Night Crawlers

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Why work Nights?

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  • patcp1
    patcp1 Posts: 9
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    I took the job on night shift to get out of my former traveling job. I stay on night shift because of the 12 percent differential I get from my employer. It all is done so I can be with my family more. I am home instead of on the road, and I do a 4 on 4 off rotation followed by a 3 on 3 off rotation.
  • peachNpunkin
    peachNpunkin Posts: 1,010 Member
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    I'm just not a morning person. I never have been. I never slept well at night, so it benefits me to work nights. Plus I don't like being micro managed. I like to be able to do my job, not everyone else's job.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
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    Rock and a hard place. our department is all nights now and i've got too much invested in the company to leave before i'm ready to go back to school.
  • joannebeecham
    joannebeecham Posts: 4
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    I love 12 hr shifts. I dont think I could stand being at work 5 days a week lol.
  • 7bel0
    7bel0 Posts: 192 Member
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    1) I hate mornings
    2) Nights here is described as "organized chaos." Days are just... ridiculous.
    3) The extra $3.50 an hour! :p ha!
  • nannanorem
    nannanorem Posts: 98 Member
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    I can't seem to get up early in the morning. I don't have to deal with the "Big Wigs"and the pay is a little better. Sometimes I wish I could do a day job for health reasons, but right now this is what I do and have been for over 10 yrs now. I noticed it is harder to lose weight though.
  • muzmacol
    muzmacol Posts: 358 Member
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    i'm required every so often during the year, just for a month, i decided to do 4 months. Good pay, no bosses, autonomous worker, take my resposibility without being second guessed.
  • CarpeDiem177
    CarpeDiem177 Posts: 6
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    First part of my career we had the choice to bid on shifts, but when I had my first child I went to graveyard to keep my wife working and save on daycare costs. I wasnt making the money I am now so we had to do whaty we had to.
  • EarthMuffin2012
    EarthMuffin2012 Posts: 7 Member
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    1. I'm a night owl.
    2. Better $ differentials.
    3. Flexibility as a mommy.
    4. Better rapport with staff and patients.
    5. I can stay late after my "second wind" in the morning if extra help is needed and I have the energy for it.
  • Cobehale
    Cobehale Posts: 54 Member
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    All of the previous reasons (not missing family events, ect) but also b/c my husband and I 'trade' off the kids ... he works days and I work nights. I'll probably still stay nights when they are older b/c I don't have to miss anything (except sleep, which I'm missing now) during the day.

    Me too! I knew it would suck to be on steady nights but the perks of being with the kids make up for it (most of the time!) Another bonus I have is working at the University - all my 5 kids can go tuition free! I was trying to get a job here for years. When the midnight one came up I KNEW that was my chance. Also, because I work in the residence, we shut down over the summer, so I get the summer with the kids!

    I have had lots of opportunities to move to days, but I would lose the summer off and they are still young enough (3-13) that it isn't an option and won't be for a long time.
  • jojomia
    jojomia Posts: 18
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    I am a night person but the main reason I do it is for my son. He has autism and is now 17 years old. This way I can be home during the day in case things don't go well at school and I have to go get him and I can be home when his bus drops him off at 3:30 every day. Plus he goes to bed around 7:30 so he hardly misses me. I love doing 12 hr shifts, 3 per week with more time off and being able to shop without the big crowds.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
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    Luck of the draw.
  • monicalynne68
    monicalynne68 Posts: 87 Member
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    I've been workig nights for 10 years. First of all, I am not a morning person. There is no way in hell you are gonna get me up and tell me I have to be at work at 7am. NOT GONNA HAPPEN! lol I used to work daylight when I was in nursing school and I hated it. I basically ran on auto pilot until 10 am when I would all of a sudden wake up! When I graduated from nursing school, I started working nights because of my kids. As I said, I can't do mornings. If I worked 3-11, I'd never see my kids. I'd leave before they got home from school and get home when they were in bed. They would forget what I look like. lol Working nights I got home and slept while they were in school. I could help them with their homework, have dinner with them and put them to bed before going back to work. It worked out so much better. Now I work weekends only 7a-7p. I love it. No doctors coming in to muck things up. No visitors, no tests, no sending patients to OR or XRAY. Most of the patients sleep. It's great!
  • jaydubbayu
    jaydubbayu Posts: 456
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    Better pay differential, that's about it!
    My dad told me a long time ago... You work for one reason... Money.
    I get my daughter ready for school every day, she's fed, clean and off to school. I take my son to the babysitter's, and we have a good little morning. That way my wife can get ready to do whatever she has to. (Student in college)
    It sucks for being a homeowner though. If I have a lot of work to do around the house, I don't want to get all tired before coming to work, so I put a lot off! OH, and working every other weekend sucks. Hospitals don't CLOSE!!!
  • aimielee
    aimielee Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm working weekend overnights so that I can do the stay-at-home mom thing during the week. Love it! It's nice to see other people here who understand. The extra pay is nice too. It can be easy to miss out on getting enough sleep so I'm working on that.

