Time For Another Days vs. Nights Debate!

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Apr 6, 2012

I concur with your co-worker. Have worked both shifts, and both have their pros and cons. I ultimately chose nights because the pay was much better and it worked better for family life (splitting kid duty between dh and I, he worked days, me nights).

Days, fewer patients in your assignment but more frequent order changes, doctor/therapy interference.

Nights, much higher numbers of patients but less frequent order changes, doctor/therapy interference.

Both shifts had baths to give (patients aren't incontinent only at a certain time).

AM med passes had a greater number each time, but evenings had their own med curses. I found that I was constantly popping up to get an off-schedule med, trying to catch up on the "I didn't have time to give this so you'll have to adjust all the times later" stuff.

Bottom line: go with the shift that works best for your lifestyle and pocketbook, not because you think one of them is easier.

Good Morning, Gil · Apr 6, 2012

It probably all just depends on where you work. On my floor, it doesn't really make a difference as I suspect it wouldn't on most hospital floors. We just don't have as many resource people on nights, oftentimes no unit secretary, which means you are putting in your own orders, too.

The only difference on my unit b/w days and nights are the number of visitors. When I was on orientation, I oriented on both shifts. Families visiting during the day are the main reason I love working straight nights. (to be clear, I love comforting reasonable family members). There's almost a constant flow of visitors during the day on our unit. (fortunately, most family members are not so needy, but during the day, every visitor that comes through wants an update on the patient even when you tell them to choose one person in the family to update the rest of them (mind you, they're all visiting at the same time lol, but only 2 can come back at once. Well, 10 people/2= 5 times I have to tell the family the same thing within an hour lol). Sometimes this happens at night as well, but not nearly with the frequency that it happens on day shift it seems.

dudette10, MSN, RN · Apr 6, 2012

Yes, the work is often slower-paced--not always, but often--but the shift can be difficult to adjust to and sometimes your personal life suffers because of it.

Plus, night nurses often have to put up with nurses who feel it necessary to point out the less chaotic workload for reasons that I've never clearly understood. Why is that?

OCNRN63, RN · Apr 6, 2012

Oh God, not again.

GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 6, 2012

oh god, not again.

lol...yes the imminent statement of all times... :uhoh3:

GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 6, 2012

having said that, i as well have experienced all shifts and i will add that it also depends on what area or unit you work, or even facility. therefore, i would never bring up the statement to any of my colleagues, unless i want to witness chaos among themselves..just saying :cool:

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Apr 6, 2012

[color=#333233]i think days are harder, to be honest. you typically have more meds to give, have doctors coming in and out all day, more family members, more tests, have to deal with all three meals, etc. where i work, days are frequently short-staffed. days typically give baths to patients, but in icu, baths are given at night only.

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[color=#333233]nights: typically less meds, no meals, less family members (but we still deal with family members). we are staffed better than days, but we have fewer resources. we only have one doc on call for the entire hospital (if the patient is admitted under a hospitalist) versus having a team of 5-6 hospitalists during the day time. if a code happens, typically one of the er physicians are the first to respond until the attending physician can get to the scene. we do not have a 24 hour pharmacy so getting medications can be an issue - our nursing supervisor is the one who has to go to the pharmacy and get meds that are not stocked on the floor. a lot of times pharmacy will "miss" doses that should have been restocked before they left. sometimes they miss more important meds, like vancomycin or one time i had an octreotide drip that wasn't there. i notified the supervisor at least an hour before the drip was done and they just kept saying, "well check, it has to be there, pharmacy wouldn't leave without sending up an important drip like that." but it definitely wasn't there. then i got chewed out for letting the drip run dry because they didn't believe me when i said the drip was missing.

the charge rn on days will not take patients. they will round with the docs on all patients and help with admissions and discharges. the charge rn on nights, however, will take a full load of patients. personally i think trying to charge with a full load of patients can be difficult at times.

where i work, there is also a teamwork issue, and it seems to be an issue at every hospital. on days, the nurses don't seem to help each other and they just kind of do their own thing. on nights, we have some great teamwork going on and all of us work really well together. that can really make or break or shift. i have picked up a couple of days on my floor in the past and i hated it.

i love my nights. we are busy, but we have more downtime, too. i love my coworkers on nights, i'm a night owl by default, and i love my shift differential lol

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2012

All I am gonna say on this one is, . . .

It would take an army, some good dirt on me, and a huge incentive to leave nights and go to days. Ever since I recieved my "ER neck bite," the light hurts my eyes anyway!

My Pet Pieve!!!!: Family Member Phone call at 3:OO PM = "Hey, did I wake you up?"

My Response: My Return Call, 3:00 AM = "Hi, what ya' up too?

Family Member= "Is something wrong?!!?? It's 3 in the morning, it's the middle of . . . . . . .!!"

Me= "Oh, Did I wake you?" (sarcastic voice)

I wish I could say this works!!!!!!!!

allnurses Guide · Apr 6, 2012

I oriented four weeks on days and just did my first three night shifts this week. I don't know that nights is easier..just different. It is definitely more hectic and chaotic on days with a lot of variables that are not as crazy at night. But on nights we review the orders and all the stuff day shift couldn't get to, have the sundowner who suddenly has to be naked and wanders into the hallway dragging his Foley on the floor behind him, the sudden onset of rapid afib and a doc who seriously doesn't like being awakened. There is less staff so the team is seriously TIGHT on my floor, which I absolutely freaking love. I loved the day people too though..just a different energy.

The only thing I notice and makes me batty is that the day shifters thus far are very languid about what time they get there and when they get around to coming to get report. Frustrating when exhausted to have to wait. That may just be my particular floor though or even just this particular week.

Jackfackmasta, ASN, RN · Apr 6, 2012

I think that morning shifts are busy with more patient activities whereas night shift there is less staff and so you have to do a lot yourself that normally someone else helps with and that's why it seems busy.

I work in an ED and when we are staffed fully during the day the flow goes great and we get things done without burning out with high patient numbers. When I work nights I can get my butt burned because we do not have enough nurses and beds to get patients back in so when one is discharged you get a new one. The patient numbers were actually low but it was hard because everyone was busy and you are doing everything by yourself. Unless someone is dying.....

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2012

Why does it have to me "us against them" ? Why can't we just accept that nursing is a 24 hour job with each shift having its own challenges!