Would you ever go back to night shifts once you’d stopped?

[EachandEveryone]

It’s been two years and I love my day shifts (nurse) but recently I’m sick of the day time politics and of been pulled in all directions. The night nurses do not want to come onto days staying anxiety etc. Everyone in them 🤔 I get it when I was in my twenties I could do seven nights and it wouldn’t have any affect at all. I stopped because I had surgery and my blood pressure was very high. Two years later I’m looking at the empty pizza boxes on a morning in the staff room and them all looking nice and fresh going out for breakfast together and im wondering would I be mad to go back wards and ask to do one week a month? This would be three nights. I know our boss is keen to have the night staff come into more days so no one will say no, I’m just not sure if it suits someone in their 50’s. Anyone gone back to nights?

4 years since I did night shifts, now all day shifts also a nurse.
I will never go back to nights if I can help it.
Politics is a pain. I ignore, smile and leave the office as much as possible

I am almost 40, have been doing a mix of days and nights (usually both in the same week) for my whole career. I doubt many people go back to nights once they have stopped. I do know they are very bad for your health due to fucking with your circadian rhythms. But, really I wanted to ask where do you work where the nights are so nice that the staff get to eat pizza and look fresh at the end of a shift? Maybe once or twice a year I have the kind of night shift where we would have had time for ordering and eating pizza, but have probably never looked nice and fresh at the end of it in my life!!!

I've done permanent nights for years and never thought I'd say this but starting to struggle and having a re think. Sick of feeling so knackered all the time and just sleeping on my days off.

I've done a few days recently and feel so much better for it. Spoke to my Matron yesterday and she wants me on days because I miss out on so much being on nights all the time (I'm a band 7) so yeah I'm considering going on days and probs won't be going back on nights although I'll miss the money!

Yes the money I miss. I also cut down to 33 hours. So lost about £500 in one go. I now do a couple of banks a month. It’s true I can’t imagine sitting on the bus in the morning traffic for an hour going home. However the traffic is so much better these days. I can’t bite my tongue anymore now I am in my fifties and the politics in the day is really getting on my nerves. Being swapped from bay to bay no continuation of care at all. The bosses taking an hour breaks when we are on our knees etc. I thought three nights might not be too upsetting

I'm 48, nine years of waking nights in hostels currently averaging 55+hpw 11ht shifts.. I'd never go back on days. Came off yesterday morning, slept a couple of hours, mooched about, spent 3hrs cooking an Indian meal from scratch and crashed out at ten. Up at 6 and drove an hour each way to go sea kayaking for 4 hours. Now at the chippy. I'll be up until ten. Rain tomorrow so no idea what to enjoy then car boot Sunday, bug lunch and into bed before another six nights...during which I get around four useable hours each day to clear my chores so i can have fun when I'm off. Day staff are all way more miserable and gave way less fun than my night team.

I’m considering it. I did nights for years and moved to days about 5 years ago when my dses didn’t need me at home so much.

I hate the politics as well and really feel I just can’t keep with the pace much longer. It feels relentless, the phones don’t stop, constant hassle from management. On the other side, I always hated nights and didn’t sleep well. I’ve don’t 20 years as a nurse, I think I might just be tired of the job😩

One word of caution is there is very little career progression on nights and I don’t think you are valued as much, even if you do work hard and do paperwork, care plans and audits etc as I always used to.

A week of nights a month might just be tiring because you are having to switch rapidly from days to nights and back. A month of each might be better for your body to adjust.

Career progression is hardly on my mind I’m 25 years in. The thing is on days I have the same people in charge all the time and I’m forever been told if anything goes wrong it’s my responsibility. Just so they don’t have any. Also they switch me around to suit them even though continuation of care is so important. I’m thinking three nights a month just for the break tbh!