Question: What's so bad about the night shift?

Keepstanding, ASN, RN · Dec 23, 2008

i didn't like it because i had a problem sleeping during the daytime.

but i do know people who love nights. they prefer it to any other shift. try it and maybe you will love it too.

best of luck to you !

prasier :heartbeat

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2008

I couldnt imagine working any other shift. I chose nights as I had little kids, now that my kids are getting older I wouldnt ever want to switch to days.

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2008

Actually I love nights, it was fun and slow paced compared to days. However, I found that I had problems sleeping during the day, and no matter how many hours I slept I still felt tired. Not only that I gained 20 lbs which I was not happy about.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2008

I love nights. I prefer to work nights than days, the only thing, IMO that sucks about nights is that's when all the blood draws are due. My facility doesn't have phelbotomy techs, so nurses have to do all the blood draws.

MisMatch, LPN · Dec 23, 2008

I, too, am a night owl and love night shift.

PROS: Rare to have family members breathing down your back

Rarer to have management looking over your shoulder

Rarer still to have doctors barking out orders/demands

Even rarer to have governing bodies doing inspections and creating chaos

Usually easier to find a position available

Usually make more $$ with shift differential

CONS: Hmmm...we miss out on the "fun" activities planned to boost morale

november17, ASN, RN · Dec 23, 2008

The things that I didn't like about night shift was we got no help. Oftentimes if a patient starts to go south you will be dealing with an on call physician (or a sleepy resident) that will not know your patient. Most of the ancillary services are unavailable during night shift. No PICC team, no ET nurse, no nothing. You will also very rarely see any of the physicians that you will be dealing with - so you won't have the opportunity to develop good rapports or working relationships with very many physicians at all. After a year on night shift I switched to days and everybody thought I was new, just because no one had ever seen me before. Overall I found at times night shift to be extremely frustrating.

On the other hand, I found working night shift made me a lot more resourceful, and I kind of miss it a bit.

jackson145 · Dec 23, 2008

I seem to have problems controlling my depression on night shift. Something about knowing my family is at home all snuggly in their jammies in warm beds and I'm hoofing it up and down dimly lit halls trying to be quiet for sleeping patients just gets to me. When I was younger and single I didn't mind it as much.

JessicRN · Dec 23, 2008

I hear so many bad things about the night shift! I plan on working the night shift when I graduate, mainly because I am a night owl. Does anyone enjoy working the night shift? What are the pros and cons? Maybe I should rethink my decision:icon_roll

Love it I work in an ED and we are busy, many times more busy then days since they have much more staff. We work as a team on nights not like days where everyone keeps to themselves. Even with total kaos there is a relaxed environment

the only cons are you need to learn to sleep days and they love to pile scut work on the night shift

I say go for it

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2008

Nights are great except for the fact that you have to stay up all night.

Pepperlady · Dec 23, 2008

I quite like night shift for all the reasons mentioned in previous posts. But ultimately I like being able to spend a bit more time with the patients that come into the Emergency because its not as busy. I like day shift too, just a different atmosphere. I would think the only con for me for nights would be difficulty sleeping during the day at times.

Butterfliesnroses · Dec 23, 2008

I've worked all the shifts as an aide in the LTC facility I work at. I worked nights for a year maybe. I liked it because I could go to family dinners and birthday parties because they generally aren't at 10 in the evening. It was a chill shift and my boss didn't care if we read or knitted or did something to keep us busy because we could not go clean out closets or do stuff that day shift or evenings can do to keep busy. That also meant on the crazy busy nights which there was I could expect no break or lunch because the night before I'd sat for 4 hours off and on. However I'm doing pre-reqs for nursing school and I had an 8 AM class. I fell asleep at the wheel and KNEW it was time to switch back to evenings or days. Also it seemed I couldn't get enough sleep. I'd sleep (when I didn't have class) from 6-2 and then get up for 4 hours then I'd tell myself I needed my nap so I'd nap from 6p-9p. So I'd sleep 12 hours a day. Nights just doesn't fit in my lifestyle right now. I get up with my daughter about 9ish and put her to bed after 10 before midnight though. Right now I'm working evenings which I LOVE. However once my daughter starts school I'll switch to either days or nights.