I work 7a-7p on a busy ICU step down/cardiac unit. All day long we have countless orders to take off, discharges to do, admits, MANY more meds to give, cath lab patients to deal with (along with sheaths to pull sometimes). Sometimes I only have time for a 15 min lunch if I don't want to stay and chart until 9pm.
Then shift change happens, if I pass along one thing like a UA that the night nurse needs to get from the pt or an order that needs to be taken off that was written at 1730 I get annoyed looks, and they generally treat it like I haven't done anything all day. When in reality I've had 5-6 pts, a full admit to do, and have dealt with an emergency or 2.
On top of all that I get paid LESS than a night nurse who passes 2100 meds along with a sleeping pill to each pt then relaxes most of the night?
Rant over.....No diss to night shift, but if you haven't worked days in years you should learn to understand what we go through at times. I know it can be busy on nights at times, but sheesh, I think the night shift on our floor shops online most of the time.
Awww ignorance is bliss and the grass is always greener.
I remember the first time I volunteered to work 11p-7a to cover for a call-out when I worked on the General Surgery unit. I was so excited! I mean the night shifters were almost always ready to give report on-time, they rarely left tasks for day shifters. It had to be easier than days. I came to work sauntering in with my hair and make-up done, uniform freshly-pressed and my personal laptop because I knew I would have enough down-time to work on my paper for my RN-BSN class. HA!! I worked just as hard during those 8 hours than I did during my usual 12hr day shift. Between assessing all patients, scheduled and PRN meds, hanging TPN, lab draws, chart checks, total care patients to turn q2h, code browns and direct admits from the ER-all with the help of 2 CNA's (30+ patients), and no secretary or transport (none scheduled after 2300). I truly felt the hospital got their money's worth out of me that night even with the shift diff, overtime pay and code-census pay! I learned thatnight, the reason night shift appeared easy, was because there was an excellent group of nurses who worked their butts off every night and made it looked that way:yeah:.
With that said, when I had the opportunity to transfer from Med-Surg to OB I switched to nights. Understand though, there are some nights in which I go for hours holding my urine or clock-out with no lunch-just like days. There are some nights in which I have to stay late because of a change of shift admission, sending a pt to OR for tubal ligation, doctor comes in early to circumcise baby, IV infiltrates, antepartum goes into labor-just like days. I still pass meds, assess, intervene, educate and document-just like days. If patients didn't need care at night, the hospital sure as heck wouldn't pay me to be there.
However, three years in and I am seriously considering switching back to days. My body is really beginning to show signs of wear and tear from being up all night and not receiving the proper amount of rest it needs. I think I have mild depression, have definitely gained weight, I'm exhaused all the time, I now have migraines and don't get me started on my reproductive issues. So yes, I think I deserve the extra $3.50 for eve and $5 for nights. Actually, I KNOW I deserve a lot more because my health and my time are worth it!
Just reading this thread topic made me clench my teeth.
Seriously.....you're either provoking everyone on purpose (very sad) or you're too obtuse to realize that nothing good comes from generalizations and a simple "my bad, I was misinformed" would've ended this thread pages ago (super sad).
When you start a thread with offensive remarks, you're gonna get the same in return. But what do I know?
Sincerely,
the night shifter that spends her shifts reading Cosmo and shopping online
Never said I was perfect, just that my standards that I hold is that at least 95% of the time I leave things so that days can hit the ground running. I know what days are like...been there done that...and it's too busy at the start of shift to be cleaning up after stuff nights didn't do.
The majority of night nurses on my floor have the same attitude. It's not about perfection, it's about work ethic and time management and teamwork. If you're at a place where all three of those key factors are in place and you're still consistently leaving the next shift with "clean up" duty, either you can't hack it and need to step it up/transfer or the staffing sucks and you need to do what you can to manage or get the heck out.
For all those who have to work nights because of family obligations...more power to you. And those who get at least $5 more/hour...the same. But I will forever wonder why poeple subject their bodies to such abuse for, say, $1 or 2 more/hour. I'll bet the fat cats who run the hospital are even more dumbfounded. If there are no dayjobs, I'd prefer risking a strike and make them pay proper compensation for shortening my life rather than continuing to humiliate myself.
You ranted on an internet post about this an expected everyone to give you a shoulder to cry on? How about put your big girl panties on and stop ranting on the internet and DEAL WITH IT.
This is so typical of day shift. Up front I am not an RN yet still a tech, and we get the same thing. For instance I was the only tech for 25 patients on cardiac unit the other night (we were shot as always) believe me there are plenty Q2's and Q4's to keep us busy (we just get to wake people up to do it). Plus as mentioned we get all the Q24's that the day shift doesn't. we also get plenty of post ops and admits, but no unit secretary or admit/discharge nurse to help out( days has two ad/dis nurses and a secretary to help out) we are also the ones expected to straighten out the paper work to make it match how it really is. For me this takes about an hour in its self, and I know the nurses are doing the same thing with the mar. If were so easy there wouldn't be a waiting list to go to dayshift.
