Clinicals - Night Shift - Help!

edwindelahiggins · Jan 20, 2014

I'm starting my senior clinical precepting and my preceptor works only Tue/Wed/Thu nights (7p-7a) t the regional Level I Trauma hospital. My only day of lecture is Wednesdays (8a-3p). I'll be working only one night a week when I have an exam. Any advice on how to get through one or two night shifts a week? I have a child that I'll be taking to/from school on the day before my shift so sleeping super late won't happen.

I'm a new RN (Feb 2013) and I've been working NOC since about July. It's definitely an adjustment and I have the utmost respect for people that are able to do it with kids. There is a huge adjustment period and the only thing I can really stress is try and sleep as much as your life obligations allow. It's essential to your health and to the safety of the people that you're going to be taking care of. Make your room as dark as possible, get a fan and try to slience your phone if possible (realize that might not be an option with a child.) Good luck

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 20, 2014

Honestly speaking, it is going to be a real pain in the backside for a little while. But that is the thing, you're just going to have to remember that it's only going to be for a little while. What I would suggest that you do is work out a sleep schedule where you get as much sleep as you possibly can during those weekdays that you're being precepted. You're also going to have to understand that you are going to essentially have to nap after your class is done, between that and your preceptorship shift. You're also going to have to be very much on your toes that night, because you are going to be at your most tired.

While caffeine does certainly help keep you awake, it does nothing for keeping you in a "not tired" state. You can very much drink as much coffee as you have on hand and you can still be completely tired and unable to think. In my opinion, you really do need to simply work on making sure that you have a good sleep schedule that you will have to adhere to in order to make this work.

Good luck, I hope you have a great experience in your preceptorship, I have a couple of months to go before I hit mine.

Dranger · Jan 23, 2014

As a new grad, A LOT of residency jobs are night shift so you need to get used to it.....