The other day I got a text to work night shift, 7p-7a. Well by the time I read the text it was already 3 pm & needless to say I wasn't going to get very much sleep beforehand if I was to work that shift so I compromised & told the floor supervisor that I would work until 2 am. Now mind you this is my first hospital job & working nights was of course something I'd never done, so I was interested to see what it was all about.
Can I just say how much I love night shift? I mean talk about a MUCH more relaxed environment, I mean whoa the difference between night & day is, well, like night & day ;) If you've worked night shift you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. No baths, no feedings, no visitors, no office personnel, I mean strictly meds & paperwork. Uh hello night shift glad to have met you.
So here's what I'm thinking. I never thought I could do night shift. I always thought I'd be WAY too tired & that I'd never get my sleep cycle to function that way, but of course I've never tried. The night shift nurses look pretty perky if you ask me, actually better than the day shift nurses. So now I'm thinking I might like to try that. Add to this the fact that they get paid more, hello! It actually looks pretty good to me, but of course I was only there until 2 am :D I don't know that I could have done another 5 hours, especially since I didn't have any more vitals to get for 4 more hours & I was getting sort of sleepy by that point. BUT had I napped before hand, who knows? I'm thinking the best hours ever would be to work Tuesday day & then Wed & Thur nights. Three days in a row but only 2 nights. Sounds good, but that's just a theory until I've actually done it huh?
It's something to think about anyway.
Any night shift nurses out there with advice?
sounds good!
ReplyDeleteat least, that's what I'm hoping for once I finish precepting and start in on night shift.
it will be a big change to get used to!
Yeah I would say so. There are a couple of tech jobs open at the hospital I want to work at, but I'm afraid to get stuck on nights, especially once school starts. I hope you like it!
DeleteI worked night shift a lot last summer, mostly because it pays more. I like the quiet. No real advice here accept make sure you get enough sleep
ReplyDeleteYeah, I wish I could try it during the summer, but our hospital doesn't have techs at night. I mean they did that one night, but I'm not sure why. I feel like summer would be the perfect time to give it a test run :)
DeleteI could never function well after working nights. Don't get me wrong, I liked the pace, the lack of busy work, and that there were fewer people (except in an emergency), but I couldn't sleep during the day. When I did sleep, I would hear monitor alarms, IV pumps, etc in my sleep. It was like I was still at work!
ReplyDeleteGirl I don't think I would have ANY problem sleeping during the day. My only thing would be would it be enough? I'm a napper by nature. I'm one of those people who can take a nap for 3 hours, get up & then still be in bed by 10 pm with no problems. So I am only afraid that I wouldn't ever feel like I got enough sleep. Too bad I can't try it on for size :)
DeleteI was going to suggest seeking out Christine at Azmomo2andcounting, because I thought she worked the night shift and many other crazy shifts. Maybe she would have good advice. The only time I've worked nights have been on med/surg during a full moon (VERY busy night, didn't sit down once), and a couple times on OB. OB is either hit or miss, mama's are going to have babies all hours of the day. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful!
ReplyDeleteHi there, I'm a nurse too and have worked night regularly for a couple of years, now I've been working nights since February or so. I love it, mainly because you can work "in peace and quiet" , yes the environment is SO much more relaxed. My ward is very busy and stressful and my health and wellbeing is so much better when I work night. The work schedule is much better also because I have more time off. Night work requires some planning though, you have to sleep before and after, plan your food and all that. But it's all worth it.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, there are many aspects with working day that I miss a lot. I have a sort of rotating schedule, so I also work days once in a while, which suits me perfectly.
Hey Susanne! Well I am excited to say that I have an opportunity this weekend to try true nights out for the first time. My boss asked if I would work Sat/Sun night & since I'm already scheduled to work Friday I told her I would. This is exciting to me b/c I think once I start working I'd like to work Monday day & Tue/Wed night. So it'll be interesting to see how I fare this weekend. :D
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