NIGHT SHIFT ONLY READ BEYOND THIS POINT
Do you think they bought it? Keep quiet, If they knew about the retractable disco ball and party lights they would all want to join our shift. What did you buy online last night with all the extra money you are making? Me I didn't buy anything I was too busy sleeping in an empty room from all the discharges day shift did.
i understand the having your sleep schedule off, and not being able to adjust on days off. i am talking about the work that needs to be done. anytime i have to pass anything off to nights they act like i'm a lazy nurse, when in reality i've been on my feet all day long.
i'm not here to start all this conflict. you don't need to curse at me or say i'm dumb, ignorant...need a reality check or whatever. just chill people. bring it down a notch.
and, all you icu nurses out there kudos, i wouldn't like being an icu nurse. i suspect no matter what time of day it is the icu stays the same. being as i've never worked there i wasn't really talking about you. now you too can calm down. ugh...
shift differential has never been about the actual work involved. for example, a day shift nurse who gets weekend or holiday differential is not doing any more work than the day shift nurse who worked friday. shift differential is given to fill positions that fewer people wish to work. if everyone wanted to work nights, then day shift would be paid more. that is the nature of the market and has nothing to do with the actual work performed.
for that matter, why do nurses who have more years of experience or who have worked longer at a facility get paid more than the new grad or someone who has only a few years of experience? isn't the work exactly the same?
plenty of people have answered your question without being rude, many of whom have worked both day and night shifts. you've been given some very valid answers to your question, so your belligerent responses are rather puzzling. are you not open to reconsidering your position? if not, why did you post the question? i promise you that the world won't fall around your feet if you admit that perhaps you are wrong in some of your assumptions.
K... so I'm not a nurse yet but OP you're being completely rediculous... I mean come on, I deal with this type of thing at every job I've ever had, "this person does less than me for X reason and it's completely unfair for Y reason."
What I don't understand is this - how in the world are you surprised and upset as seen on page 5 by all the offense when you blatantly disregard and entire group of nurses? And furthermore, how are you still thinking your justified in your attitude?
Here are your options, and the AN community has nothing to do with your options -
1. Get over it (this is probably your best option). So what if they think you are lazy. Who cares? Do your job the best you can, if you know you are in the right then let it go, and don't socialize with them. No one is asking you guys to be friends.
2. Confront them. This may or may not get you anywhere, but it's clearly bothering you so it may be worth a shot (just don't tell them they spend all night shopping online).
3. Find a new job. I would suggest a night shift.
So instead of doing exactly what your night shift nurses are doing to you, except on a MUCH larger scale, how about you grow up and deal with this really... REALLY minor issue as an adult?
Wow. Well from my point of view and from the responses the OP has written it seems as though they may be a tad bit self absorbed. Maybe they don't understand what is like to work nights. Maybe they don't realize that if you want to see your family you must adjust your sleep cycle. Maybe they think that no one adjusts their sleep cycle because they don't have families or lives.
I think the OP is only going to see things her way and that is that. Maybe night shift is complaining because you always give them extra work and they always have everything done when you come in? I worked in a factory and often times 3rd shift was the easiest but we still got the extra money because of the major disruption of a normal life.
Walk a mile in a nights shifters shoes before you speak next time and maybe be a little more mature.
I've done a year of each. I am staying on days because it is worth it to me to have a normal schedule. I do PRN shifts elsewhere now to make up the deficit in my family's budget and even working an extra shift is worth every hour of time spent away just to have a normal day/sleep cycle.
Night shift doesn't get paid enough in many hospitals...
BaByNuRsE07, BSN, RN
15 Posts
Awww ignorance is bliss and the grass is always greener.
I remember the first time I volunteered to work 11p-7a to cover for a call-out when I worked on the General Surgery unit. I was so excited! I mean the night shifters were almost always ready to give report on-time, they rarely left tasks for day shifters. It had to be easier than days. I came to work sauntering in with my hair and make-up done, uniform freshly-pressed and my personal laptop because I knew I would have enough down-time to work on my paper for my RN-BSN class. HA!! I worked just as hard during those 8 hours than I did during my usual 12hr day shift. Between assessing all patients, scheduled and PRN meds, hanging TPN, lab draws, chart checks, total care patients to turn q2h, code browns and direct admits from the ER-all with the help of 2 CNA's (30+ patients), and no secretary or transport (none scheduled after 2300). I truly felt the hospital got their money's worth out of me that night even with the shift diff, overtime pay and code-census pay! I learned thatnight, the reason night shift appeared easy, was because there was an excellent group of nurses who worked their butts off every night and made it looked that way:yeah:.
With that said, when I had the opportunity to transfer from Med-Surg to OB I switched to nights. Understand though, there are some nights in which I go for hours holding my urine or clock-out with no lunch-just like days. There are some nights in which I have to stay late because of a change of shift admission, sending a pt to OR for tubal ligation, doctor comes in early to circumcise baby, IV infiltrates, antepartum goes into labor-just like days. I still pass meds, assess, intervene, educate and document-just like days. If patients didn't need care at night, the hospital sure as heck wouldn't pay me to be there.
However, three years in and I am seriously considering switching back to days. My body is really beginning to show signs of wear and tear from being up all night and not receiving the proper amount of rest it needs. I think I have mild depression, have definitely gained weight, I'm exhaused all the time, I now have migraines and don't get me started on my reproductive issues. So yes, I think I deserve the extra $3.50 for eve and $5 for nights. Actually, I KNOW I deserve a lot more because my health and my time are worth it!