What is your favorite shift to work?

TAKOO01, BSN · Nov 15, 2020

I like 3 to 11 for all the reasons you mention, especially being able to sleep late. Unfortunately, that schedule does not work for my kids or friends. While it is not my favorite, 9 to 5 is what works for the outside world, so that is the schedule that I seek out.

EDNURSE20, BSN · Nov 15, 2020

Evening shifts are the worst. They are always the busiest, and I spend all day being lazy because I have work soon.

night shift aren’t my favourite, but generally the last couple of hours are quite, and there’s always a good atmosphere. But the change in sleep Schedule is to much.

mornings are by my favourite. Yes you have to wake early, and parking is way more expensive. But I feel in-tune with the rest of the world, and finish early enough to get things done after work if I need to, while everything is still open. I feel like I have way more time in a day when I working mornings too.

Jedrnurse, BSN, RN · Nov 15, 2020

My favorite shift to work is the last one before vacation.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 15, 2020

I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to every shift. 3-11 was probably the easiest physically because I would be able to sleep in and felt the best. Socially however it didn't work well for me and isolated me from my friends and a social life.

11-7 worked well for me and I did that for many years. I could see my friends and boyfriend in the evening before work or if I had things to do during the daytime had plenty of time to sleep in. But it was physically more tiring.

When we were mandated to do 12 hour shifts I worked 7pm to 7AM and hated it. It was physically exhausting and my days off were a series of four naps and I was tired all the time.

We're still mandated 12 hours and at a financial hit, I switched to 7am to 7pm. I rarely get done at 7pm and it's a long and exhausting day and if I sometimes don't sleep well that makes it worse. Still the days off are better and I don't feel tired all the time.

Only 9 more years until I have the best shift off all......retirement.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Nov 15, 2020

I did 3-11 shifts when I was in my 20's and that was a good fit from a physiologic stand-point...never felt sleep deprived and my alertness and energy levels were stable. However, it sucked for my personal life at a time when that's very important being young, dating, and everything else. I like 12 hour shifts and for that only 7 AM to 7 PM works best.

Sweetheart2005, ASN · Nov 15, 2020

For 8 hour shifts, I prefer days 7-15. I don’t love getting up early, but I do better when I get up and get moving.

my job requires full time people to do 12 hour shifts. Either 7a-7p or 7p-7a. I do days. I dong think my body could function well on nights consistently but I will pick up the occasional night shift. I used to work 3a-3p when that was an option. I liked it because I could have more together when doctors and families were asking about patients early morning, and I had evenings free. I could easily switch to a normal sleep/wake cycle on days off. One I went to 7am start time I realized how much sleep I was lacking, but I would go back if given the opportunity.

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Nov 17, 2020

I liked my job and my financial situation more when I worked night shift 7p to 7a. I like my personal life more now that I'm doing 7a to 7p. I don't like any of the shifts you mentioned because the thought of going to work five days a week just ?

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Nov 18, 2020

I liked 3-11 in LTC, even though it seemed like the bulk of admissions came right at dinnertime. It was incompatible with family life, but by that time my kids were grown or almost grown, and their dad was very involved so I don’t think they really even missed me that much. 3-11 was perfect for someone with an odd circadian rhythm; even now, I find sleeping 0200-1000 is more restful than 2200-0600. (Besides, I HATE mornings.)

DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 18, 2020

On 11/14/2020 at 7:45 PM, DribbleKing97 said:

At our facility we have:

Morning 0700-1500

Evening 1500-2300

Night 2300-0700

You don't have any handover period? So are nurses coming in early/going off late and essentially handing over in their own time? I'm happy to say that where I work in France the unions would be down on that straight away.

I'm a night bird but it's 12 hour shifts or nothing for me. We do 7pm to 7am and that suits me fine. Your night shift is too short. Full time nurses are surely on more than they're off which means a totally inverted day/night cycle and that's bad for your health, not to mention a wrecked family life and social life from hardly ever being off in the evening. We do 12 nights in a 28 day cycle so roughly 3 nights a week. Off more than we're on - great!

Also on quieter units that must mean your night shift is often just a babysitting shift where you never really get to know the patients. I'd hate that.

When I did morning/afternoon/night in the UK there was an afternoon overlap to allow for team meetings, teaching sessions etc. Morning was 7h30 to 15h30, late was 13h30 to 21h30 and night 21h to 8h. It also meant that if the unit was busy, early staff could all go to lunch together after handover and late staff to first tea break before the earlies went home. A few nurses had set shifts but most people rotated the three shifts.

I really couldn't work any of your shifts with the hours that you have I'm afraid. Fortunately such patterns are not common in many European countries.

Guest856929 · Nov 18, 2020

None!

**CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN** · Nov 20, 2020

I am such a morning person, I like the early shift. My first career was as a school teacher, which was similar— start early, but finish around 3. When I work a later shift, even if it’s 10am to 6pm, I waste the first hours of my day just sitting around, and then when I get home late I feel like I don’t have time to do anything.