It has taken several years and a little perspective, but I think I am finally in a position to provide an unbiased perspective on the pros and cons of working the night shift as a nurse.
First, let me give you a little reality check about your options as a new nurse. For new grads, especially in this tougher than usual job market for nurses (not for long by all predictions), it might not be a matter of choosing between day shift and night shift.
When I first graduated from nursing school, my options were a night shift at this nursing home or a night shift at a different nursing home down the street. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially since my biorhythms seem to point toward the moon more than the sun. Here are the pros and cons of the night shift.
Night Shift: Pros
- Time is on your Side: As a new grad, the slower pace and lessened urgency of the night shift provides an excellent opportunity to get your feet wet as a nurse (hopefully not literally but be prepared for anything). You can take the time to learn the fundamentals and finer details of your new profession.
- Personal Time: Do your daytime errands on the way home instead of stressing out with the rest of the “9-5” world, trying to squeeze everything in between five and six and standing in long lines to do it.
- Show me the Money: Night shift salaries typically run higher than day shift ones. And since you are sleeping during all those prime “shopping spree” hours, this could make for a double benefit to your savings account.
- Fewer Office Politics: Sometimes it may be just you and another nurse or you and a couple nurse’s aides on duty, as darkness falls with only the faint blinking of IV monitors lighting patient rooms.
Night Shift: Cons
- Biorhythms: Teaching your body to sleep during the day can be tricky. However, most hospitals now schedule nurses in 12 hour shifts, therefore if you accept a 7pm-7am shift, you will only have to make this transition a few times per week.
- Attention Parents: Working the night shift and still being available (not necessarily alert, but conscious nevertheless) to manage your children’s school and extracurricular activities, even with the help of your significant other, can be a tricky balancing act.
- Morning People: If you are less of a vampire and more of a sun bather… you might want to keep hunting for that elusive day shift job.
Stay tuned for the same comparison in regards to the nursing day shift. Happy job hunting!
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I work day shift. I work non stop with very little break in my day.
Doctors in and out. Going with the patient for procedures. I work in ICU. 5-7 doctors on one case all writing orders. Now when the night shift comes on, sometimes there are still things left to do.
Especially if the orders where written after 5:00 pm. I am sooo tired of the attitude I get from many of the night nurses. They appear to think that I have done nothing all day and that every order should be completed. They seem to have a problem if there are any orders they have to complete on there 12 hour shift. They have 12 hours. Very few doctors come in at night and write more orders.
So get over it night shift. You have 12 hours, you can do some of the work too.
Gail, you seem to be forgetting that hospitals more than not staff extremely light during the nights. Night shifters get the short end of the stick when it comes to ‘help’. Some times there can be unexpected crises and things that happen and they can easily get overwhelmed since it is a ’skeleton’ crew most of the time. Day shifts typically have plenty of help compared to the night, so maybe you should fix your attitude a little bit and realize that there are more people working for the good of patients than just yourself. I’ve worked days as well as nights so I’ve seen both sides of the spectrum. Days can be tough, but you ABSOLUTELY MUST be understanding of the night shift and be very appreciative of them and what they do. If you have a little bit left over, don’t just leave it all for the night shift, try to do what you can before they get there, because sometimes extra work just isnt an option with the lack of personnel at night.
Gail, you must be a new nurse, or < 5yrs in nursing??