7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

katherine murphy — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 21:55:07 GMT

I started as a night nurse the month i qualified at a new practice.

The practice knew i was only just qualified but happily employed me and i always got praise from the vets i was working with (they wasnt aware i was a new RVN).

It was amazing and i learnt so much which made me a better and far more experienced nurse than others who the same time as me.

I done it for a year 7 on 7 off, but after a year i was ready to go back to days and have regular patients and clients and the routine surgery/nurse clinics.

Nights wise its never the same and depending what case load that practice has can be very demanding.

Between 8pm-7am i was on my own. The vet was in the practice but would go to sleep if patients are stable. (I would wake the vet if an emergency was coming down)

The work itself again was hard i had inpatients anything from 10-26 per night with hourly meds/tpr mote often depending on cases, answering the phone, cleaning whole practice and assisting Vet as necc.

You also have a lot of triage over the phone so you need to make sure you are happy to be able to know what is a genuine emergency and to read between the lines as some owners play it down.

All in all im glad i done it and feel im very experienced because of this role.

Good luck, every practice is different so hard to know exactly what to expect.

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Dreamcatcher — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 14:17:47 GMT

I work 12 hour nights and no shifts are ever the same! Typical night shift starts off with a handover from the day staff (often interrupted with an emergency or a vet needing assistance with bloods etc). Then I normally try and organise myself with a meds board for the night and work out which patients are most critical, check methadone/other DD's are drawn up for patients so that I'm not having to track down a vet at 3am! Once I've come up with a plan it's pretty much like a normal kennel shift but with emergencies thrown in! I'm lucky as I have a vet up all night with me who usually answers the phone and takes payments etc (unless theyre busy) but many places expect you to juggle everything. We have a back-up on-call nurse to call in for things like caesareans or other emergencies and you have to bear in mind that they would have been at work all day and are due in the next day so it can sometimes be stressful deciding how badly they are needed. The middle part of the night involves medicating in-patients, and dealing with the admitted animals (x-Rays, running bloods, scans, stitch-ups etc... Lots of 'minor' procedures can actually be very time consuming when it's just you and the vet!). We often get a quiet hour or two and this is spent preparing the hospital boards for the following day, worling out RERs/nursing plans etc and catching up on anything that didn't get done during the day (they love leaving me kits to do :-/) and of course tackling to gigantic pile of washing and giving the practice a good clean! Then from about 4am onwards the vet and I start doing in-patient checks (weighing/TPRs/writing notes about how they were overnight etc). We like to have everyone checked by 8am (it often takes this long because you need to nip round and medicate other animals in between, and give walks and breakfast etc). If I have time I'll set things up for the next days procedures and consults too. Night shift ends with a handover back to day staff at 8'o clock. I'm often busy all night and don't get to take a break, I normally grab something to eat whilst writing up the boards. I've loved ECC work but the shifts are starting to affect me now, not too sure how much longer I've got left in me but its been a worthwhile experience. The time off is lovely but the first day is wasted to sleep and the last day is spent preparing for nights so it's not as well balanced as you might think. Personally I couldn't have done this job as a new grad but I know a few other nurses who would have done-it largely comes down to your experiences as a student

Good luck :)

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Rachel Woodcock — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 23:34:05 GMT

Hi. I do 7 on 7 off nights and absolutely love it. I never really have a Monday after my week of nights as I'm usually asleep the whole day. I do agree that being newly qualified and doing ooh work could be a challenge and something that I personally did not feel comfortable doing when I newly qualified but if you feel ready for it then go for it! It can be very emotionally draining due to the nature of seeing emergencies there is a lot more that don't make it and this can get to you especially on a busy shift. I think that if you are wanting to do it then I'd do the vets now ecc course as its really detailed and very useful But I think you have to be qualified a certain amount of time before you can start it. Feel free to pm me if you want to chat any more x

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Sal the 1st — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 23:30:20 GMT

sorry if you find it negative - hope you enjoy your new job

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Former Member — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 21:06:51 GMT

Actually, you asked what 'experiences people have had' . And you got an appropriate answer.

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Kirsten89 — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 21:03:41 GMT

All I wanted was to know what an average shift was like. Instead I get all this negativity. Thanks for responses everyone, I'll just find out what an average shift is like when I get there.

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Honeybadger — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 20:51:12 GMT

Maybe register as a locum with Vets Now to try it out: https://careers.vets-now.com/landing.aspx I love ECC work but I find it too exhausting to do full time.

Without wanting to be negative (just want you to be well informed) have a read of this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25812422

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

morrane — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 06:26:29 GMT

Hi Kirsten, 7 nights off sounds like a lovely idea but just remember that at least two of those will be adjustment nights where you get used to being on/ coming off of the night shifts. I currently do 2-4 nights a week 13hrs per night and it can be exhausting. I would definitely recommend trying it out first and see how you like it- the practice you are applying to may well be happy to see how serious you are and let you ghost for a few nights.

Good luck whatever you choose x

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Sal the 1st — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 19:33:01 GMT

To the OP I hope you enjoy your new job and it is everything you want but do take care and don't become a member of the burnt out vet nurses club

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Sophie Millar — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 13:46:22 GMT

I have only ever known a handful of nurses who are happy to do / actively looking for a 7 on 7 off night rota. It's better money but I agree it takes a certain type of person - not ideal if you have a busy social life / family outside work!

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Nick Shackleton — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 21:53:36 GMT

That's a bit much. Our nurses do 4 on 4 off. 10 hour shifts. However, we cover 30-40 practices.

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

elaine elder — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 20:33:24 GMT

Yeah I can agree 7 on 7 off is a killer! It takes a special kind of person To do it And that wasn't me. your first two days off are usually a bit of a blur as you try to adjust. If you are working somewhere where its not too busy it will be easier. It can be very emotionally demanding and stressful if you get two emergencies in at once as you have no other nursing back up. i found it quite emotionally i remember one night putting IVs in 4 dogs in a row that all needed PTS. Was very sad sometimes you miss the healthy puppies. But on the other hand it can be super rewarding.

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Sal the 1st — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 10:22:15 GMT

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can I add that a 7 on 7 off is an absolute killer!

RE: 7 nights on 7 nights off ECC work

Former Member — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 22:29:02 GMT

If you've never worked nights or in ECC I would strongly advise you get some experience in before committing to any role. ECC is completely different to routine work, add to that the lack of sleep and stress you can be under, it is not for everyone. It is also one of the most rewarding areas to work in though and many people thrive on the challenges it presents. Remember you will likeky be the only nurse and need to be good at dealing with very upset clients/ complex cases without much guidance. I've worked for Vets Now for a few years and every day is different, some nights are quiet, some are terrible.

have you considered doing the vets now nursing edge course?

Good luck

RVN CertVNECC