    Minus the sleep issues, I feel like I have a better family/work balance than I would if working full-time days. There is no stress trying to find childcare. I can get my kids to school in the morning and not have to rush trying to get myself ready to get out the door too. I get time to myself while my youngest is in 1/2 day Kindergarten and can shop, clean, sleep, or go to the gym during that time. After school, they get my time. I'm not exhausted from working all day.

    Biggest plus, my spouse and I aren't stressing about who will take time off work to cover the 14 - 15 weeks a year that there is no school due to inservice days, holidays, sick days, etc. We no longer need kid sick days and vacation time is actually used for family vacations. We save a fortune on not paying for childcare. I get to go to school for teacher appointments, classroom volunteering, field trips, and easily take the kids to doctor and dentist appointments. I still get to work full-time, get paid, have a pension, advance at work, have work friends.... to me this is the best of the both worlds. I love my kids and I love my job.
  • jaydubbayu
    jaydubbayu Posts: 456
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    I'm working weekend overnights so that I can do the stay-at-home mom thing during the week. Love it! It's nice to see other people here who understand. The extra pay is nice too. It can be easy to miss out on getting enough sleep so I'm working on that.

    Minus the sleep issues, I feel like I have a better family/work balance than I would if working full-time days. There is no stress trying to find childcare. I can get my kids to school in the morning and not have to rush trying to get myself ready to get out the door too. I get time to myself while my youngest is in 1/2 day Kindergarten and can shop, clean, sleep, or go to the gym during that time. After school, they get my time. I'm not exhausted from working all day.

    Biggest plus, my spouse and I aren't stressing about who will take time off work to cover the 14 - 15 weeks a year that there is no school due to inservice days, holidays, sick days, etc. We no longer need kid sick days and vacation time is actually used for family vacations. We save a fortune on not paying for childcare. I get to go to school for teacher appointments, classroom volunteering, field trips, and easily take the kids to doctor and dentist appointments. I still get to work full-time, get paid, have a pension, advance at work, have work friends.... to me this is the best of the both worlds. I love my kids and I love my job.

    That's the most positive reply to this post... good for you for being a good mom!
  • radioraven
    radioraven Posts: 89 Member
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    Because at night I don't miss anything! My family is asleep so they don't even notice I am gone. I can be here in the mornings before school, and at night when they go to bed! And on the night shift there is no pressure, no bosses, no drama. It's great!

    I agree!
  • KaseyWolf
    KaseyWolf Posts: 122 Member
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    No big bosses, not alot of families and everyone is as crazy as I am for working night shift!! I don't have a family...just 3 dogs. As long as I feed them they could care less when I am coming and going!

    Kasey
  • MereBear1985
    MereBear1985 Posts: 36 Member
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    I don't really have a choice at the level I am at in my career, we all work shift work. I actually like it because I can do stuff during the day and I end up with some weekdays off for appointments, groceries, etc. Groceries are a lot more fun when it is like 10am on a Tuesday and there is no one else in the store!
  • LisaD1021
    LisaD1021 Posts: 42 Member
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    I started working nights when I was getting divorced and needed to be able to be home weekends and during the days. Then I discovered how much I loved it. I could be there for my son in the mornings, get things done during the day when everyone else was working, and still get enough sleep to get through the 10 hour shift. During almost 11 years working nights, I only had a couple of times that I almost fell asleep driving home. I worked dayshift for 6 years and it kicked my @**! I have never been a morning person. I work swings now, I get off at 1am(not my idea) and I don't get half as much done. But I still stay up until 3 or 4 in the mornings!

    (It's also great to be able to get work done without worrying about supervisors hanging around.)

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