New Nurse Exhausted from Extremely Long Shifts? Help?

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I just became an LPN and I recently got my first job! It's been great so far, but we are desperately understaffed (a common trend I've learned) and I have been working some very long shifts to help out. I'll be honest, the past couple of weeks have been brutal. I've been coming into work at 5 in the morning, and I haven't been leaving until past midnight almost everyday. I'm completely beat at this point and just tired of being on my feet every waking moment of my life... My coworkers keep asking me to pick up shifts, and I'm too nervous to say no. I'm on my 9th shift straight and I worked over 100 hours last week! My legs actually gave out walking up the stairs the other day and some of the older nurses laughed at me saying I can't handle the pressure...the paychecks have been awesome! But my body just can't keep this up.* Are hours like this normal at hospitals?! I really like and need this job, but I'm not sure I can handle it...

@chacha82 I can't imagine actually liking working this many hours! She must be crazy and have feet of steel, because my feet are completely killing me working so much lol! Thank you for the advise :) I will start saying no!

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Practice saying this: "Nope, sorry." End of sentence, point blank period.

You are well on your way to establishing yourself as the pushover, if you haven't already. Your coworkers aren't being nice by offering you extra hours...clearly you have no issues with getting enough work and they know that. They are taking serious advantage of you and trying to pawn off those shifts so that THEY can go home and sleep a full 8 hours in their nice soft bed. What you are doing is unsafe. Not ONLY for yourself, but for your patients, and every single person who shares the road with you while you try to subsist of of 4 hours of sleep or less per night. Stop it.

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Look into what kind of shoes you are wearing. New balance, Brooks, asics, and saucony are good brands. Spend some of that extra money you've been making on your feet :)

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Specializes in ER, Med-surg.

I don't think there's a shoe made that will make a 100 hour week not killer on the feet.

I second everybody who said that you are heading for an error- probably a dumb error you would never, never make while well-rested- if you keep this up.

Check out this terrifying collection of connection errors (not the only sort of error one can make, but frequently among the most deadly) that the FDA has collected. Notice how many of them say that the error was committed by a staff member completing a double shift. DO NOT BE THAT STAFF MEMBER. Get some sleep!

Examples of Tubing and Luer Misconnections

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Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.

OP, I was exactly like you when I got my first job in LTC with 4 whole hours of orientation because the facility was horribly understaffed. I was always the "go to" nurse because I too worked 80+ hours a week because I couldn't say "NO." I worked 21 days of mostly doubles straight without a day off and became so exhausted I was dangerously close to being hospitalized. You know what made me start saying "NO" though? When the DNS and Administrator came to me one morning after a 16 hour shift and made me the oh so generous offer of buying my lunch if I would stay and work the day shift. I told them that not only was I exhausted and would not put my residents or myself at risk, but what they were asking was illegal. They did not care one iota about me or the residents. They just needed a warm body with a pulse. I had no problem saying "NO" after that.

You wanna' know what kind of thanks I got when I finally wised up and put in my two weeks notice? I got black balled by the Administrator. I could not get a job in any other LTC owned by that management company although I worked out my entire notice. Start saying "NO" because you are just a warm body to them. They obviously do not care about you or the residents. I wouldn't feel one tiny ounce of guilt. Just say "NO!" Got that? ;)

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Specializes in LTC, PACU, Psych, OB/GYN, ED.

Kelly, first of all, congratulations on your new career as a nurse! Now, some advice from a seasoned LPN who also once-upon-a-time couldn't say no.

YOU CANNOT BE THE HERO. YOU ARE A HUMAN BEING. You are compromising your own safety and your own sanity by working 5am-12am. Secondly, you are compromising your patients safety! As a new nurse, you are still devising your routine & your work flow plan...that in itself makes for a much more exhausting shift.

IT IS OK TO SAY "NO". I learned how to say no 6 months into my nursing career when I was working 60-70 hours a week. It was during this time I made my first (and only) narcotic error. This error was careless, yes, but I am certain my overworked mind had something to do with it. I was written up, disciplined and I recovered. But if I wasn't saying "yes" to everyone I'd put money on it that this error wouldn't have happened.

MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING. Keep in mind, working all that OT will slam you in taxes anyway :) Remember, money is NOT worth your sanity either. You're a nurse, not superwoman. You need time to LIVE LIFE. There's more to LIFE than work.

