Brand new nurse, starting on third shift

[Morainey]

Hi everybody,

I'm a brand new nurse, just passed NCLEX at the end of July. I've been orienting 7a-7p on my unit at the hospital since July 15 as a grad nurse, but tomorrow night is my first night from 7p to 7a .

I was just wondering if anyone had some advice for me... I'm really scared about getting enough sleep, gaining weight, etc. People at my work or outside of the hospital find out that I'm starting third shift and are immediately like OH GOD THAT'S TERRIBLE. I need a little encouragement, and advice.

My fiance has worked third shift before as a police dispatcher, so luckily he knows what the deal is and is very supportive about being quiet in the house, etc.

I'm just nervous that I'm going to fall asleep driving home, or worse, fall asleep at work. Also, that a patient will die in the middle of the night on me and I won't find them for awhile. And when I work two nights in a row, that I won't get enough sleep and be exhausted the 2nd night. Plus I'm scared I won't see my family or friends anymore, because I'll be sleeping and working. People tell me also that working on third shift makes you gain weight like crazy.

Well that's about it. I'm really nervous, but after all lots of people work third shift at some point and it doesn't wreck your life. Trying to be positive but I have never worked third shift before

[ShantheRN, BSN, RN]

I did nights for 2 years.....hydration is your friend. Ice cold water, maybe with Crystal Lite added to it. I would drink at least a liter a night (buy a water bottle or shaker cup.) It kept me awake and I felt a lot better. Don't go heavy on caffeine because it'll backfire on you. I didn't gain any weight but I always pack my lunch. Yogurt, low fat meals (lean cuisine meals are delicious!), and fruit are my staples. Snackwise I love pistachios or almonds. Stay away from vending machines! Now that I think about it, I do this same routine for day shift.

Also, listen to your body. Not everyone can do night shift. I'm on day shift for most of my orientation and I didn't realize how awful I felt until I got a break from nights! Rotating is a happy medium for me - I can do night shift for 3 weeks and get the shift diff, but then I get to go back on a normal schedule.

Congrats on finding jobs! I was offered rotating or straight nights, and I snatched it up without a thought. Fortunately it seems to be working for me :)

[poopprincess]

Hi! I am working nights right now and I am 2 mo. in. I graduated this yr and this is my first night shift position. I do my three shifts in a row so that I have 4 days off so be somewhat normal with my family. I do drink caffeine at work, but not after 3 a.m. I have yet to have a night slow enough to where I could even consider falling asleep. It is busy! I'm still very new and have only been on my own for 2 wks. so my time management is not up to par, but I barely have time to sit down. Most of my pts. do not sleep at night anyways. It is much quieter than days and I like it because I have a chance to learn at a slower pace, but yet not so slow I am clock watching. Bring your lunch and stay away from cookies, sweets and the vending machines. The people I work with order out every night and I bring salads. I usually eat light because big meals make me sleepy and lazy.

I usually leave around 7:30 a.m. and I'll get home around 8. I eat breakfast (food always makes me sleepy), take a shower and lay down around 9 or so. I shoot for being asleep between 9:30-10 and usually I am. My room is dark and cold. I unplug the phone and usually can easily fall asleep. My husband gets my son when he gets home from school and they are both pretty good at being quiet so I can sleep. He likes to play outside anyways. I set my alarm for 4:45 and I get up and do it again. I pretty much don't have a life on days I work, but I wouldn't on dayshift either. It's just backwards. :)

Days off: If I get my four in a row then I will flip (at least partially) so I can get a sense of normalcy, hang out with family or friends. It just depends on how my schedule falls. If I only 2 days off then I suck it up and stay on my night schedule b/c it's easier. Right now I had 6 days off in a row and I am totally flipped. I am scheduled to work on Thurs. night so Wed. night I'll brew a pot of coffee around 10 p.m. and try to stay up till 3-4. As long as I sleep till at least noon on Thursday I will be good to go. The big thing for me is getting all of my shifts in a row. When they are split up it isn't worth flipping and I get irritated. Luckily out of a 6 wk. schedule, they will be in a row 5/6 X. Some people don't like that, but I prefer it. I do think it is about how you view it, the night diff helps with the acceptance process. :) CONGRATS and good luck!!! It may take a few wks. and it's trial and error, but you will figure out what works for you and get ya a routine. Also ask your co-workers what they do. That's where most of my routine came from, was their advise.

