Will working the night shift provide more opportunity to see family on holidays?

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To all of the experienced nurses out there,

There is something that absolutely petrifies me about finishing nursing school. It's the idea of missing holidays with my small children. I do understand the holidays are part of the package and I sure don't feel more entitled or special like I shouldn't have to work them. It doesn't stop the whole thing from breaking my heart though.

Im trying to be proactive in finding the idea of a fit that may ease some of this concern for me. Clinic nursing doesn't appeal to me but I am wondering about night shift. I know I will still need to sleep but have any of you found that nights allow you to still see family on major holidays? Any other advice for me?

Thanks in advance!

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My husband works all nights(3 days a week) and it's a hard call on if it helps on holidays or not. He tends to run on very little sleep. I never could function after a nightshift nor could I function at work if I hadn't spent the day sleeping. When we both were working 12 hour shifts, we just had holidays on our day off. The kids didn't care if our Christmas was on the 23rd or the 26th, it worked for us. Those first few holidays will be hard, but you'll develop your own way of adjusting and making everything work out. If you have family near by, maybe the new tradition could be a sleepover at grandma's and Easter(or whatever) at home after Mommy catches a few hours of sleep after work. As for extended family gatherings, mine was great about scheduling on a day off after I talked to them about my less than stellar work schedule.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

It's mostly a matter of how you raise your children. Establish traditions within your family that accommodate some flexibility and you kids can grow up perfectly fine and well-adjusted. If you teach your kids that gifts must be opened at a certain time on Christmas morning and that mommy has to be there ... then you will be setting them up for some disappointments. But if you teach those same kids that it doesn't really matter what the clock says -- that what matters is that you are together as a family, enjoying the moment -- then they will happily schedule the gift opening session at a time that will fit your schedule, regardless of when that is.

If you raise your kids right, they won't care if Thanksgiving dinner is a noon ... or 6 pm ... or on Saturday. They will simply appreciate that sometime, over that holiday weekend, you all got together as a family and had a feast that celebrated your gratitude for the blessings in your life. They will be proud of your career and understand that the help you give to people is important -- and the exact timing of the celebration is not what matters in life. As they get older, they may actually appreciate the flexibility as their schedules get crazy and you all choose a time (and style) for celebrations that work best for all of you.

Raise your kids to be flexible -- a trait that will benefit them in many aspects of life -- and all will be well. Raise you kids to think that any deviations from some perfect image you have in your head ... and you'll raise kids who are bound for dissatisfaction throughout their lives. Kids will adapt and enjoy the holidays regardless of your schedule -- if you let them. Don't give them any hang-ups about having to do everything on some rigid schedule and they will be fine.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

Close to 30 years of working night shift. I can at least squeeze in a few hours working 7P-7A back to back. This year Christmas will be a wash as I work Eve and day, as will my wife. Kids will be with family for Christmas, not us. Thankfully they are older and realize any day can be Christmas. Really depends how much of a night person you are and if you can function on 4 or 5 hours sleep. Watched many moms try things to make night shift work like sleeping every other night and sleeping 2 hours a day, but ultimately, they were pretty poor at work due to exhaustion. Twenty years ago, that was overlooked, today it is disciplined to termination.

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It's mostly a matter of how you raise your children. Establish traditions within your family that accommodate some flexibility and you kids can grow up perfectly fine and well-adjusted. If you teach your kids that gifts must be opened at a certain time on Christmas morning and that mommy has to be there ... then you will be setting them up for some disappointments. But if you teach those same kids that it doesn't really matter what the clock says -- that what matters is that you are together as a family, enjoying the moment -- then they will happily schedule the gift opening session at a time that will fit your schedule, regardless of when that is.

If you raise your kids right, they won't care if Thanksgiving dinner is a noon ... or 6 pm ... or on Saturday. They will simply appreciate that sometime, over that holiday weekend, you all got together as a family and had a feast that celebrated your gratitude for the blessings in your life. They will be proud of your career and understand that the help you give to people is important -- and the exact timing of the celebration is not what matters in life. As they get older, they may actually appreciate the flexibility as their schedules get crazy and you all choose a time (and style) for celebrations that work best for all of you.

Raise your kids to be flexible -- a trait that will benefit them in many aspects of life -- and all will be well. Raise you kids to think that any deviations from some perfect image you have in your head ... and you'll raise kids who are bound for dissatisfaction throughout their lives. Kids will adapt and enjoy the holidays regardless of your schedule -- if you let them. Don't give them any hang-ups about having to do everything on some rigid schedule and they will be fine.[/quote

i wish I could like this a hundred times.

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Specializes in NICU.

With night shift, you can come home and hopefully get to bed by 0900. Then, sleep until 1400 or so and get up and go to the get together. Stay until 1800 or so and get to work by 1900. This works well for dinner-based get togethers like Thanksgiving or family BBQs. Or Thanksgiving can be a different day. Work can be an excuse to avoid a get together, too.

I always adjusted "Christmas morning" with my kids to be a day I completely didn't work. I gave up on New Year's a long time ago.

If you go to church, you might end up missing out on that. You might miss out on Easter. Halloween will probably work out okay. If you have to go out of town, you'll certainly miss something.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

IF you are willing to do without a bit of sleep, yea. I did it for years. Worked the NOC before the holiday. Spent time with the fam in the AM, put dinner in the oven and got a nap. Got up, ate and off to work.

It afforded me the ability to always be there to open presents with the kids, or have Thanksgiving with fam. You make it work.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

And yes, kids are very adaptable. It's the parents who freak out at holiday time. You make your schedule on Holidays. Kids will be happy to open presents on a different day or time. It's a good lesson for them that life is about compromise. They are not the center of the universe, etc. Being military wife and nurse, we had to celebrate on off times/days. Kids remember the holidays fondly. Hell, we were lucky to have Dad home at all during this time. Military do it all the time. Nurses can too. Be flexible.

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