Help, I'm Useless after EOS!

[HealSpec]

When I made this account, I was a nursing student. Thanks to my teachers and some of the awesome posters here (And your awesome advice on coping with nerves!) I passed my boards last month and now I'm a new RN! I have a license, a job, and an apartment, and it's all going well! I'm working a specialty with low physical acuity (acute psych) and my anxiety is nearly gone. Going to work actually feels good, not nervous and terrifying. I like my co-workers, and I'm finally getting the hang of our charting system... but there's a problem. After coming home, I'm pretty much useless.

I work a twelve hour night shift on a rotation with two to three shifts in a row, and when I get home from work, I sleep until two hours before my next shift. I'm always too tired to do much besides eat a quick breakfast and drop onto the nearest vaguely horizontal surface. Housework is difficult to remember, let alone complete. Even ADLs are iffy sometimes. It wouldn't bother me personally, but I have a roommate who often winds up picking up the slack, which I know isn't fair--she works, too, and her threshold for "I need to clean this" is unfortunately lower than mine. So since this forum is always so helpful, I decided to ask the professionals--literally!

With all that in mind, what are some things that help you get stuff done despite working, and make the most of your time between two consecutive shift days? Are there any general tips for adjusting to 7P-7A that make it get easier, sooner? Thanks in advance for any help.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

You need to sleep between shifts! Save that other stuff for days off. When i worked 12-hour nights I came home, brushed my teeth, went to bed and got up just in time for a shower and my commute. MAYBE look at the mail if things were going well. Housework, projects, cooking and the like were relegated to my days off. I have a husband and two kids still at home. No one died if I took time to get the amount of sleep I need.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I agree with the previous poster. It is not reasonable to expect to do much of anything between consecutive 12-hour shifts except sleep. Plan housekeeping tasks, etc. for your days off. You may have to sit down with your apartment-mate and talk about this. Perhaps post your work schedule somewhere she can see it and official schedule some time to "do your chores" around the house. That way, she'll see that you aren't just dumping all those tasks onto her -- you are just scheduling them for a different day.

Also, you may be able to prevent/minimize problems by not making a mess in the first place. Since you are spending most of those days in bed, you shouldn't be making much of a mess for her to clean up. As for things like routing vacuuming, bathroom cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. -- put them on your shared calendar so that she sees that you have planned to do your fair share.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I worked 12-hour night shift for six years. Obtaining 45 to 60 minutes of cardio exercise after the end of each shift greatly normalized my sleep schedule and increased my well-being.

[Wrench Party]

Here's how I maximize time between shifts:

1) Get up at 9-10 the morning before my first night shift. Get all the chores done so I'm ready to go for that first night.

2) Get off work. Do absolutely necessary chores (feeding livestock). Take a melatonin and go to bed until next shift.

3) Repeat x n shifts.

4) Day after last night shift: sleep 4-5 hours max, get up, go about my day. Tackle big projects/issues/ chores on days off.