How to get in the zone?

We have all been there. Hang in hun. Do what you have to do to get through.

Try to get all your "ducks in a row" tonight (pack lunch/coffee/water/snacks, whatever you bring to work, get clothes ready, etc) and try to get a good night's sleep. Getting my day off to a good start in the morning doesn't always guarantee that my day will continue that way, but I swear that getting off to a rushed, chaotic mess in the morning always makes the rest of my day seem to follow in the same vein.

Hopefully you don't have to work Saturday too. Knowing that I don't have to come back the next day always helps me push through those really miserable shifts.

Good luck!

I work Fri-Sun. On the bright side I will be off for 5 days after the weekend and beginning of next week!

It's always tough going back especially if you've had a bad day or have had a few days off in a row. Once you wake up tomorrow you'll be back in work mode. Take it hour by hour LOL. Good luck!

I work the weekend program at the hospital. My husband says I start acting up on Friday, anticipating the weekend that lies ahead for me. I hadn't noticed a change in me on Fridays, but I don't doubt it. Weekends are absolutely wild on my floor.

Imagine yourself surviving the shift and clocking out and going home. You can survive whatever happens in-between. You have before.

Imagine yourself surviving the shift and clocking out and going home. You can survive whatever happens in-between. You have before.

Thank You, this most definitely helps.

I'm a new grad and right now I'm just on edge like I know I'm going to eventually deal with something that'll puzzle me or make me feel completely dumb and I know that's all part of learning. I am already off orientation. There's a couple of things I feel uncomfortable with like trach patients. I know I can ALWAYS ask for help though.

Try to plan something nice for after your shift. Nothing big-just something like your favorite TV show, a good book or some chocolate will be a nice thing to remind yourself of during a crazy shift.

Thank You, this most definitely helps.

I'm a new grad and right now I'm just on edge like I know I'm going to eventually deal with something that'll puzzle me or make me feel completely dumb and I know that's all part of learning. I am already off orientation. There's a couple of things I feel uncomfortable with like trach patients. I know I can ALWAYS ask for help though.

That's what your buddies are for-- to ask questions. Do you have a good rapport with your co-workers that they can teach you when you need it?

Hang in there. I have only been at this a few years, and every day I'm still learning and asking questions. I think once the time management kicks in and things become more automatic (the tasky things like putting tubing in the IV pump) you will become more relaxed.

I started out PICU as a new grad, and promptly went to stepdown and my specialty is trach patients. A lot of nurses are nervous with trach patients, even seasoned ones who don't work with them often. Let me tell you a secret: with a trach patient you have an easy airway for bagging. :-) Can't say that about non-trach patients.

When I worked in the hospitals and the shift was chaotic, we nurses would look at the clock.....if it said 11:10, we'd tell each other, "It's almost 12!" We'd get through the shift like that. Folks thought we were nuts, but even though it was kind of funny-stupid, it helped us to know that the light at the end of the tunnel was coming!

When I worked in the hospitals and the shift was chaotic, we nurses would look at the clock.....if it said 11:10, we'd tell each other, "It's almost 12!" We'd get through the shift like that. Folks thought we were nuts, but even though it was kind of funny-stupid, it helped us to know that the light at the end of the tunnel was coming!

Yes all kinds of humor helps in those situations.

I think one of the good things about being a nurse is that time often flies. Before I know it I'm 4 hours into my shift and almost halfway done.