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..... /

the most hardest working shift is-------------

any shift with no teamwork!!!

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
the most hardest working shift is-------------

any shift with no teamwork!!!

:yeah::bow::yeah::bow::yeah:

100% correct, kitty!!

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Specializes in Licensed Practical Nurse.

i kinda have a differnce of opinion, i work in ltc, and the morning shift is very tiring! you never get to sit, no exaggeration, i've also worked nights and where i work you do basically nothing at night besides paperwork! plus some running around but only about 2 hours worth the other 6 hours of my shift i'm just doing paperwork, sitting at the nurses station! where i work there is a definite difference between the morning and night shifts, i hate it when the night nurses where i work complain if they get alittle extra work to do!

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Private Duty Peds.

each shift has pros and cons, the only fair way is to work each shift and then you can get a broad picture of why the hospitals run 24/7/365.

most people i work with do work as a team, but there is always at least one pita that causes trouble no matter what shift you work.

i wish that some people would remember that there is no "i" in teamwork!!

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I have worked both - Days is so chaotic - I won;t work it again! Nights is more about learning to be self-sufficient and making people comfortable and helping them sleep. Nursing is a 24 hour job.....you do what you gotta do to make it work!

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I work the NOC shift, I love "patients sleep at night" line.. Umm no they don't We have a lot more patients and when admits come there are a lot fewer resources to get it done, no lab, no pharmacy, no transport, often no aide.. Plus we do the bulk of the paper work 24 hr chart checks on top of a lot of transfusions and bowel preps.. NOC does a lot of "clean up" for days.. I do sort of get tired of walking into a hot mess nightly at 11p and then getting the busness in the moring becuse I dont have time to read days the chart.. Day nurses please if you want a easier morning please leave nights less of a mess - the 8 hr chart check is a good thing....

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I have put my time in on evenings,and days.They are both busy,yet are 2 different worlds.No one can comment on the other until they have worked each shift,not just one day either.If you like running for every little thing you don and others may throw your way,doing and sending to appointments,dr rounds,and families=days.Families are a big thing on evenings too.Lately we have been getting new admits on evenings.The res are much different between the 2 shifts.Well this is for ltcf,I dont know about anything else!!!

St.louis Childrens Hospital Rocks..Thanks to all!!!

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

Each shift has its good and bad. It's hard to say which one "works the hardest". A good rule of thumb: THE SHIFT YOU ARE WORKING is always the hardest working shift, and the other shift isn't pulling thier weight. I've found this to be true in every job on every shift I've ever worked. Sadly, it's just as true for the other shift.

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Specializes in ICU, Cardiology, Mother/Baby, LTC.
i kinda have a differnce of opinion, i work in ltc, and the morning shift is very tiring! you never get to sit, no exaggeration, i've also worked nights and where i work you do basically nothing at night besides paperwork! plus some running around but only about 2 hours worth the other 6 hours of my shift i'm just doing paperwork, sitting at the nurses station! where i work there is a definite difference between the morning and night shifts, i hate it when the night nurses where i work complain if they get alittle extra work to do!

i was a supervisor in ltc, and it really upset me to hear aides say that nurses don't work on third shift. so many believe that the nurses just sit around. this is so untrue. until you have become a nurse, there is no way that you can judge all that we have responsibilities for. it is hard physically, mentally, and emotionally on us. i know it is on the aides, too. but, it ltc, i seem to see that so many aides think we don't work like they do. we do work hard, just in different ways. no way do nurses work 2 hours, and sit for 6 hours. maybe the other way around.:D

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Specializes in Cardiac Tele, MICU RN.

I work nights because when I was in orientation on the morning shift, I felt as if I could not move around. Meaning, you have to deal with case management, and they expect you to answer ever question about the patient right after getting report! There are families all around you doctors and supervisors everywhere.

At night, its a different busy. Instead of the management side of the hospital. You are dealing with more of the patient. The orders that were wrote at 1600 and the meds are just now being sent at 1900 and not given. Or, the families are still in the room and asking all types of questions that they could have asked the doctors while they were there in the afternoon. And at night, heart rate seems to drop or suddently increase drastically and you recover the patient with all types of orders and medications and give report to the am nurse and they say "Wow that never happened while I had him":banghead:

But I realize every shift has its disabilities and that's the love of nursing, I like the fact that if I ever had to switch shifts due to some change in my life, I can. I eventually would like to know how to operate and deal with every aspect that goes on per shift.:nurse:

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I think days is a busier pace, but at night we don't have the resources as they do on days. We have to wear many hats. Instead of calling the kitchen for a snack, I have to go get it. Instead of someone promptly sending my tube feeding, I have to call the secretary and hope that maybe eventually they'll have time. We have one pharmacist so God forbid there be a code going on when you need a stat med to keep YOUR patient from coding.

And no, I don't usually get the half hour luxury of leaving the floor.

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Specializes in med/surg.

You can't say whether one shift is easier. There are however pro and cons to each shift. The night shift doesn't have as much help, and we are fighting body clocks, and the anxillary depts are not around . Day shift has to deal with a lot more family, a lot more doctors, and administration is there, and a much faster pace. It just depends on which beasts you prefer to deal with.

I prefer nights, have worked it for 5 1/2 years now. I like the slightly slower pace, and the less family and docs to deal with.

And the patients Don't Always Sleep All Night!!!!

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