What shift in LTC for a new grad LPN?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

I am interviewing at a LTC and I am wondering what shift is the best one for a new grad to start. I have heard that day shift can be very overwhelming. I did part of my pregrad at a LTC but it was only 6 weeks with a preceptor. I would really like to hear from anyone who has some thoughts on this. Thx.

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I graduated from PN classes a little over a year ago. I started out on night shift--hated it!! Got a day shift position, ended up hating the facility, lol. I'm glad I had to work nights for a while, though. There definitely is a huge difference between the shifts!! Days you have to deal with dr's rounds, family, meals, activities, therapies, pharmacies, management, etc. Nights you pass pills, do your assessments, chart, maintain equipment, etc. My girlfriend from school started out on days, though. I remember her screaming every day after work about "how in the world am I supposed to get everything done in 12 hours when I've got the dr giving orders, family asking questions, activities stealing my residents, and the phone ringing for me every fifteen minutes?" (Of course, that's paraphrased, but you get the idea.) Good news is: eventually you learn to manage your time. My best advice for you is determine if you function better during the daytime or night time. Either way, congratulations and best of luck!! :yelclap:

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I too started out on nights, we stayed busy but, the nurses I worked with on nights took a little extra time to teach me things and help me when I needed it. On the other shifts they really don't have any time to do this. Good luck, nightshift is hard to get used to but, just remember, you won't be stuck on nights forever.

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Specializes in Rehab, Corrections, LTC, and Detox Nurse.

when i first started nursing I worked LTC and I started on evening shift. It worked well for me because I wanted to sleep in. I was still relatively young so I would get off and go out afterwards. The work wasn't that bad because the 5pm pills and the 9pm pills weren't so bad. The crushing of meds was what was time consuming.

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i just graduated in may of this year and work in ltc i work the evening shift. the morning is too fast and nights too slow. evenings gave me a happy median. its working out for now. ive built up enough confidence to work an occasional morning shift.

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I graduated last yr and started in LTC on the day shift, but switched to evenings. Days was a great way to orientate b/c when u started your actual shifts it didn't seem as bad. I love evening shifts. i'm young and get to sleep in and can stay up late.. the only down part is trying to balance time between family and friends when working evenings. Everyone has a fav.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Under customary circumstances, new grads usually don't have their prime choice of shifts. They usually are assigned evenings, graveyard shifts, or full-time weekends. Experienced nurses usually have their pick of shifts, and most of the time they choose to work on the day shift.

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Specializes in Dialysis, clinic, LTC, L&D.

Im a recent LVN grad. i have my license for almost 3 months now. i am working at a LTC. and i work the 3-11 shift. i like it.. i dont love it, but just like chicklet2 said, u get to sleep in and can stay up late. im not a morning person. but the hours works best for me because i do go to school in the morning, just one course for this fall semester. and im in class for an hour only mon-thurs. and after class i go straight to work... im trying to finish up my pre-reqs for the RN progm.

but yah, it is really up to the person on which shifts works best...

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

Thanks all for the responses. I think that I likely will not get much choice in when I work as the place I am going to is union so I am assuming that those with the most seniority will get the prime choice of shifts. I think that after giving it some thought, I function better on afternoon and nights. After doing my clinicals, I have come to this conclusion. I guess that is a good thing because that is likely what I will get. I am sort of hoping to be assigned maybe afternoons on the weekends but who knows. I sure don't want to start a new job with demands that are unreasonable as I think that I would not want to annoy my coworkers.

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The morning shift is a lot harder because there are more pills to pass..

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Specializes in Pediactrics geriatrics med surg L+D.

11-7 for any new grad then get the nerve to move up

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