kateliza

I am a senior in nursing school, and just received my first preceptor assignment. I am precepting 1-2 times a week from 7p to 7a. I'm extremely apprehensive about working nights because I naturally require a lot of sleep, and get physically ill if I'm extremely tired. I have worked overnight a few times before, and it has never ended well. I've found that if I drink coffee beforehand and work throughout the night, for some reason I usually end up vomiting. If I can fit it in, I'm sure I will attempt to nap before the shift, but I'm usually so anxious before a clinical, I can't get a wink of sleep. The solution would be simple if I could completely convert my body over to working night shifts - sleeping in the day and working at night - but I still have classes in the day so this isn't possible. Overall, I'm extremely anxious for this clinical and I have no idea how to prepare for working nights. I want to feel good and awake and be on top of my game, but I have no idea how where to start, and my poor track-record with working overnight and getting sick is really intimidating me. Any suggestions from people who need a lot of sleep like me?