Anyone work nights?

naughtoj

naughtoj

Cathlete
Well, I landed my first RN job!! I have word of mouth confirmation that it is a great floor. It is a teaching hospital and a brand new wing, in one of the top neuro facilites in the US. It is on a neuro floor.

So.................for those of you that work OVERNIGHT, any tips? This will be my first experience working nights EVER. I'd love tips on surviving it! Hopefully, it might be new grad friendlier than days.....THANKS!

;-)
 
hey janice i wanted to ask if it was hard to get into a nursing program and how long it took you? nursing programs are so impacted here in california.
 
Hello!
I'm also on RN that switched to straight nights In January, and I love it! For one thing, I HATE getting up in the morning, and having to be there at 7am just didn't suit me. Also, working 7am-7pm, I found it hard to fing time to work out. When I went to 7pm-7am, I found that I could get much more stuff done BEFORE work so I could go right to bed when I got home. Plus, at night you don't have to deal with all of the comotion that accompanies it. I work in the NICU in a teaching hospital, so not only do you have parents in, you have the residents, the attendings, and all of the other extra people who are there on day shift. Nights are just much more laid back. I hope you like it!
 
i think some peoples circadian rhythms allow them to work nights. I have been a nurse for 17 years..and worked about 15 nights total. i guess i never gave it a chance. there are dozens of nurses who thrive on nights...just dont be like me and not give it long enough chance. ask some of your co-workers how they manage it. good luck and congratulations
 
Janice!! It sounds like you found a FABULOUS job! Congratulations!

I think I told you that I'll be on nights, too, after I orient on days for most of the summer...and I've never been a night person! So I'm a little nervous, and I'll be interested to hear what others have to say about making the transition.

So far, some experienced nurses have told me that nights are a great learning time -- even though it's busy, the pace may be a little slower without some of the daytime traffic. Also, I've heard that we must invest in "blackout" shades to make a dark environment for daytime sleeping. I think I'll need some kind of white noise machine, too. I know I'm going to have to be very intentional about going to bed ASAP after I get home.

Like I said, I think it will be fall before I'm actually on nights. But I started general hospital orientation this week, and I'll be on my unit the week after next. When do you get started? I'm very happy for both of us!

Congrats again,
Ally
 
i used to work nights for 7 years on a neuro floor. i had to give it up because i got to the point where i wasn't getting any sleep and that was making me ill. i like days a lot better. what helped me on nocs was i turned to phone off in my room, had blackout curtains, earplugs and an eye mask. make sure that you are getting enough sleep or you will end up with extra pounds from noc time eating for energy.
 
Good tips. I have researched it a bit, know all about the blackout shades, white noise, etc. I can't stand any type of noise when I sleep though....already sleep with earplugs..so the noise thing might be a bit of a challenge. I listened to a sample white noise machine on the internet...SO annoying!! We will see.

Ally...I start June 4. I will be orienting on nights only so I will let you know how it goes. No easy transition for me, I am just jumping in! I need to pass NCLEX ASAP though because I get paid more then, ha ha. PLUS, they are paying me to go to Kaplan review class, paying for NCLEX, AND paying for me to SIT in the Kaplan review class, which is 4 8 hour days! Can't beat that! Nights is going to be a HUGE transition for me, but I want to see what they are like. Here we go!!

About the nursing school q, it took me one semester to get in but that was a while back, it is much longer now. Plus, the requirements were a bit more strict back then atleast in my state. It took me two years to finish once in the actual nursing program classes. It is not "hard" to get into here if you are going into an ADN program...it is a lottery. If you are going to the university, a bit more competetive but by no means "hard". They are impacted here though too. I think that is almost everywhere!

Thanks for the advice! Soon I am sure I will figure out what works/doesn't work for me!}(
 
I worked nights a long time ago. I gained a lots of weight.:-( I guess from eating a big meal in the middle of the night and general lack of sleep.
For me, I got off them as soon as I could and would prefer never to do it again. Many love it. Good luck to you.
 
I've worked the graveyard shift for 13 years.

I've grown to sleeping two shifts, a 4 hour nap first thing in the am after getting off of work and usually a 2 hour nap prior to going in to work.

Weekends are tough because I shift to a day schedule to be with the rest of the family.

You need to work out a communication system with your loved ones. My family will call on my cel if its an emergency as all of the landline phone ringers are turned off during sleep times.

You will need room darkening shades for your sleep space, light is the greatest challenge to sleep. Wear sunglasses on your drive home from work, even on cloudy days.
 
I work nights as an RN and I really enjoy it. The only way I can sleep during the day is to pop 2 Benedryl right before going to bed. Without Benedryl I get 3 hours sleep max, with it I sleep allll day long!
 
I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS on your new job!

There is nothing like working in a teaching hospital -- because often you will often be the one to educate the students/residents!

I am sorry I can't offer tips about how to work out on your schedule, but I had to say contratulations on your new job!
 
Congrats on the job! I've been a nurse for a few years now and work all different shifts. Unless you are absolutely not a night person, you won't have trouble adjusting (it'll take awhile though).

Bring some healthy snacks/meals with you- it might be weird to be eating at 3am but you need to or else you'll stop at McDonalds on the way home! Just eat every couple of hours like you would normally and drink water. Try to get as much sleep as you can after work (I'm 28 and need 8 hours! Some get by on 4-6) or you'll eat badly and skip workouts.

The sucky part (for me) about nights is trying to fall asleep on an off night. Sometimes I won't fall asleep till 4-5am which kind of "wastes" the night since you can't do much when the rest of the world is asleep. I try to use this time to clean, do dishes, read, organize, watch tv so during your daytime off time you can workout, run errands, be social, etc.

If you find yourself nodding off at work, get up! Walk around, check patients, clean the counters, get a healthy snack, chat with coworkers, read a gossip mag...sitting in the quiet just makes you want to sleep more. Keeping busy makes the time fly also.

Good luck!
 
Anyone know where to get Blackout shades? I know you can use aluminum foil but I prefer not to be that ghetto plus I don't think my hubby would appreciate it! Can you get these online?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top