I have been working at a Psych hospital for 5 months. This is my first nursing job after graduating nursing school. I got hired for the overnight shift. I have heard overnight shift is a little slow paced, so I figured I would ease into nursing. After the first month, my sleeping pattern went erratic. I tried everything in the book to try and sleep during the day. Nothing worked. I told my manager during the 2nd month that I would like to switch to evening shifts because of these issues. She said from there on that she will give me 2 days evening shifts, and 1 day overnight shift. The schedule came and I was still scheduled overnights till today (5th month). During the 3rd month, I asked again about the status of my shifts, and she said she is working on it. By now, I take 15 melatonins & 4 benadryls to go to sleep during the day, and during my shift I drink about 15-20 cups of coffee. I even carry caffeine pills with me if things get worst. Even with the sleeping pills I would only be able to sleep 3-4 hours a day.
It got to the point where I could not pay attention during work. I started making mistakes. I even threw up during my shift. By the end of the shift my body would shake from lack of sleep. During the 5th month, I asked my boss if I can switch to resource. She said NO! I then told her that I'm putting my 2 weeks noticed, because of all these issues that I'm having. My boss told me to not show up at work at all. She told me that I don't need to give her a 2 weeks notice, and "just be done with it." So basically she said don't come back.
Now the problem is: What do I tell my next employer. I need to put down that I worked at this Psych hospital because it will be counted as experience. It is too hard for a new grad to find jobs. Putting this definitely will help me. But when I fill out the application, it always asks: Can we contact your previous employer. What should I say?
just a thought - have you ever been tested for sleep apnea? I have apnea and I will tell you that my life has done a 180 change since getting BiPap 2 and a half years ago....I could sleep for 12 hours and feel like I could sleep for 12 more because I really wasn't sleeping - I was waking up 50+ times a night because I wasn't breathing...
Just a thought...I work nights and during the day once I put that mask on my body knows its time to sleep...
I used to have sleep apnea but got surgery done. Now my sleep test is negative. The other reason how I know it's not sleep apnea is because all this started when I started the overnight shift.
I do feel you about waking up at night a hundred times a day. I remember those days. Overnight has made me feel exactly the same way when I had sleep apnea. Thank you for responding.
I have been down that melatonin/diphenhydramine/caffeine road to hell, and it just doesn't work. You, my friend, are not meant to work night or rotating shifts. That is what you can tell your next employer. Try not to put you and your poor body through that again. Sorry you had to go through that.
I have been down that melatonin/diphenhydramine/caffeine road to hell, and it just doesn't work. You, my friend, are not meant to work night or rotating shifts. That is what you can tell your next employer. Try not to put you and your poor body through that again. Sorry you had to go through that.
I have said that to myself in the back of my mind several times. I hear you. Thank you.
You may want to apply for jobs that are day only--an MD's office, school nursing, that type of thing. Unfortunetely, most facility/hospital jobs are rotating shifts. And some have a group that love night shift and would never think of doing anything other than nights, and some that would not do nights on a bet. And I am not sure how far you would get if you said to the interviewer that you would only do days or eves.
Hopefully you are off of the sleep aid/caffeine situation. That is just dangerous, and no wonder you felt so poorly all of the time.
nurselove757
133 Posts
I used to have sleep apnea but got surgery done. Now my sleep test is negative. The other reason how I know it's not sleep apnea is because all this started when I started the overnight shift.
I do feel you about waking up at night a hundred times a day. I remember those days. Overnight has made me feel exactly the same way when I had sleep apnea. Thank you for responding.