i am a new grad (graduated aug, 2010) who will be a charge nurse on the 11-7 shift. i am the only rn there with 5 aides. i am nervous and, freaking out about the "what if's" and i have many questions.....and here they are:
1. how will i stay up during that time?
2. how will i fall asleep when it's time for me to?
3. what does the night shift nurse do?
4. will i be able to function during the day on a off day? (i'm young and still want to have some personal time)
please if you could give me your night-shift experience or any words of advice would be great!!
Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
hi everyone,
i am a new grad (graduated aug, 2010) who will be a charge nurse on the 11-7 shift. i am the only rn there with 5 aides. i am nervous and, freaking out about the "what if's" and i have many questions.....and here they are:
1. how will i stay up during that time?
you will have so much to do that you probably won't get sleepy. however, i found that around 0200, i got tired. i would go take a brisk walk around the hospital, and would do stairs...up two flights, down two flights....and again. this got the blood flowing. i also like the black 5 hour energy shots because they don't give me the jitters, but they give me some endurance. it is mostly comprised of b-12 and some caffeine.
2. how will i fall asleep when it's time for me to?
this is tough to do. i worked nights for a long time, and i could never get an adequate amount of sleep during the day. i turned my phone ringer off, i kept a fan going to block out noise, and i got some dark curtains in my bedroom. this helped a great deal. getting a good day's sleep will result in your being awake during the night shift.
3. what does the night shift nurse do?
night shifters on the floor take care of the normal things that day shifters do-meds, vitals, and charting. the call bell goes off more than you would think, so i took care of whatever i needed to in that regard. i also wanted my day shift colleagues to have a good start to their day, so when i saw that a sterile dressing change was ordered for 0600, i put all the supplies in a bin so that the set up takes minimal time. i also took extra time to review charts thoroughly and alert my co-workers about lab values and updates that needed some attention. i made sure that all of the equipment was in working order and placed needed equipment next to or inside of the rooms.
4. will i be able to function during the day on a off day? (i'm young and still want to have some personal time)
it depends on when your shift ends and if it pairs with a regular day off. when i was scheduled to work monday night and tuesday night, i came home and went to bed. i got up at about 1430 to get my personal stuff done and got ready for the next shift. if i had wednesday night off, i would come home, go to bed for only a couple of hours and then do normal activities during the day. i started dinner and had family time. i went to bed at around 0100 and found that i could actually sleep during this time. i got up early thursday if i was working the thursday night shift, did my thing and then took a nap around 1400. i set my alarm for 1730 for a 1900 shift.
please if you could give me your night-shift experience or any words of advice would be great!!
it is not easy working the night shift. you body gets totally out of whack. it is draining. i was by myself a great deal of the time when i was at home, and felt that i missed out on a lot of social time with my friends. it is also terribly tempting to come off of a night shift and go straight to doing normal things during the day, like shopping, or meeting your friends for lunch. i remember one time i left work after a night shift, and did a field exercise for the disaster team that i am involved with (that lasted the entire weekend), and ended up staying awake for 52 straight hours. needless to say, i slept for 2 whole days!
there are good things and bad things about working nights. rotating from days to nights is incredibly hard on you. a straight night shift or a straight day shift tends to lend to a normal body. i was sick a great deal more when i worked night shift. it takes some time to get your body used to working at night when you have been trained your entire life to actually sleep when it is dark. i hope that sharing some of my experiences will help you to adjust.
i am a new grad (graduated aug, 2010) who will be a charge nurse on the 11-7 shift. i am the only rn there with 5 aides. i am nervous and, freaking out about the "what if's" and i have many questions.....and here they are:
1. how will i stay up during that time?
2. how will i fall asleep when it's time for me to?
3. what does the night shift nurse do?
4. will i be able to function during the day on a off day? (i'm young and still want to have some personal time)
please if you could give me your night-shift experience or any words of advice would be great!!
1. excercise/work out before noc shift. eat after work out then prepare to go to work. (excercise gives tons of energy and seratonin which will keep you awake) while working. make small talks/conversation with cna's while doing your work and during breaks (if the specific work does not require much concentration)
2 cellphone's off get a black cloth and hang it over the windows, get a black cloth and just drape it over your eyes. fooling yourself that its night time even though you sleep at 9am
3 ltc or hospital? in ltc give meds+check vs+weekly summaries+charts and monitor pts. and at between 5-7am give prazoles or meds that is given before meals. flush gt's update mar for the next month. report to md any changes and check o2 sat/bp... make sure the patient is sleeping not dead/dying
4 yes enjoy yourself bolster your love life. be happy be healthy. feel terrific keep on smiling
1. Put aluminum foil over every bit of your bedroom (and bathroom) windows.
2. Turn off your phone ringer.
3. Exercise BEFORE you get ready to go to work.
4. Use a fan while you sleep for white noise.
5. Stop the coffee during your shift around 3 am.
5. My "droopy" spot was around 4 am. Get up, walk, make rounds, stock carts, do stuff!!!!!
6. I had NO trouble dropping off to sleep, so can't speak to that.
7. If you are single, try to keep to a nocturnal schedule (stay up late on days off, sleep in past noon) while you're off. This WILL be easier if you are younger and have no kids.
8. Good luck to you! I did nights for about three years (this was about 20 years ago) and to this day to both me and my family it seems as though I did it for ten or more. I did NOT ever do well with noc shift.
I agree I am a NOC shifter and melatonin helps me to sleep deeper. Yes you will be able to stay awake patients dont sleep at night much and there is always something to do. I dont feel tired until I see day shift coming through the door then I feel it but most important thing is dont short yourself sleep it will cause you health problems long term I know. An advantage of night shift is no management lurking around and not alot of politics. Most night shift employees are laid back hard workers and enjoy the off shifts. You will do fine.
canesdukegirl, BSN, RN
1 Article; 2,543 Posts
it is not easy working the night shift. you body gets totally out of whack. it is draining. i was by myself a great deal of the time when i was at home, and felt that i missed out on a lot of social time with my friends. it is also terribly tempting to come off of a night shift and go straight to doing normal things during the day, like shopping, or meeting your friends for lunch. i remember one time i left work after a night shift, and did a field exercise for the disaster team that i am involved with (that lasted the entire weekend), and ended up staying awake for 52 straight hours. needless to say, i slept for 2 whole days!
there are good things and bad things about working nights. rotating from days to nights is incredibly hard on you. a straight night shift or a straight day shift tends to lend to a normal body. i was sick a great deal more when i worked night shift. it takes some time to get your body used to working at night when you have been trained your entire life to actually sleep when it is dark. i hope that sharing some of my experiences will help you to adjust.