The Most Hard Working Shift- Day Or Night Shift?

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Which shift is the most hard working ..day or night shift..... ? we argued over these during basic skills in class..it divided the class into two camps and instructors kept going after each other..... /

I'll tell you what, out of 3 nights a week that I work, I literally do not get lunch breaks on 2 of those nights. When I was on days, without fail, the dayshift always managed to get a breakfast break, a lunch break, and a linner break (lunch/dinner).

Congrats on losing the weight! (the good news!) :yeah:

I'm sorry you can't get a lunch break - I've never heard of a Day shift 'breakfast break" (?) :no:

On days where I work we are lucky if we get 20 mins for lunch - if we can....seriously...no one takes additional breaks.....and of course the stress is at the max for most of us - that's why we have such a huge turnover it seems...cause even if we have an inservice or take the much needed break - it puts us behind even more and we have to work past our shift....:banghead:

:nurse:

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I have to say that I have worked all shifts and days and nights are equally busy, but in different ways.

I also work a neruo surg ICU so we travel more than any other ICU in the hospital.

Days is busy with doc rounds, famlies, travelling, admits, transfers,etc.

Nights is busy with famlies (open visitation and some spend night), travelling, admits,transfers, etc.

We are pretty good about working together. Everyone needs to remember the hospital runs 24/7/365. Remember it isn't a competition, we are all busy. At least the nurses on our unit realize that the pt never sleep all night.

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Neither. All the floor nurses I've met -- whether day shift or night shift, on just about any unit -- run their buns off.

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Specializes in floor to ICU.

:smiley_ab no more shift wars! I have worked both. We each work hard in a different ways.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I've been working my butt off for 16 years. The first 13 of those spent on night shift.

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I work days....very busy, but I know that the night-shift nurses run their butts off too! I am so appriciative of them. They get the floor ready for the day shift (when they can) by stocking, cleaning, getting paper work organized, etc., etc., etc. They also have to deal with many patients that get sundowner's syndrom....so they are busy keeping patients safe.

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Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.

Day and Night shifts are Ying and Yang, they compliment each other. One shift sends patients to all the tests and has most doctors rounding along with having all the ancillary services available to plan an effective hospital stay. Family is around on all shifts now, by phone or staying in the room. Nights tucks the patients into bed multiple times due to the stress of being sick, not many really sleep. Reviews all orders written to assure all were carried out. Restocks the shelves/carts/drawers and/or orders what is needed for the next 24 hours. Refills the charts with order sheets, puts tabs for things that need signed, tucks all the test results in the right place so doctor rounds run smoothly. Reviews the patient history and hopefully listens to patients concerns and passes them on to the doctors/social workers and daylight nurses.

Neither shift is less or more busy than the other, each simply does their part of the 24 hour work load.

An appropriate nurse patient ratio makes for more effective nursing, less stress, less bickering, less mistakes, happier nurses and happier patients and families.

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
neither. all the floor nurses i've met -- whether day shift or night shift, on just about any unit -- run their buns off.

:yeahthat::yeahthat::yeahthat:

amen, brothers and sisters....

to op--have your instructors go work a few shifts and then get back to you!!!:lol2:

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

depends on your definition of "hard". If dealing with doctors and lots of visitors bothers you then nights is your bag. If having fewer resources and sleeping during the day is a problem, then you need days. Both shifts have pros/cons. The physical work is about the same.

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Specializes in LTAC/ICU/CCU.

nursing/healthcare is a 24-h0ur j0b! and as s0me0ne that has w0rked all, and i d0 mean all kinds 0f shifts, it's n0t fair 2 say 0ne shift w0rks harder than the 0ther! i agree with the previ0us p0sts that it sh0uld be ab0ut teamw0rk and n0t which shift d0es 0r d0esn't d0 what. :twocents:

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I used to think that there was a clear cut answer to this, but as I got older and more nursing experience, I realized that ALL nurses work hard. Each shift has different stressors and a different way for the stress to manifest itself. Remember the phrase "The grass is always greener on the other side?"

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Specializes in ICU, Psych.

Nurses are overworked in both shifts at my hospital, no matter how you look at it. Both shifts have ups and downs. If you say that nursing on either shift is a piece of cake, them you are either very lucky or very lazy and I have met few very lucky nurses.

I prefer nights because the pay is 15% more during the week and 30% more on Fri and Sat. There are more extra shifts, in fact if I wanted to I could work every day, available on nights here for those who like the extra hours.

Also you do not have Social Workers, Dietitians, Case Workers and so on grabbing your chart all shift. But you have less Aids and Clerks available also. You do not have to deal with the docs so much, but you **** them off more often for calling them at 3AM with panic lab values.

Less family members around on nights, but the more annoying ones are the ones who find the need to hang out in the room 24/7 along with their friends who do not even know the pt.

No matter how hard I think about it, I have to say both work equally hard.

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