First over night shift, 2 jobs, in college

[Josieerwine]

Hello! I am currently in my last semester of prereqs for the RN program! I am so excited and ready for it to be over with lol.

I work a monday-Friday 9-4 office job, at a storage facility. My day is sitting at a desk, rarely actually seeing people. I am very fortunate to have a position where I basically get paid to study and do homework!

I just got hired at a second job as a CNA. I am doing part time (three 8-hour shifts) per week. The shifts is 10pm-6am. I am also keeping my day job. Next semester I will be taking a day class from 9a-noon T/Th.

I am nervous about my CNA job, considering I have never worked an overnight in my life! I usually go to bed by 11pm and wake up at 8am now. I have no idea how to make a sleep schedule! I can nap in my car after my shift at 6am until I have to get into my other job at 9am. Luckily they are about 7 minutes from each other!

any tips on staying up over night part-time? My first shift is Saturday night and I honestly have no idea what to even expect! It is an assisted living facility. I am hoping since my day job is so calm that I won't be too tired (especially if I can get a nap in between!) I am not sure how to balance my work/school life with being a wife either. I don't have any kids yet, but my husband is a firefighter so he works crazy 24hours shifts.

Any tips on anything is appreciated!

[NTechTruth]

I will admit, the first night will be the worst one. I could barely keep my eyes opened before the end of the shift. What made it worse was that I had to take the bus home, and I had to walk a mile to the bus stop lol.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Observe, take notes, and see how the routine goes. It will take some time to get used to but you will.

I hope you do well!

[holly_golytely]

I'm going to be real with you: if your program is anything like mine was, you cannot continue to work that schedule through nursing school. (Just want to get that out of the way. I don't know your financial situation, but you have to do whatever works for you and still take care of your physical/mental well-being!)

Personally, I can't flip between nights/days, but I know plenty of unicorns that can. For night shifts: hydrate, pack a healthy lunch, and don't eat whatever tempting goodies pop up in the breakroom. Coffee helps, but it can also disturb your sleep. Squeeze in some cardio when you can. I can't sleep during the day without my sleep mask, blackout shades, and box fan.

I hope this works out for you, but please listen to your body. Nursing school is a whole other beast!