slept through the night, I'm still a bit groggy, but I kinda push myself to get out of the house for a bit and take a nap during the day. By evening, I often have enough energy to be social and see friends. The third day off, I am on day schedule. I work out at the gym, get my laundry and chores done, so its all good. Keeping a positive mental attitude about it all really helps.

I go to the gym about twice a week. After a 12 hour shift, all I want to do is lay in a horizontal position. But exercise a couple of times a week really helps keep stress levels low.