Question for nurses.....

[Candycat1212]

I have just accepted a new job on a ward and this will be my first time having to work nightshifts. Three nights every second week. So my questions is for any nurses that work or have worked nights while having small kids....Is it hard? I am a single mum to a 1 year old and a 10 year old and will be very much relying on my parents to help me out.
Realistically, have I made a mistake? Should I just stay in my current job until something comes up that suits my situation better? Or have you found nightshift to be easy with kids?

I was a nurse for many years; I never adapted to nightshifts. I always hated them. Having said that, some people prefer them and do them full time.
I found I was constantly tired when the kids were young though.

They are like Marmite. For me I felt sick, couldn't focus and was quite tearful.
Others do permanent nights for 30 years and love it.
You'll only know by trying.

Personally night shifts are not for me. Luckily I work in the community now on day shifts. I obviously did them when I first qualified when I worked on a ward (for 2 years). I found them fine then, after the 1st night I think your body adjusts. But I was early 20s and only had myself to think about. I have spent most of my career in the community. I did a brief 3 month job on a ward, I had to do 2 nights, but this time I was in my 30s with two young dc. I hated it. I felt so ill on the first night. The second night was better. My friends worked nights and it really suited them for childcare, I think your body will adjust to the night shifts eventually. Its a difficult one. Everyone's different, there's no way I'd ever work nights again, yet I know of people who would request and only what to work nights. Where are you currently working?

I did permanent nights for 10 years and loved i. But you are mixing days and nights which I would have found much more difficult.

@Tiredmum100 I'm going to be working in Acute receiving but currently I'm days only in ortho x

I always hated nights but that was nothing to do with having kids. For lots of people with children nights suits them as they sleep whilst they’re at school/nursery.

At this time of year I would try and black out your curtains and buy some earplugs. The worst part of nights is trying to get back into day mode again, or people contacting you wondering why you’re asleep in the day. 🙄

See how it goes.

I was acute receiving and loved nightshift because I didn't have an ongoing ward round happening. But the ward was just as manic as day shift.

My patients were very very sick day and night. So I was always busy.

I have a young child and I could finish shift then go home take him to school, sleep and pick him up after school.

I always felt sad on a day shift as I couldn't see him as he would be sleeping when I got home. But the reality is that we do what we can to survive. You can swap shifts with others. You will have annual leave. It won't always be hard.

@BryanAdamsLeftAnkle is Acute receiving busy? What kind of things do you do often on the ward?

If you have good, reliable childcare, it can work well. I woukd say it depends of whether your parents will cope with doing the overnights?

In my place it was manic. Mix of dementia, falls, MI, bleeds, parkinsonism, epilepsy, end of life, cancer of every kind, diabetes management. Transfusions galore, controlled drugs galore, Mental health.

Everything except acute stroke and surgical. I left recently but it was such a great learning environment and I still chat to the medics and consultants at my new place. You get a great working relationship with a wide variety of people and learn so much from them all.

A couple of years of medical receiving and you can go anywhere with confidence.

I used to do 7 nights on and 7 nights off every 6 weeks, of day shift on A&E and loved it. Extra money, and never felt tired. I did manage to sleep most of the day because my kids were older. Couldn't do them now.

Quick question? Did you not do nights during your training?

@ProclivityForPyrotechnics I did nightshifts during my training but my training was before I had kids. I've been qualified a long time, just never worked in areas where I've been required to work nights.

I was a single mum when I was training, nights killed me off. I felt sick, tearful, couldn’t concentrate etc. And I was exhausted, no way could I have driven home, got my DS ready and taken him to school. Plus the trust in trained in have shifts 7.30-8 so by time we’d had handover, got changed, walked to the staff car park (helpfully a 25 minute walk from the hospital!) then driven home I’d never have been home in time for the school run anyway!

i work in the community and I’d never ever ever go to ward work. But some people love it, is your ward day cases?

For me it’s never ever getting off on time which impacts on school drop off.
I have a husband who was obviously home with kids overnight but had to rush out of the door as soon as I got in so he was not late for work leaving me to do the school run.
So I didn’t get to bed until 9.30ish, up again at 2.45 to collect from school and make their tea.

If there was a call from school due to illness or if kids were poorly, of course I was then up all day caring for them.

Disturbed sleep, post man, daytime noises, school half terms kids noise, I was permanently exhausted, dizzy, nauseous and not myself.

My poor kids.
Bloody awful.

The money is good. It's better to do your 3 nights in a row if possible. First night is fine, second night you're tired, third night you're happy because you know you're going to be off for a few days. Nap on your break if you can.

To be honest, the one year old is the issue- the ten years old is fine. Will they be watching the younger one all day as well, so you can sleep between shifts? If not- it won't be possible, you can't look after a 1 yr old, nap, and be effective for the night as well.

I hate nights. I did them for years when my dses were young and I never got used to them.

I find them more stressful than days in that I was permanently tired, my brain doesn’t work as well as in the day and my days off seemed to be spent recovering and catching up on sleep.

I now do 9-5 which I actually love, it’s the only aspect of my job I do love but I really would be reluctant to return to night working.

The money is good though.

Plus, very very busy all night long with little chance of any breaks for the 12 (13 or 14 hours when off late)
I was a walking corpse.

I did mostly nights when mine were little and pre school age. It actually worked better for child care, as long as your parents can get 1 year old to sleep through. Basically you get them ready for bed or in bed go to work come home sort out nursery or whatever drop off, sleep, pick up and repeat!
But for a normal 13 hour shift you will probably need your parents to do school drop off. Nights are better than days when school ring you for sick child etc now that is a nightmare on a short staffed shift when you really can't leave.

I've worked nights my whole career (30 years). First on a medical elderly ward then majority on ICU. Nights were much shorter the first 12 years (9-7) and as I was much younger without kids I coped better and happily ended up doing a week of 7 with following week off. Once in my 30s-40s I massively struggled to sleep during the day. It got to the point that I was only sleeping 2-3 hours. The nights were extended (8-8:30) too although we did manage a sleep break. Since covid the break system has been altered and we aren't supposed to nap at all. Hate them with a vengence and blame them for some health issues I've developed in my 50s For me they are bad news !