Why night shift may not always be best for new nurses.

Less physician orders, slower pace, less documentation, all reasons why a night shift may seem like a good starter job for a new nurse in a nursing home. I spent 2 years as a night shift LPN in LTC before filling my current position as a day LPN at the same nursing home. Prior to that I began my career as a licensed nurse working evenings, a very busy shift in which I feeel like I learned a lot.

While night shift nursing seems to be a popular choice for new nurses, for various reasons, in my opinion In some ways it can be far from it.

as we all know, long-term care nurse and can be overwhelming. Especially for a new nurse. During daytime hours the director of nursing and and various other administrative staff are present to answer questions and give guidance. During the nighttime hours this is not Sue. Various problems arise during the night with patients such as the need to be transported to the emergency department for a new onset problem,falls. Often during the night, the floor nurse is the highest ranking administrative official in the building.

While in theory, the director of nursing, and attending physician or available by phone 24 seven. But as we know, that is not always the case. it then require is a very crucial and important, critical thinking decision by the floor nurse. And often times when you have a nurse who is fresh out of school put in this situation, it may land the nurse in trouble.

This post is not meant to scare a new graduates from night nursing. But if you are a new nurse, make sure that you have support from the facility, example partnered with a seasoned nurse , Director of nursing is reliable by phone, the facilities protocols or clearly explained in the event you can't reach an attending physician or a director of nursing. As a former night nurse, I can tell you that this situation happens on a frequent basis.