I work as a PCT 3-11 for 6 years now. But im about to start nights 11-7 in 2 weeks. I asked to transfer to it for few reasons:
1. More flexibility in nursing school (even tho my union will give nursing students 2 days off with full time pay anyway).
2. Wife was working night shift previously but she lost her job and started a new one working 3-11 like me. Not only does this cause a babysitting issue for our 2 year old but now we have opposite days off (the night shift option at my job coincides more with my wifes days/weekends off).
3. I work in psych and evenings 3 to 11 are the worst at my job. Its where the most fights happen making it more risky to lose your job. At nights these "fighters" are asleep. Day shift to me sucks because because no evening/night differential pay, i hate getting up at 5am, plus all the supervisors and docs are there breathing down your neck.
My wife said she liked working nights at her old job and she did it for 10 years. Im just worried about health mostly (im 32 and only doing this for next 3 yrs or so until i finish school). I heard you can get cancer easier working nights. Is it true? Should i be worried?
Should i just stick to 3-11 (if its not too late) and hope the schedule will somehow work itself out?
Personally, I love nights but I also have a good friend that works with me that hates it. The only reason she stays is because the differential is a couple hundred dollars a paycheck; it's not an insignificant chunk of change. I have lost 15 lbs since I started nights, I love my co-workers and I actually have time most nights to complete most of my charting. On a bad night (Oncology/Medical) I usually only have to stay at most an hour to finish up charting, and that's as a fairly new grad.
Unfortunately, you're probably not going to know if you can handle nights until you try. As said in a previous post if you go nights, you need to make sleep a priority. Schedule it and don't answer your phone. Put a sign on your door so that people don't ring your bell. With kids the sleep issue might be the roughest for you and you'll have to work out a schedule with your family for taking care of the little one.
Cancer??? Really??? I've been on nightshift since 2004, except for two of those years. No cancer, no medical problems, no regrets.
As for your what-ifs, what if you go to nights and discover that you love it? What if you do hate it? Are you going to switch to days, knowing that you hate getting up at 5am? If you're unsure about your move, buckle down with the childcare situation (increase the pay) and stay on evenings.
A friend told me many years ago, in reference to the 'if', "if a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his a** every time he hopped".
After getting mandated at work due to the snowstorm (meaning I had to stay overnight), I thought long and hard about this. I felt like a zombie all night, headaches, etc. When I came home, I almost didnt' want to sleep. Plus I was bored out of my skull at work. I have decided to stay on evenings for the time being. My supervisor had no issue with decision, says that I can't be forced to do something I don't want to do.
It was a tough decision, like you have no idea... I thought about the fact that it will be quiet, I can study, look at whatever, have the same weekends off with my wifey But then I thought about the fact that I'm going to have to be consistent and stay up all night on my days off. On my days off, I really would like to be in bed the same time as my wife. Then I thought of the fact that she'll be in bed sleeping 5 nights a week while I'm awake at work Then there's the strict sleep schedule you have to keep on top of, I already have enough things I need to keep on top of as it is.
So I decided to remain on evenings for now. I have my eyes set on day shift. Now I don't like the idea of waking up at 5am to be there at 7am BUT it is a SMALL sacrifice to make when compared to the sacrifices I would be making by working nights. The thing is what do I do now?
Day shift is one idea but not available at the moment. My wife's boss doesn't do part-time where she works, so that's out. Maybe she could do two agency jobs, one per diem and one part-time. We could wait for her to get another job or I get one in the same union... too many IFs at the moment. Until then, I guess I'll have to continue to request holiday/paid time off and switch shifts with coworkers in order to be off with my wife.
It sounds like you've already made your decision, but I'm giving you my 2 cents anyway. Nights on psych are long stretches of boredom relieved by nights from hell, with violent, or self-injurious, or borderlines making staff want to slash our own wrists. You can literally only look at the computer for so long before your start feeling cross-eyed. But you don't have to deal with docs, social workers, treatment teams, etc. You kind of run your own show. The real down-side is the sleep. But if you are given an hour and a half breaks, you can catch a nap and be ahead of the game. Also, about half of the night shifters I worked with were in school and they had literally hours and hours to study. It really depends on whether or not you can stand the hours. When I worked 8's, it wasn't too bad (although I needed more sleep than when I worked days or evenings). 12's are a whole different story, but you don't have to worry about that. So good luck on whatever your final decision is. When you start school, you might find out that nights do work better for you.
I personally love night shift. Day shift makes me nuts for so many reasons. The personalities, the flow of the unit, the sheer volume of PEOPLE there, not to mention management is always right up under your nose. Night shift can be hard on your body, yeah, but for me personally enjoying my shift at work and is worth the trade off. I have to work, I need to make money, so I'm going to work the shift with the people I get along with best and in the environment more tailored to my personality and work style.
Then there's the strict sleep schedule you have to keep on top of, I already have enough things I need to keep on top of as it is.
DarkDiva
8 Posts
Personally, I love nights but I also have a good friend that works with me that hates it. The only reason she stays is because the differential is a couple hundred dollars a paycheck; it's not an insignificant chunk of change. I have lost 15 lbs since I started nights, I love my co-workers and I actually have time most nights to complete most of my charting. On a bad night (Oncology/Medical) I usually only have to stay at most an hour to finish up charting, and that's as a fairly new grad.
Unfortunately, you're probably not going to know if you can handle nights until you try. As said in a previous post if you go nights, you need to make sleep a priority. Schedule it and don't answer your phone. Put a sign on your door so that people don't ring your bell. With kids the sleep issue might be the roughest for you and you'll have to work out a schedule with your family for taking care of the little one.