I am an LPN currently working in a clinic M-F 8-5. I like my job but I have never been away from my 1-year-old this much, and I miss her dearly. I dont like putting her in daycare 5 days a week for 8 hours.
I have an opportunity to take a position at the hospital in OB (which is my passion, and what I have always done part time) I would jump on this, but it is an overnight position. I just don't know if I could stay sane! It would be 2-3 days a week 7p to 7a. I would be doing what I love and I would be home more with my daughter, but I really don't know if I could stay sane, or when I would get sleep on those days!
Also, On my days off, I would sleep at night with my family, and I would have to "adjust" every week. I just dont know.
Any advice or opinions?
Thank you
JaJa
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January 3rd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Nights are really hard on you. I have done them for 3 years and would kill for day shift. The sleep deprivation on your days off will be the thing that gets you.You never really feel like yourself. I have 2 children, one was a preschooler when i started nights. The ideal thing would be to hold out for a 12 hour day shift in the area you love. Night shift has hidden hours that you need for sleep. you have to sleep the day before and the day after you work a shift which keeps you away from your family even more of their awake hours. I would only consider doing 1 or 2 nights a week and just until I got to day shift which I would set a limit to how long I waited (like 6 months).
Good luck and be patient.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
I agree with Amy, It is really hard on you and only some people are trully able to adjust to it. I don’t know if you ever really adjust completely. You are always tired!!! But if it is something you think you need to do, I would try to get a sitter for a couple of hours after your shift so that you can at least get a couple hours of sleep. Good luck with your decision.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:13 am
I worked night shift for 23 years 11p-7a. It is the perfect shift for school age children because you can get your sleep in while they are in school and you don’t miss out on anything they do.But you can’t do it and expect to keep up with a 1 year old. You have to sleep sometime no matter when you work. And if you are working while your little one sleeps then you will be sleeping while she is awake. Your work will suffer and so will family life if you don’t get enough sleep. I would hold out for a day shift job or maybe evenings will work better for you.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:42 am
i have a 5 y/o preschooler and i have worked nights for 2 yrs. at one point in time my husband and i both worked nights. here recently he went to days which makes me feel guilty when I sleep but the guilt is a better guilt then the guilt i had when my son was spending his last few hours awake with a sitter and put to bed by a sitter, and it was even his own house and bed….nights is tiring and you do feel as if your sleeping alot but i work when my family sleeps and im home when they are home….even as tiring and stressfull as it is…it works better with kids…and its a specialty you love? that doesnt come around often, and no offense it may not come again for awhile if the hospitals where you are, are like they are here……LPN’s are being phased out of hospitals
January 4th, 2008 at 9:54 am
On nights you are sleeping in the daytime and working in the night.
On days you are working in the daytime and sleeping at night.
You still only get the late afternoon together and you’re sleep is messed up too.
I’d stick with the day shifts; tho the 12hr shifts would give you more whole-days off while she’s still at home – but then you miss out as much when you’re working those 12hr shifts.
Only way I’d see of improving your time with her is to go part-time, then what you lose in earnings, you’d roughly save on no day-care fees and the bonus of more time with your daughter.
If it’s financially viable for you then I’d suggest part0time – because you can’t put a price on ‘time’ that you won’t see again.
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
My advise is to keep it a temporary fix until you can get the position/shift/place you truly want. I have a 5 month old little girl & I work 3 nights in a progressive care unit. My husband works full-time during the days. While I am tired, I am able to keep up with her (for now while she stills naps BID). I feel better knowing I am raising her, not some daycare & I am still contributing to our income. We have agreed to do this until she gets bigger & stays awake longer-then I will do 1 or 2 nights only. Good Luck!
January 25th, 2008 at 10:15 am
i have worked nights for 20 yrs. definitely takes some adjusting. i have a 2 yr old at home. i am temporarily assigned to a day shift position post surgery, and i miss my son terribly. i don’t want to miss any of his firsts, and i don’t want someone else spending more waking hours with him then i do. nursing should be a passion and profession. if you are happier at work you will be happier at home. for those who are very tired working nights, they probably have not been able to fully entrain, or shift their circadian rhythms. i have always followed studies on night shift work, improving sleep, sleep deprivation, circadian rhythms, biological clocks and hormone fluctuation. my advice to you. Get your foot in the door in the unit you want. educate yourself on best practice with regard to night shift work, sleep, health, diet, excercise, etc to give yourself every advantage that you and your family deserve. you can to an extent retrain your circadian rhythms,and reduce or eliminate the overall sleep debt that most night shift workers struggle with. i have just completed a 20 page comprehensive guide reviewing all aspects of nurisng actions to improve these areas. it will be followed up by a study of circadian rhythms, bilogical clocks, etc. it is currently being reviewed by advocate, and if you are interested in its’ content feel free to e-mail me @[email protected]
i just had this forwarded to me, so i hope you still have this opportunity available to you. good luck