Why shift diff nights when days are so busy?

leslie :-D · Dec 11, 2007

i just started working nocs (for the first time in my career), around 1.5 mos ago.

i am paid significantly more, but honestly agreed to it, to help out w/an unexpected opening.

the thing is, my hospice pts do not have a sleep cycle.

they sleep whenever they can, presuming we are able to ablate the acuity of their symptoms.

we have the same amt of nsg staff at noc, less the zillion other staff present.

so, in that aspect, it is quieter.

but as emmanuel stated, you need to tell my pts they cannot crash, spiral downward or die on my time.

the nurses are it.

i can't grab a doctor to help in the many, blazing fires.

i run my a$$ off, as does everyone else.

groans/moans, sounds of heaving/puking, smells of infectious diarrhea and profuse bleeds, fill the hallowed hallways.

when the day staff comes in, they don't even ask about my noc.

they can see it on my face, hair and uniform.

furthermore, i don't have a danged life anymore.

my days off, are spent trying to catch up on sleep.

when awake, i am cranky and groggy.

my whole life has been turned upside, and my family certainly notices the change in me.

reading and internet?

are you for real?

sure, i'll have a bon bon.

but as i wolf down this candy, please make sure there's someone to heimlich me, as i scurry down to mrs. b's room, choking and dribbling melted choc down my chin.

give me well-staffed mayhem, anytime.

leslie

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2007

When I worked night shift, day shift was much worse off in terms of the work, but I felt like a walking zombie all the time. My eyes felt like I had sand in them, all I did was sleep, I had no life and I was very cranky. After personally experiencing that, I've come to learn that night shifters deserve every single extra penny they earn.

I have to aggree 100% with this, I work my socks off on a day shift but I would rather do that than work nights, I feel so ill doing nights. I think is is only fair that night shift workers get more money.

THANK YOU NIGHT SHIFT WORKERS you are the unsung hero's. Everybody is quick to criticise but I think you are all great

leslie :-D · Dec 11, 2007

but i would like to add, if nurses have the time to surf, read and chow, perhaps some duties should be delegated to nocs.

it would take a much-needed burden off of days/eves, and fill the empty time on nocs.

leslie

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2007

I've worked nights for 7 years and only recently switched to days. How many times at night had it gotten a little busy and the nurses complain about the day people : "they think all we do is sleep." The night diff at my hospital is 5 bucks an hour, plus the extra shift bonus is 50 dollars more--200 rather than my 150.
So I went to days. Now for less money I get families, nutritionists, case managers, social workers, doctors, multiple orders that need to be done now, CT and X-ray calling to tell me to change the order because they can't do the exam for reason #12; every manager in the hospital all over the staff, etc etc. Yesterday I had 3 discharges at the same time, and in walks my direct admit for chemo with a portocath that didn't work. A half hour before shift change, here comes my ER admit and a heavy ICU transfer at the same time. The thing is, this is a normal Monday.
And for working my butt off I get less money. I've worked hard at night, sure, but that was my choice. I will testify that the bulk of the night people at my facility put on the ipod at 11:00 and sit reading, or surf the internet, or sit around visiting. A lot of free time in between calls. Unheard of during the day. So my issue is, why should nights be more money? For staying up? I think it's crazy given the workload that nights are given so much more. Obviously I'm going back to nights after the holidays.
Just a consideration, to give money to those who work hardest.

Been there

Done that

Hey wake me up before day shift gets here ehhhh:lol2::balloons:

nurz2be · Dec 12, 2007

My mom worked nights as an RN for almost 38 years. This is what she told me about nights.... There are CONSIDERABLY less CNA's on the floor to assist with things like toileting, pulling up in the bed, answering those funny little lights (not at all funny), doctors who "appreciate an update call during the day" will YELL at you for any such notion during the night (if not immediately in a life threatening situation and even then a call to a doc at oh let's say 2-4 am is HIGHLY discouraged). It seems as though the patient's who are the most obnoxious either by choice or by trauma sleep during the day and are awake with the little red button in hand all night. Due to day nurses being overrun with labs, families, doc rounds, and various other interruptions, the night nurses are "encouraged" to have those things tidy up by morning, as previously stated "since they don't have things to keep them busy." My mom always said that the main issue with working nights is that when something goes wrong during the day, as it always does, there is an enormous support staff to assist with these issues. At night, staff is minimal and those things that always go bump in the night, bump without prejudice of whether the sun is out or not. So, that being said, I personally think ALL nurses should be paid more than they are, but I also think that the night nurses get the pay differential rightfully so.

leslie :-D · Dec 12, 2007

if working nocs is such a picnic, why don't we see nurses banging down the door, to work these hard-to-fill slots?

most people do not want to work nocs.

according to the laws of supply & demand, the less there is, the more it's worth.

the extra $ i make, means squat to me.

i still want my days back.

leslie

rn/writer, RN · Dec 12, 2007

In addition to all the reasons mentioned above, I can give you a really good rationale for the noc shift differential. It all comes down to supply and demand. When people start lining up for nights, when new nurses grumble about having to work days for their first two years, when folks start asking how long they'll have to wait until there's an opening on the 1900 or 2300 shift, then we might see some changes.

