Successful night shift stories...

mlbnocnurse · Apr 22, 2010

I have worked nights for 18 years. I chose to work nights because my choices were swing shift or nights (8 hr shifts). 11-7 worked out well for me, but my kids were 1st grade & up when I started. I slept while kids were in school, had time for after school "stuff", dinner etc, & if I was lucky a nap before I had to go to work. I think that the 8 hr shift were easier for me when the kids were younger. I now work 12 hr shifts & will never go back to 8 hrs. I now have come to the conclusion that I am glad there are people who are crazy enough to work day shift so that people as crazy as I am can work night shift!!! NIght shift is uasally a closer, more helpful group to work with, imho.

ALHA, BSN, MSN, CRNA · Apr 22, 2010

I am glad that I have read it. I am a new grad too and just about to start hopefully a night shifts.

camoflower · Apr 22, 2010

I was one that never stayed awake at a slumber party, or one to stay up and study. However, I have been a night nurse now for 1 year..and love it. I've never been sleepy at work because we are too busy. We eat dinner in 5 minutes and get back to charting, auditing, stocking..etc. I was trained on the day shift.then put on nights to "pay my dues"..and for about 6 weeks was the sleepy one driving 45 miles home. But, now..I love it. The comradery of night team is tighter than the day, we get along and like each other so much more for some reason. We help each other tremendously. I just don't like being off and staying up all night..or most of the night on days off. Also, if we get off 4 days I spend about 24 hours of the 1st day off sleeping. This year has flown by. :yawn: zzzz..hang in there.

edcRN · Apr 22, 2010

I work nights and I LOVE it! It works out for my children's school and hubby's work schedules. I get to spend lots of time with my patients without the constant interruptions that the dayshift offers. If a patient is going south, I get to give lots of one-on-one time on the night schedule. During the down time, I catch things that the dayshift might have missed. Best wishes to you and congratuations!!!!! :yeah:

flyakite80 · Apr 22, 2010

I just recently came off of a schedule where I worked 3 12-hour nights during the week every week. At first, it was horrible. My body fought me every step of the way. I was nauseous, I couldn't eat at night, I had a terrible time staying awake at night and sleeping during the day. But after about a month or so, I adjusted. Then it was great...for a while. Over the past few months I started feeling tired all.the.time (it's been almost 2 years now) Even when I had multiple days off in a row, I could not shake that "zombie" feeling. Then a night weekend position came up and I jumped on it. Now I work every Saturday and Sunday 7p - 7a, with the entire week off to do whatever I want. I basically just do all my "weekend" stuff during the week. I get paid the same as I was for 3 12 hour shifts during the week. I love it and if I ever had to go back to working 3 12 hour shifts again, I don't think I could go back to nights. :yawn: Oh and if you can, have someone drop you off and pick you up. I can't believe I didn't kill myself or someone else on the road, falling asleep at the wheel, drifting into the oncoming lane, going through red lights. So scary!!! I started having my husband drive me all the time.

I do agree with all of the others who say there is a special bond that night shift people have...and it is GREAT not having to deal with families, doctors, administration. Love it. They are just so distracting. However, I am now learning that we have much less help on the weekends at night. Last weekend it was just me and one other nurse with NO tech and 9 patients. We had a few confused, very heavy patients and it was pure hell. I couldn't get anything done. And it is a joke that people think these patients sleep all night!!!! That couldn't be further from the truth. If I have one sleeping patient out of my 6 patients, I consider it a good night!

Good luck to you. Nights can be great if your body doesn't revolt against you.

mcksmom · Apr 22, 2010

I LOVE nights!!!! i have always been a night person so working nights was a natural choice for me-even with a child. Nights are best because you actually get more time with your patient and you get more experience because so much more happens at night. I work in the ICU and at night there is just me and another RN (because we are a small hospital) it's not overly crowded without all the daytime doc's there getting in the way and i get to know my patients better so that i can care for them better because i don't have to cart them all over the hospital to go to other place (i.e. cat scan/mri/etc.) Look at working nights as exciting not a sentence to prison

willow65 · Apr 23, 2010

I am a dedicated night shift worker. One of the few in my department (NICU/newborn nursery) that are not waiting for days. Worst thing is that we lose many of our experienced nurses as day shift positions open up. But still it is such a great group of people to work with. Much more team work than day shift on my unit. I can't explain why but they are a very negative, competitive, cut throat bunch of people. True enough, the human body is not made for night work and I often feel zombified. Still not as exhausted as the times I have had to work day shifts. I get much more sleep when I work nights because I like to stay up late regardless of what time I have to go to work. Just be sure to have blackout curtains and something to create white noise. Who knows, maybe you will like it too.

crystalchen · Apr 23, 2010

I think I like both nights and days for different reasons:

for nights, there are definitely less interruptions because families are gone, even the most crazy pt will at least sleep a couple of hours, and there are no med students around to ask you where is this where is that, so you have time to think and to manage your own millions of things. I work 8p - 8a or 12a - 8a, getting ready for those early residents coming down around 6a, make pts room nice and clean before the crowds come here, order their breakfast so day shift will not worry about it, and you will feel so refresh walking out of the hospital while seeing other people are coming in for work. I always feel great :)

I think the only thing is that i don't really sleep that good on days. I have an eye mask and it really helps, but still, your own body may not adjust to it.... I think it is good that you will work 1 yr straight so you don't have to switch back and forth. I hate switching around....... Anyway, everyone has their own reasons to like it or hate, you won't know unless you experience it :) Good Luck with that !!!

MassED, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2010

let me ask you that work nights at a level 1, how much is your shift differential? I just was offered a night shift at a level 1 and am disappointed w/ the base rate and shift diff (about $2 for nights weekday and $5 for night weekend)- not really worth rearranging your sleep cycle and life.... not much of an incentive, though they are offering a bonus after 3 months of nights of $1500 then after 6 months around $3000 -

starletRN · Apr 23, 2010

What I'm getting from the posts is that it's better to work nights on 3 12 hour shifts than to work the 8 hr shifts? I'm just getting ready to start working LTC nights from 11p-7a and I'm a little apprehensive. My last job was med/surg days but I did 3 12s a week. That was one of the few things I liked about working there.

I guess I'm more concerned with doing the 8 hours again after loving my 12s. The idea of working nights doesn't seem to bother me as much. I do like the idea of not dealing with the family members and the minimal doctor contact. I can't tell which was more distracting during the day shift.

Eaglelady · Apr 25, 2010

Horror stories about nights? Seriously? I love nights. You couldn't pay me enough to do days. I love that there's no administration breathing down my neck, that the families are gone (unless the patient is circling the drain) and that the staff on nights is so much fun and so laid back.

I totally agree I have been on nights now for a year and they could not pay me enough (I get more on nights than day does anyways) to switch to days I worked days and trust me there is no comparison do not get me wrong it can get rough on nights at times I work cardiac/renal floor but I still love it

murphyle, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2010

*grins* You're in the same boat as me, then. I'm six weeks into my orientation in EC, and will be switching to nights this coming week. I did nights in preceptorship and loved it - there's a whole different rhythm to the night unit, and you tend to get a lot more autonomy. (You also tend to see a higher percentage of actual disease/trauma vs. "reassure and discharge" - if for no other reason that people with minor complaints generally don't wake themselves up to get them dealt with ).

Do be sure to take care of yourself - eat right, drink lots of water, save the caffeine for when you really need it, and get as much sleep as you can during your off time. You'll be fine.