first night shift ever

After I completed a 40 hour, week long orientation I did my first ever shift on the floor as a new nurse, not only first shift ever but first night shift. I was terrified for many reasons. First of all, I felt like a complete rookie, especially since I have been out of school for a while. Second of all, I was not familiar with the unit at all! Didn't even know where the lights were in the rooms lol. But just when I felt like I was getting my wits about me I hit a wall. I was so tired the last two hours I had to keep walking. My preceptor was pretty understanding but I kinda lagged from 4-6 and she took over. Not only was I tired but I felt almost physically ill. I even apologized to her for not handling my first night shift well, and she just smiled and said, your fine, go home and get some rest!

So all and all I felt like I learned a lot but probably haven't scratched the surface. But now my biggest fear is... Will every night shift be like this? Will I eventually be ok or am I just not cut out for the wee hours??