On another note, there are many units where the clock is meaningless. ED, any critical care unit, OB, any dementia unit, psych, and, until the babies learn how to tell time, postpartum. I'm sure there are others.

Finally, the lack of ancillary staff and phone contact can be a curse or a blessing.

I work noc shift by preference. That means I'm getting a differential to work my shift of choice. If I had to start coming in days, I'd want a premium of at least $15 an hour. That's how nocturnal I am. Fortunately, I think that ol' supply and demand concept will keep me safe for the foreseeable future.

MichaelFloridaRN · Dec 12, 2007

I work in SICU 7P to 7A. The main reason why I do this is because of the money. Until a year ago, I worked 7A to 3P Monday to Friday at the same hospital in Psych. Great hours, sorry pay.

In Psych the work at night is harder, most people that go crazy tend to do this at night, less staff and all the known things such as cleaning up, checking charts, MARs, etc.

In ICU I was on days for the first 3 months, then went to nights. I do not think that nights are easier at all. First of all, you as the nurse give baths to both of your Pt's, along with all the other Pt care, paper work. Anytime we have a head Pt going bad, its STAT CT. I think that many times we do more traveling to CT then days does! Many times we have no secretary, have to wake up the docs, who seems to hate night nurses for that very reason. We work hard to make sure the Pt's get the best care, and one of the day nurses gets an award from the family for great Pt care, cause the families hardly ever meet us.

I could go on and on, what it all boils down to is the little bit of extra money we make is why most of us are there(most of the people i have talked to are). Yes at times nights is a bit more quiet then days, but those nights are seldom and few.

During days the phone will ring and wake you, the mailman will ring the door bell, the Jehovah's witnesses will come by and attempt to convert you, the neighbor cutting the grass with a 20 year old lawn mower and broken muffler,( INSERT PROBLEM HERE WHY YOU CANT SLEEP:angryfire),etc.

Make sense why night shift should be paid better?

sailornurse · Dec 12, 2007

during days the phone will ring and wake you, the mailman will ring the door bell, the jehovah's witnesses will come by and attempt to convert you, the neighbor cutting the grass with a 20 year old lawn mower and broken muffler,( insert problem here why you cant sleep:angryfire),etc.

make sense why night shift should be paid better?

don't forget the ice cream truck with it's dingy-dingy bell that you can hear from 5 miles away!!!!! (wish i had a shotgun:devil:)

Bluehair · Dec 12, 2007

I worked nights full time for years, only swapped to days because DH was having a hard time with my continuously changing schedule. I do agree, nights deserves a premium for all the reasons listed here already.

BUT - Johnny Moo Man also has a point. It has been fairly common for night shift employees I know to assume day shift has it easier than they do because there are more resources assumed to be available. That has not been the case in many hospitals I have worked at. I work ICU - and during my normal shift, I am likely to transfer at least one of my patients to the floor, possibly both. Then get an admit from the ER within 10 minutes of getting a fresh postop. Then I need to take the ER pt to CT scan -

no transport team, it's me and the CT Tech, and Resp. Therapy if they are on a vent. While I am gone, one of my co-workers is responding to a Code on the floor. The remaining nurse is responsible for the rest of the 5 patients in the ICU (her 2, code nurse's 2, my other pt) while prepping to receive the Code patient. We have no day shift house supervisor, because they assume the director will be available to assist. Except he is in a meeting or busy elsewhere and not available.

So. Bottom line, we all work hard, and enjoy the times we get to chill and socialize for a while on the quieter shifts. In my experience, those quiet moments happened more consistently on night shift than day shift, which is how I read Johnny's original post.

Just my 2cents.

NYCRN16 · Dec 12, 2007

If you think nights are easier, than come work in my ER, and you will see how there are NOT less visitors, there are probably more because now they are off of work and can stay a while :uhoh3:

Oh yeah, and there are 12 nurses giving report to 5 who are expected to care for the same amount of patients, among many other things.

I would think that many other units like L+D and all of the ICU's would be the same. Patients like to code and develop other problems at night. Especially 6 am right before you leave :devil:

Agnus · Dec 12, 2007

Generally speaking day shift is more popular because it is in line with normal life. So many hospitals offer the differential as an incentive to work nights.

Granted some of you lovely night shift folks thrive on nights. I have worked my share. Granted most of the time they were slower than day shift. as in not so hectic. There are times though that nights demand more experience and judgement and deserve more pay just for that. You have very little support or resouces at night.

On days I have a ton of people to keep me out of trouble with a patient.

Some places have trouble finding enough people wanting to work nights and thus the incentive.