I worked nights for a year. You are right it was a really fun crew. We seemed to get all the admissions on nights. I was never able to get my body used to it though. I could never sleep well during the day. I could never get it dark enough, quiet enough, or cool enough to really get into that deep sleep. I gained weight despite not really changing what I was eating. My blood pressure became a lot harder to manage and I always felt like low level sick. My mental health really suffered, too. Days were a lot busier and more tiring but so much better overall. Sometimes I miss working 12s and having days off during the week bit I also REALLY like being home on weekends and holidays. I work in case management now.
I am a soon-to-be nursing student, but for now I'm a night shift 911 dispatcher and you pointed out all of the things that are true for us too! Luckily my crew/shift is AMAZING so we all get along and lift each other up. We call dayshifters "normies" because we feel a bit like freaks and geeks (way more fun!) and dayshifters seem so normal and boring and rigid lol... boring!
Doing nights longer than 2-5years has intense health effects for sure. Rotating is even worse- the worst of worst for health. From what I've learned, night shift is always "higher need" aka fewer people want to do it thus it's given to new grads with zero bargaining power. It's easy to entice new grads with the night shift differential as well. However many units have openings for both and turn down a new grad for days leaving the day spot still open.... In a perfect world, sure fill in night shift bump your senior night rns to days to fully fill in- however I've seen where spots still stay open and then everyone is leaving because of staffing regardless- kind of shooting yourself in the foot there. I so appreciate you empowering people to quit! For anyone thinking new grads can't get days in hospitals- that's simply not true. Be upfront about why, explain you can learn quickly (and you can legit always switch to nights if it doesn't work), you will get offers. Night shift more type B, type A stick up butts - days lol. I physically cannot do nights and am starting on days but I have years of experience as aide on days and understand the chaos. Fewer aides at night, more intense/intimidating waking up docs for orders. One thing is that high desire specialties hire into only nights to start regardless of experience level because they can (supply and demand)-- peds, maternal services, NICU, if you don't want to then there's 40+ other applicants who are willing to. I also don't care for having no idea when you would get shifted to days- could be 6mos, could be 3 years... I loved managers trying to spin about a person shifting 2 mos in to try to convince me to accept nights. I do think fatigue for night shift nurses increases errors/causes safety issues but the flow of night shift makes this less critical compared to days. Maternal services near me has a purposeful mix of new grads and experienced bc the litigation risk is too high to have 80-100% New nurses in that Dept. Also nights: demented patients/sundowning/delirium. Nights exacerbates mental health issues with circadian rhythm disruption, in an already demanding emotion/mental/physical field. Also EPIC POTLUCKS for nights, and no management 🙌.
I graduated nursing school December of 2018. I landed my first job and did nights for almost a year and days for about 8 months and at that time I freaking HATED NIGHTS. However, I left that job and I’ve been working on the NICU for almost a year now.. I started as a rotator and now I work only night shift. I love might shift with the tiny ones!!
13 years of night shift here 👋 as a Respiratory Therapist.. my goal is to work one DAY shift (Saturday 😂) per week and live with rental income money .. then I’ll just pick up a night shift here and there … even though I love the night crew I feel like I need to take care of my body
Not a nurse but I was a travel CNA for 2.5 yrs on night shift, now I’m a pharm tech doing days and I really don’t like it lol. I work M-F in the pharmacy and every other weekend I’d pick up CNA shifts for nights… my body hates me 😂
I worked nights for a year. You are right it was a really fun crew. We seemed to get all the admissions on nights. I was never able to get my body used to it though. I could never sleep well during the day. I could never get it dark enough, quiet enough, or cool enough to really get into that deep sleep. I gained weight despite not really changing what I was eating. My blood pressure became a lot harder to manage and I always felt like low level sick. My mental health really suffered, too.
Days were a lot busier and more tiring but so much better overall. Sometimes I miss working 12s and having days off during the week bit I also REALLY like being home on weekends and holidays. I work in case management now.
I am a soon-to-be nursing student, but for now I'm a night shift 911 dispatcher and you pointed out all of the things that are true for us too! Luckily my crew/shift is AMAZING so we all get along and lift each other up. We call dayshifters "normies" because we feel a bit like freaks and geeks (way more fun!) and dayshifters seem so normal and boring and rigid lol... boring!
Doing nights longer than 2-5years has intense health effects for sure. Rotating is even worse- the worst of worst for health. From what I've learned, night shift is always "higher need" aka fewer people want to do it thus it's given to new grads with zero bargaining power. It's easy to entice new grads with the night shift differential as well. However many units have openings for both and turn down a new grad for days leaving the day spot still open.... In a perfect world, sure fill in night shift bump your senior night rns to days to fully fill in- however I've seen where spots still stay open and then everyone is leaving because of staffing regardless- kind of shooting yourself in the foot there.
I so appreciate you empowering people to quit! For anyone thinking new grads can't get days in hospitals- that's simply not true. Be upfront about why, explain you can learn quickly (and you can legit always switch to nights if it doesn't work), you will get offers.
Night shift more type B, type A stick up butts - days lol. I physically cannot do nights and am starting on days but I have years of experience as aide on days and understand the chaos. Fewer aides at night, more intense/intimidating waking up docs for orders.
One thing is that high desire specialties hire into only nights to start regardless of experience level because they can (supply and demand)-- peds, maternal services, NICU, if you don't want to then there's 40+ other applicants who are willing to. I also don't care for having no idea when you would get shifted to days- could be 6mos, could be 3 years... I loved managers trying to spin about a person shifting 2 mos in to try to convince me to accept nights.
I do think fatigue for night shift nurses increases errors/causes safety issues but the flow of night shift makes this less critical compared to days. Maternal services near me has a purposeful mix of new grads and experienced bc the litigation risk is too high to have 80-100% New nurses in that Dept.
Also nights: demented patients/sundowning/delirium. Nights exacerbates mental health issues with circadian rhythm disruption, in an already demanding emotion/mental/physical field. Also EPIC POTLUCKS for nights, and no management 🙌.
This video was really great. Thank you!!
I’m so glad it was helpful! 🥰
I graduated nursing school December of 2018. I landed my first job and did nights for almost a year and days for about 8 months and at that time I freaking HATED NIGHTS. However, I left that job and I’ve been working on the NICU for almost a year now.. I started as a rotator and now I work only night shift. I love might shift with the tiny ones!!
13 years of night shift here 👋 as a Respiratory Therapist.. my goal is to work one DAY shift (Saturday 😂) per week and live with rental income money .. then I’ll just pick up a night shift here and there … even though I love the night crew I feel like I need to take care of my body
I wake up at 5 am now to work at Starbucks, I'm ready for the day shift😁🙌
Yes you are!!! 😍
Love your videos on point
Glad you like them! Thanks for the support.
Not a nurse but I was a travel CNA for 2.5 yrs on night shift, now I’m a pharm tech doing days and I really don’t like it lol. I work M-F in the pharmacy and every other weekend I’d pick up CNA shifts for nights… my body hates me 😂
And then there's the evening shift! :D
LOVE THIS!!