TIPPINS: I think there are many benefits to providing care to patients on both shifts that you will find equally of value.

NARRATOR: In this episode, Bridget, a hospital supervisor, and Haley, a nursing team lead, discuss the benefits and challenges of working a night or day shift schedule.

TIPPINS: I have had the opportunity to do many things at Mayo Clinic. I started here as a new graduate nurse, worked on medical surgical floors, float pool, have been in two leadership roles as a hospital supervisor and as a supervisor within a department. I've been day shift. I've worked night shift. I've worked Monday through Friday, 12-hour shifts. I am back to a night shift role as a supervisor, working in hospital operations for the Department of Nursing. It's a very busy shift. Being the night shift, there is a lot of interaction between staff because it's a smaller group that works at night. People really get to know each other. One night is not like the other. It's always a different experience and allows you still to be able to stay in a leadership role in the institution.

HERNANDEZ: I also have worked different shifts before. I've worked day shift and night shift, so I think that there are benefits to both shifts. For me, the day shift works better for my life and for my family, and really for my sleep patterns. I'm a team lead on 5 West, and part of my responsibilities is to manage the unit for that 12-hour shift. I manage all of the patients, assigning them to the beds or discharging them. I also get to work a lot with my leaders. We meet almost every day. It's really nice to be able to have them as a resource to answer questions and to help you through difficult situations. There's a lot going on during the day in the sense that a lot of tests are being done, you have providers rounding, and you have maybe leaders rounding to check on the patients to see how they're doing. There's a lot of movement. There's a lot of action during the day shift, but I enjoy that part of it. That's really fun.

TIPPINS: Working night shift, it does afford you time to be at home with your family as well, so I do really appreciate that. The sleep schedule can be a little bit tough. You're up more than you typically would probably be because I, at least, sleep less during the day.

HERNANDEZ: How did you come to make the decision to change from day shift to night shift?

TIPPINS: My husband took a new job, which made him be home less than he had previously been. We had sitters at home a lot. I had worked a Monday through Friday, 40-hour a week workweek. Switching back to night shift allowed me to get my kids off the bus, get dinner made, do homework, sleep while they were at school, and then come into work and still keep the FTE (full-time equivalent) that I originally had. When my kids were really little, it was nice to work day shift but now that they're in school, the biggest draw for me was to be able to be home more with them while they were awake, and then be at work while they were asleep.

HERNANDEZ: I really love the evenings and night time with my son. It's our special time. It's our routine: a bath, get him dressed and read books. We snuggle. He's usually really tired and a little bit more open to snuggling and talking about things. I like being able to get out of work in time to get home. When he was a baby, he would be asleep before I got home, and still be sleeping in the morning when I left. That was a little bit more challenging. I felt like I didn't get to see him as often on my days that I worked. Now that he's gotten a little bit older, he's usually still up. I just come home and swoop him up. I really cherish that, and it's very important to me. You never know what will happen. Maybe when he's in school, things could change, and I could end up going to night shift.

TIPPINS: I remember that when my kids were little, I noticed my kids were saying things or doing things and I thought, I'm not here enough. I felt like I need to be there when they're awake because it seems like they're growing up a little too fast. I need to be around a little more to hear what's happening. When I was working day shift, they were in bed. All those discussions were being had with babysitters. For me, switching to nights with older kids has allowed me to catch some of that as they're doing homework and be a little bit more influential in their opinion on things. They probably couldn't care less if I was there at night, because they read books and such on their own now. It is funny how you have the options and how you can, as your life changes, change the type of work you do when you do shift work, depending upon the shifts you pick.

HERNANDEZ: It's something that I've talked to my husband about, maybe someday having a five-day-a-week job. If I continue doing three 12-hour shifts, I do worry about that time after school until dinner and bedtime. There is some time there, where you really do get a lot of information from the kids. As he gets older, it's something that I'm going to have to consider because I want to be around more for those evening times.

TIPPINS: My husband and I feel a little bit like ships (passing in the night). That can be definitely a challenge trying to figure out the moments that you can connect because you are on opposite schedules. When I have worked a Monday through Friday 40-hour workweek, it's equally challenging because there is that rush right at the end when everyone gets home around 6:30 p.m. You're trying to get everything done. You're tired. I think it's prioritizing your schedules and trying to figure out when you can focus on some time for the two of you.

HERNANDEZ: One of the things that I really like about working a day shift is I'm able to be on lots of committees. That's really exciting because I love that kind of work. I enjoy the interaction and collaboration. It takes all of us for everything to work well at Mayo Clinic. It's exciting to be able to sit at tables with people and have discussions about how we can make things better, and how we can provide the best care to our patients. I enjoy having a voice here at Mayo. Sometimes it's challenging on a day shift because you do have the day meetings. You're able to step away and go to your meeting, but sometimes you do come in on your days off just to attend meetings. I try to group them together.

TIPPINS: For me with considering committee work, being a primarily night shift employee absolutely poses a challenge. You can come in for a meeting, and you do sometimes feel a little bit out of sorts. You're a little tired. You wonder if people look at you and think, "Is she awake, because she looks a little bit tired?" Timing and scheduling your shift so that you do feel a little bit refreshed lets you put your best foot forward in the committee meeting and explain the ideas that you have to benefit the goal of the group. That can pose a challenge when you work night shift. There are not many times meetings are scheduled at 11 p.m. for those night shift people.

HERNANDEZ: What advice would you give others who are considering a night shift?

TIPPINS: If you are considering working night shift, you'll know quickly if it's not for you. If it's not for you, some of the symptoms that you experience can be pretty severe. You can sleep sometimes more than you've ever slept and still feel really exhausted. You can see a difference in your activity because you are so tired. You tend to be less active on your days off, which can have a negative effect on your overall health. Sometimes you can be foggy at work because you are so tired. Sometimes working night shift, you get to experience less with your family and friends because you are on an opposite schedule. It does allow you to go to the grocery store and appointments but also it does cut into your sleep to do that. Your eating habits get thrown off when you work night shift because it feels really awkward to eat in the middle of the night. You can find yourself eating a lot less as well.

HERNANDEZ: One piece of advice I would give to people who are thinking about working either day shift or night shift is just to think about what really works for you, your work-life balance with your family. If you're a morning person and a day person, you really know that it's going to better for you and for your lifestyle, and for your health and your energy. I think that the sleep part of it is going to be the biggest thing for people. I'm not a type of person who can fall asleep really quickly. It takes me a long time. I have to have a routine. My husband is asleep before his head even hits the pillow, I wish I could be like that.

TIPPINS: Being a night shift person when I first started in nursing, I remember thinking, "I don't know if I can do day shift." It's just so different, and you get a little bit apprehensive. I would recommend that people just try it. You find it's actually not what you thought it was going to be when you do it yourself. The other thing I was thinking is there are phases in your life where one shift works better than the other. I remember when I was in my 20s, night shift was no big deal. It actually worked great then. Now being in another phase in my life with my kids being a little bit older, I get to sleep all day when they're at school. I remember working day shift I liked the speed. My shift went really quick. Then I found such value working night shift where you had a lot of time to sit with your patient and connect with them. They would share things with you because they felt at ease, and it was slower.

TIPPINS: You will have multiple phases where you think "This isn't working for me now," and have the courage to try something different. There is always opportunity at Mayo Clinic to do many things. Don't feel like you are stuck in one position, one shift. As your life ebbs and flows, your work can adjust with that as well. You can find value in the work that you do throughout your tenure here at Mayo Clinic.

NARRATOR: Reflect on the benefits you experience with your shift and share with a colleague.