[serein]

Thanks so much! I can't wait to start! It's so exciting to finally apply what you've learned in school all these years!

[surferbettycrocker]

sometimes around the 2am-4am hour night time nausea can hit-not everyone but it happens to me. eating protein and not carbs helps.. also whoever said drinking lots of water was spot on it keeps you feeling awake just like caffeine only healthier. of course some caffeine is good too. i lost 15 lbs on my first night shift job. and when i first started i slept for close to a day straight. just saying it takes some people some getting used to it. others find its not a big deal to get used to. best of luck

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

Congratulations on your job!!!

I work nights, and to be honest, I prefer them over days. Nights are still busy (contrary to day shift's belief!) but it's a different kind of busy. I can't really explain it. Some nights are very slow and uneventful, but in my (lack of) experience, that hasn't happened much! I still deal with docs on my shift, but mostly via phone. We have hospitalists on at nights and a lot of times they will pop in early in the evening (usually before midnight) and sometimes they will come by again at some random hour in the morning. Most of the time you don't have to deal with family members - at least not as much as days. Tests are usually done on days, but I have brought patients down to CT or US in the evening. It just depends.

* Tell your family/friends/loved ones that you will be working evenings. Basically, their 3pm will be your 3am. Either give them times when they can call you or just turn your phone off (I do the latter).

* Get some room-darkening curtains if you can, or if you can't, maybe get a sleep mask - something that will make your room dark and simulate night time.

* When I have trouble falling asleep, I will sometimes take a sleep aid. I usually go for children's Benadryl (1 tablet = 12.5mg, or HALF of an adult dose). Children's Benadryl will get me to the point where I can fall asleep but I don't wake up feeling groggy or anything. I have also used OTC Unisom, but make sure you dedicate enough hours to sleep because that stuff really knocks you out.

* When I'm trying to get on my night shift schedule, I will go to bed pretty early the night before and then wake up really early (like 0400 or 0500) and get things done during the day. This leaves time for a nap later before I go into work that night.

* After working a shift, I come straight home, shower, then go to bed.

* If you can sleep with them, I suggest ear plugs if you're sleeping environment is noisy. Sometimes neighbors aren't too respectful to us night shifters Just recently my apartment complex allowed dogs, so of course our neighbors have one now....and it seems like the moment I lie down to sleep, that dog starts yapping! Bust out the ear plugs.

* Coffee will be your best friend if you drink it, but also make sure to stay hydrated as well. I usually drink coffee in the beginning and then stick with water for the rest of the shift. One night I was exhausted and ended up drinking coffee all night (I had to go to a class that following morning) and I was so dehydrated, I felt terrible!

* I haven't gained weight, but I also try to watch what I eat. Pack healthy lunches. I usually prefer sandwiches on whole wheat bread or lean cuisines, or some leftovers from dinner. For snacks, I love fresh fruit and yogurt. PB or cheese and crackers are great for the protein. I also like almonds (Blue Diamond Dark Chocolate flavor, super yum!) - great pick-me-up and again, protein!

* Your first night (or two, or three) WILL be tough, only because you're not used to that schedule. I was fighting so hard to stay awake my first night. Coffee wouldn't help. I promise it gets better, though. If you start feeling tired, get up and walk around the unit! Don't just sit there, because you'll make yourself even more tired.

* How far of a drive do you have to work? One of the hospitals I used to work at was about a 45 minute commute for me. When I worked nights, I found it very hard to stay awake while driving. It's scary. I suggest blasting music, driving with the windows down, or having a snack in your car (such as some nuts or fruit or a granola bar or something). And I know driving while talking on cell phones is shunned on, I would call a friend or my mom or my boyfriend at the time and talk to them - that would also help me stay awake. Thankfully, where I work now is only 10 minutes away and I never have a problem with driving home afterwards - even on those mornings when I don't leave until 10-11am because of a staff meeting or class that I have to go to in the morning!

I hope this helps!

[Aurora77]

I love working night shift. Never thought I'd say that!

