edwindelahiggins

I'm honestly worried that I'm liking nights TOO much. I've been an RN coming on 2 years now, all nights. I've always been a person who has had some night time insomnia. During nursing school there were times when i'd toss and turn all night before clinicals. Now, I'm generally able to sleep pretty well during the day. I find most nights to be VERY laid back. I'm usually done with charting, assessments and meds by 2300. And to think that we get PAID MORE. I just started dating a girl who works a 9-5 so we'll see how this works out. But count me in the 'nights are awesome' camp.

The long commute is killer. My old hospital was 20 miles north and if i hit traffic at the wrong time could take 50 mins to an hour. That makes things difficult. Definitely making sure you're getting enough sleep. I find that when i'm sleep deprived I crave more carb heavy bad for me foods. Obviously drink a lot of water. I've cut out artificial sweetners/sweetened creams in my coffee. That's great that you've almost eliminated booze from your life. That's something I've cut down but I do enjoy a drink or a few. I hate cardio but I've been doing a half an hour on the treadmill 4 or so days a week and my jeans are fitting better and i feel the old love handles firming up.

Just because she bases all of her life choices on a piece of fiction doesn't mean you have to... hate people jamming their religious beliefs down others' throats

A little background. I'm a 28 year old male who has been an RN working nights for a little under 2 years. I've always been pretty health conscious and in decent shape. Over the past couples years I have packed on about 10 pounds (not the good kind). The night schedule took a toll on my lifting schedule, and my diet suffered. Recently, I've recommitted myself to fitness and healthy eating. The real wakeup call was when I realized my old jeans didn't fit. I just figured this would be a good area for people to share their tips/routines, as I know this is something a lot of night shifters struggle with. 1. Plan meals & pack food: I have tried to go back to bringing most of my meals. I'm trying to focus on meat, veggies and eggs and avoiding a lot of carbs. I feel like it better controls my appetite. 2. Try to do something physical everyday. Whether it be 45 minutes of weight lifting, 30 minutes on the treadmill, or 100 pushups, I think this mentality has helped me focus on staying dedicated. 3. Try to avoid snacking. This is my achilles heel. Im a snacker. I've found that by packing healthier, more satiating meals, i'm less inclined to munch. Hope to hear from others.

no offense, but it sounds like you're someone who needs some tough love. I have/had about 35K in student loans that i started paying immediately once I started working as an RN in April of 2013. I worked a lot of overtime and really cut down on my ancillary expenses (clothes, etc.) I still go out and have a good time and have managed to pay off around 17k in 1.5 years. Doing that while paying $750 in rent plus utilities renting a condo in Atlanta. Where there is a will, there's a way. I've heard travel jobs can be lucrative, if you look hard enoug you could find one that would pay a good hourly wage. It might not be your ideal job, but you've got 115k of debt that's accruing interest, so beggers can't be choosers. Like others said you're gonna have to hustle and bust your ass to pay these loans off.

"When I'm done with school, I want to fulfill my lifelong dream and move to Connecticut!" Said no one ever I say this tongue-in-cheek as I spent the first 26.5 years of my 28 years of existence in CT. All seriousness though, what makes you want to move to CT? If you're married or engaged and your sig-other got a job there I can see why, but I can think of a million other places I'd move first, especially with a great degree like nursing. But if you insist- I'd say try to get a job at Stamford hospital. It's close to NYC and is a very underrated city. Harftord is a dump. The hospitals are great (St. Francis, HH) but the city itself is a crime-ridden cesspool with no night lift whatsoever. Good luck. Hope I didn't scare you too much.

*was in your shoes.

congratulations on landing the job. I wasn't in your shoes too long ago. I got my first RN job in April of 2013. It was a night shift job. Once you're on nights, I'd suggest scheduling your days consecutively. I find it much easier on my body to get onto the nocturnal schedule. i'm at the point now where I can't fall asleep until 5-6 am when i'm off (pain in the butt). Also whatever you do make sure you get enough sleep. If you wake up early make it a point to go back to bed. I can't tell you how much better it feels after waking up at 1 pm to get another 2 hours of sleep before a shift. if you can adjust to nights you'll like it. It definitely has some draw backs (namely on your social life). But the work load is much easier (in my opinion) and the pay is better Good luck!

sorry, but why in God's name would you post that on Social Media? It blows my mind some of the personal/professional dirty laundary that people air on facebook/twitter/linkdin.

Thanks a lot for the thoughtful responses. Like I said, they have been good to me. Deciding to leave wasn't easy. They hired me as a new grad and I have only been there a year and a few months. Ideally I would have stayed at least 2 years, but I don't know when an opportunity like this will present itself again so I had to pounce. Cutting my commute down from 45-50 minutes each way to less than 10 minutes. I think coffee supplies is a great idea. The coffee on the floor sucks and lord knows we go through a lot of it, especially on nights. thanks again.

A week from Wednesday will be my last day at the first job I have had as an RN. I work on a med surg floor since April of 2013. I love my co-workers and my manager is fantastic, but an opportunity arose on a cardiac stepdown floor at a hospital significantly closer to home. I am a guy - and I guess by nature I'm not the most creative gift giver. I'd like to make a gesture showing my appreciation for all the help they've given me, whether that be ordering them food or something more thoughtful. I'd be open to any suggestions. thanks.

I'd advise working as as CNA during nursing school. I was working about 32 hours every weekend while in my ASBN program. On top of giving me money so I didn't have to further burden myself with more student loan debt-I think that it made me more time-conscious and definitely helps when it comes time to apply for RN jobs. Don't be fooled- nursing jobs ARE NOT PLENTIFUL, especially for new grads. I applied to 10+ jobs in a major metro area, got 3 interviews and ONE JOB OFFER. you need to stand out from the rest of the herd- that either means you know someone in management or have previous healthcare experience.

I'm sorry to hear that, that is brutal. I still think that you should go see your doctor and maybe bring these concerns to the unions? 90 minute drive you've become a threat to society, not to mention yourself. Good luck

That is horrible, and I'm really sorry to hear that. I fall into the description of your co-workers. I've always been a night time insomniac (would go to clinical on literally no sleep-tossed and turned all night). This might not be feasible, and might not be the answer you're looking to hear, but you need to go to your doctor and get a diagnosis of shift work disorder. Having that in hand will give you some leverage into getting a day shift position. No job is worth destroying your body like that. Not only are you ruining your health, but you're endangering yourself and other people driving. I think that you should be able to get a job, hopefully at your current employer, with a doctor's note. You compromise your ability to practice safely by running on no sleep, and you're not doing your body and mind any good. It sounds like you've already tried the blackout curtains, sleep aids, etc. My only other advice, which has worked for me, is to cut off caffeine around midnight. I hope you are able to find peace (or better yet, find a day shift job). Good luck

That's great that you're considering joining the ranks. Most schools that I looked at prior to applying had a statute of limitations on science courses of 5 years, unfortunately. I would start by enrolling in a community college to knock out the science pre requisites (anatomy, microbiology, chemistry, etc). There are a lot of 2nd bachelor programs, like the one that I enrolled in back in 2012. They scare you with the "you can't work during the program." I was able to go to school in Mass (where I rented a room) and commute back to CT on the weekends to work 32 hours. That's just one person's experience. If I were you, and you're committed to this idea of changing fields, I'd get the BSN out of the way right away. Good luck