Question about working nights

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Sep 26, 2005

Hello, I knew I would have to work nights as a new grad. I am hoping soon I will have put my "time" in and be able to move to days. I absolutely hate working nights and have gotten to where I rarely sleep or eat for days, and then I will sleep non stop for several days. I have lost tonz of weight, I am depressed, I never see my friends or my husband and I am tired all the time. I am really an outdoorsy kind of person and I love nothing more than being out in the sun, so I really think switching to days would help so much. So my problem is, we might have to move next year for my husband to go to med school. Does this mean I am going to have to start at the bottom of the totem pole again and put in another year of working nights to get to the day shift again after I move? Is it generally accepted that new grads have to suffer through working the crappy shifts, or is it just new employees in general?

If you hate working nights, I'm sure with some effort you can find a day job without reclimbing that totem pole.

But it was my experience, when I was a new grad, that day shift kicked my butt and I rarely left before 9pm of a 7a-7p shift. I didn't see more of my spouse and kids and friends or partake in any more of my leisure activities: I was just as lost to my real life working days as I was nights.

I suggest that you group your shifts together: work thur/fri/sat/sun/mon/tue in a row. 12 on/12 off means you are sleeping/working for several days in a row, but after 24 hours of sleep on that tue/wed, you're off from wed to the next thur and can readjust back to the real world.

I personally don't think nights are crappy. fewer docs/fewer procedures/no pt meals/fewer family to deal with/more sleeping patients - a sleeping patient is a satisfied patient/more money - I think it's the day shift that's crappy and I seriously question the sanity of anybody that want's to work days as a nurse.

I get paid more to watch people sleep (and if your patients aren't sleeping, then you are seriously underutilizing your PRN meds.)

LOL. But that might just be my opinion.

Of course, I'm a night person and rarely try to adjust my schedule to days when I'm off. For the life of me, I can't imagine why anybody would WANT to be up during the heat of the day!!!!

~faith,

Timothy.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Sep 26, 2005

Hello, I knew I would have to work nights as a new grad. I am hoping soon I will have put my "time" in and be able to move to days. I absolutely hate working nights and have gotten to where I rarely sleep or eat for days, and then I will sleep non stop for several days. I have lost tonz of weight, I am depressed, I never see my friends or my husband and I am tired all the time. I am really an outdoorsy kind of person and I love nothing more than being out in the sun, so I really think switching to days would help so much. So my problem is, we might have to move next year for my husband to go to med school. Does this mean I am going to have to start at the bottom of the totem pole again and put in another year of working nights to get to the day shift again after I move? Is it generally accepted that new grads have to suffer through working the crappy shifts, or is it just new employees in general?

I got on nights because I thought it was a good way to catch up on bills and wound up staying because I actually saw more sunshine than I did when I worked day shift! I'd be gone from 6 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. and it really didn't matter that it was only 3 times a week because I'd spend most of a couple of those days trying to catch up on my sleep.

Finally, I switched to nights and eight-hour shifts. Worked a lot better for me. The money's not bad either.

But everyone is different.

Sounds like night shift is really toxic to your system.

If you don't want to work nights, don't get on nights to begin with. Make it clear that you will not and cannot work nights.

It might sound drastic, but think about it: Would you really want to work for a facility that cannot or will not accommodate your needs as an employee?

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Sep 26, 2005

A good percentage of hospitals look to hire nights so they can free up night nurses on waiting lists to fill days.

But that is not the case in all facilities.

I prefer to work nights and have had times in my career where I was required to work days. ugh.

If nights just aren't for you, keep looking till you find a hospital that has a need on days. They ARE out there.

~faith,

Timothy.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2005

With us it's the luck of the draw and what is available at the time. We've had lots of new grads start on day shift because that's where the postion was open and no one on nights was waiting to get to day. So new grads don't "automatically" go to night shift.

Many people are physically incapable of working nights, it doesn't matter the pay or the benefits, and it sounds like you are one of those people. Don't make yourself sick. Good luck.

NYNewGrad · Sep 26, 2005

I posted a similair question last week...

I'm a new grad and at a job interview last wek indicated my preference for day shift. The recruiter was very understanding and it was all a matter of availability. They had openings for days in MedSurg, ER part time, and psych. Im waiting a few days to see if anything else opens up.

In todays nursing shortage (I guess it also depends where you live) there are so many positions available that some hospital cant afford to let a potential employee slip away just because they dont want to do nights.

Thats just my opinion on the situation here.

sweetielin · Dec 15, 2005

i understand how you feel. that is how i felt when i worked days. i absolutely hated it and felt physically ill all the time. on my days off, i was so tired that i slept all the time. luckily, i only had to stay on days for about 3 months. everyone is different and if you cannot get a days position maybe you should consider moving on somewhere that will offer you one.