COFFEE was my best friend as a new grad & still is.

Treat yourself to a spa day. You deserve it :)

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Oncology.

Protect your health and your license - don't do this. Say no! Good luck!

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I don't think there's a shoe made that will make a 100 hour week not killer on the feet.

I second everybody who said that you are heading for an error- probably a dumb error you would never, never make while well-rested- if you keep this up.

Check out this terrifying collection of connection errors (not the only sort of error one can make, but frequently among the most deadly) that the FDA has collected. Notice how many of them say that the error was committed by a staff member completing a double shift. DO NOT BE THAT STAFF MEMBER. Get some sleep!

Examples of Tubing and Luer Misconnections

Wow...that's one of the scariest sites I've ever seen, and I'm glad you posted it!

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Specializes in Psych.

I'm the new guy and right now work as a security guard making 10.00/hr. I work maybe 60 hrs a week so I can pay off nursing school. I'm thinking I would love to do those long shifts instead since I'd get paid more. My question here is it really that bad to do all those shifts? I'm asking because before nursing school I was doing 80+ hrs a week and had no problems myself. I had my Saturdays off but 6 days a week I worked 80 hrs most of the time.

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Specializes in ER, Med-surg.
I'm the new guy and right now work as a security guard making 10.00/hr. I work maybe 60 hrs a week so I can pay off nursing school. I'm thinking I would love to do those long shifts instead since I'd get paid more. My question here is it really that bad to do all those shifts? I'm asking because before nursing school I was doing 80+ hrs a week and had no problems myself. I had my Saturdays off but 6 days a week I worked 80 hrs most of the time.

The mental and physical demands of nursing are high. After 12 hours of critical thinking, prioritization, lifting, turning, ambulating, managing people's emotional demands, and witnessing things that can be draining or traumatic, you are mentally and physically fried- especially at first, while many of those things are still novel or relatively challenging.

I worked my fair share of doubles and night shifts before school days as a hospital tech while I was a student, and while I was tired, it was (sort of) doable. Once I was a nurse? There's no way. Being the one with the license and the responsibility for thousands of potentially serious judgement calls a day (who should you see first, when should you call the doctor, was that symptom there an hour ago, have they already drawn that timed lab, should you try longer to deescalate this screaming family member or call security now, it goes on and on and on) is so different from being in a role where you primarily perform tasks someone else has set for you (like being a tech or a guard). It both wears you out faster and demands that you be better rested in the first place.

Nobody is giving their best job performance on no sleep, but that's a much more serious issue when your job demands that you keep other people alive.

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I'm the new guy and right now work as a security guard making 10.00/hr. I work maybe 60 hrs a week so I can pay off nursing school. I'm thinking I would love to do those long shifts instead since I'd get paid more. My question here is it really that bad to do all those shifts? I'm asking because before nursing school I was doing 80+ hrs a week and had no problems myself. I had my Saturdays off but 6 days a week I worked 80 hrs most of the time.

You cannot be serious. 80 hours of being a security guard doesn't even come close to what 80 hours as a nurse would be. And to answer your question...yes it would be a bad thing to do. Your risk for making a bone-headed mistake would be extremely high. In fact, I'm pretty sure your school will frown on you working 60 hours a week once you start clinicals. If you're working nights (and I'm guessing at least some of your hours are) the only way you'll get away with working nights prior to clinical or lab will be that you lie to them which is a sure fire way to get thrown out on your ear.

As a nurse you might be able to occasionally work a few extra long shifts but it is not a good idea. You have to remember the stakes are much higher as a nurse than as a security guard. I'm sure somebody here will tell you they do it and it's great but really, would you want your family member being cared for someone who is likely so exhausted that they don't actually know how tired they are?

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When i was a new Lpn back in the late 90's, I never said no to extra shifts. 6 months later, I was burnt out and left that facility. I actually loved the environment but let my superiors take advantage of me. I left for a position as an Lpn for a dermatologist where the pay wasn't as great but the hours were. 8-5 with an occasional Wed where the doc started at 11 and I left at 7pm. I am now back at a nursing home and was dreading it...but the power of no has helped. I was just asked if I could stay an extra shift. My answer. "NO". I told my ADON she had to get an agency nurse in, which she did. I also have children now. When i didn't I was taken advantage of. I really wish I was more assertive in my 20's, i might have been at that original home for much longer.

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