What works for me is keeping a regular routine. The night before I go to work I stay up until 5-6 am then sleep till 3-4 pm or whenever I'm done. Get off shift, I try to be in bed by 8 am and up at 4. Repeat till days off. When I'm not working I still keep a more nocturnal schedule; I haven't had any luck trying to switch back and forth.

About food--I keep a drink with me at all times at the nurses station. Something calorie free, like flavored water or tea. That way I'm hydrated and get something with some flavor, but am not snacking. I eat a decent size meal before work, a good lunch about midnight or 1, and then a bowl of cereal when I get home. I've actually lost a few pounds which is good, b/c nursing school wasn't so good to me. :)

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Good ideas :) I loved nights...the volume was greater, but the peace from no brass was priceless :)

Snacks- check these out....comes in a lot of fruits (and one brand has freeze dried corn- the whole kernels)

http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-ALL-Natural-Fuji-Apple-Crisps-0-35-Ounce/dp/B0019413WA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1X1XHACLLFS0L&colid=2Q1NS14UCHBA4

I've tried apple, peach, banana, strawberry-banana, pineapple, and have orange on the way :) It's actual fruit- just the water dried out of it- and they're crispy :)

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

"I'm a brand new nurse, just passed NCLEX at the end of July."

Congratulations!!

"I've been orienting 7a-7p on my unit at the hospital since July 15 as a grad nurse, but tomorrow night is my first night from 7p to 7a ."

Those first nights are tough. No way around it.

"I'm really scared about getting enough sleep, gaining weight, etc. People at my work or outside of the hospital find out that I'm starting third shift and are immediately like OH GOD THAT'S TERRIBLE. I need a little encouragement, and advice."

I can't lie to you. I'm working Day/Night (about two weeks each, then change) and it's tough. I've gained some weight from undisciplined eating habits and I find I sleep in 4-hour segments now. It's getting better, but it's hard.

"My fiance has worked third shift before as a police dispatcher, so luckily he knows what the deal is and is very supportive about being quiet in the house, etc."

Good.

"I'm just nervous that I'm going to fall asleep driving home, or worse, fall asleep at work."

Nah. At work you generally keep busy enough to stay awake. My preceptor fell asleep on me once during an orientation night shift, but that was because I was doing well and she was bored. My problem is getting to sleep and staying asleep once I get home

"Also, that a patient will die in the middle of the night on me and I won't find them for awhile."

I like to do frequent "Breathing checks" on the night shift. You will very soon pick up on who you have to watch closely and who you can let sleep undisturbed.

"And when I work two nights in a row, that I won't get enough sleep and be exhausted the 2nd night."

It's actually that third night that really gets you!

"Plus I'm scared I won't see my family or friends anymore, because I'll be sleeping and working. People tell me also that working on third shift makes you gain weight like crazy."

My hospital has a freaking 24-hour McDonalds in it. Thanks for that. But, it's me who is getting the mochas and quarter pounders at 3am. I've switched to yogurt parfaits. As far as seeing friends, you do what you can. Even with the weird hours I see them a heckofa lot more than when I was a nursing student.

"Well that's about it. I'm really nervous, but after all lots of people work third shift at some point and it doesn't wreck your life. Trying to be positive but I have never worked third shift before"

All I can tell you it that is is hard, but it isn't impossible. You can do it. Those bi-weekly paychecks with the nice shift differentials take a bit of the sting off too.

Personally, I'm waiting for some of those crusty RNs on my unit to retire so I can get one of those cushy day slots. (Just kidding ladies, love you but go ahead...go toward the light!)

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

. Get off shift, I try to be in bed by 8 am and up at 4.

Oh man, I would love to be able to do this. I always wake up around noon and cannot get back to sleep. So I just plan on getting up around then and try to stick a power nap in sometime before going back to work.

[TinaNewRN]

I've worked the overnights for about a year and a half. The big thing I've found I've had to do is maintain the same sleep schedule on my days off.

I was originally trying to swap my schedule around to suite my friends and family on my days off, but I was just tired all the time and it made it really hard when it was time to go back to work. On my days off I stay up until at least 3, but I try for 5.

I have room darkening blinds and earplugs.

I've recently started commuting for my job as well and I'm having a lot of difficultly with the drive home and being tired. I splash a little water on my face before I leave my job and keep my car really cold.

[icuuci]

be stoked you have a job. end of story