Struggling with politics, frustrated, and questioning my career choice.

[SIguy_RN]

Hello everybody,

First off I want to say that this post is going to be mostly personal so read on if you choose. This is also my first post here, although I have been reading these boards for 5+ years.

Anyway, I recently graduated with from an accelerated second degree BSN program, April 2012. I precepted in an inner city SICU for 3 months, and was hired as a GN, then became licensed and am now practicing as an RN. Currently, I have 6 months of experience on this unit.

Here is my problem #1,

I am working midnights and I cannot stand midnight shift. This shift is absolutely awful. Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate my job by any means, but the shift is killing me. I feel unhealthy, I haven't had a good "sleep" in 3 months, and I am constantly tired. I've tried every schedule change imaginable: wake up late, wake up early, sleep in the day, sleep at night, you get the idea. It just comes down to the fact that I have ALWAYS been a morning person, and never have been able to do nights, at any job, at any time. My original intention was to stick it out and get the unmatched experience I am obtaining at my current job, being an SICU and all, and eventually apply to anesthesia school (my dream for the last 5 years). I have family in anesthesia both a CRNA, and MDA, along with other physicians, so I had a sparked interest early in nursing school. And I don't mean I woke up one day and decided to try to be a CRNA, my life has been designed around the eventual return to school. My car, house, finances, expenditures, etc., I have shadowed CRNA's multiple times over the last 3 years (even when I was in undergrad). These factors all have been carefully calculated to aide me in my goal.

I find myself increasingly demotivated about going back to school, simply because I do not feel well most of the time. In fact, it seems as though my dream of CRNA school is slipping away. I blame it mostly on the night shift because I can parallel this phenomenon with other aspects in my life: I find myself caring less and less about things I used to be very excited about. It is strange, and I have never felt this way before. I thought I would enjoy nursing, and when I was training on days (aside from being stressed), I didn't have this feeling. I was eager to learn, and did not feel run down all the time.

My point is, should I stick this midnight shift out to get the experience ultimately sacrificing my happiness and health?

It is a 2+ year wait for a day shift here.

[gwapo]

you can leave and find a dayshift job somewhere else. Or you can see your doctor and talk about it. i used to work with a nurse who talked about how she was on Provigil. look that med up.. I am not saying you should take it, all i am saying is my coworker was on it for symptoms similar to yours. My experience is a little different. worked night shift for the past 6 years and a couple months ago I started crna school. so there i was on my fisrt ever day shift in almost 7 yrs. I'd fall asleep in class and lose track. as you probably know, that isn't good for me while in such program. so i talked to my doctor and he recommended a Vitamin B12 shot. I think that helped.. I do not feel sleepy early in the day anymore.. towards 5pm, well, it's a different story when you've been sitting for 7 hours already and you got 2 more hrs to go. lol. good luck.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

For me working nights was about finding the way for me to get sleep. I wouldn't rule out taking a prescribed sleep aid. You need BLACKout curtains, white noise, ear plugs, catch up on days off, make sure family know you're sleeping and set rules. I would always drink an energy drink at work so my body would clearly know when I was supposed to be up and sleeping. If you don't have blackout curtains I can't speak highly enough about them. Melatonin is suppressed by daylight on your skin. I have taken melatonin too, and it works, but only on the first day or two of your rotation. Good luck.

[itsnowornever, BSN, RN]

Foil and duct tape. Hubby works nights every summer and for 8 years that's how we did it! I just got hired on nights and the foil is going back up! Good luck!

[SIguy_RN]

Currently all my Windows are blacked out, I take melatonin as well as Tylenol PM, I sleep from 9a-5p on work days, I catch up on days off, I wear sunglasses on the ride home and I schedule my days back to back x3. I do all of this and still feel like total garbage most of the time. I only have 6 mos experience so I don't theink.that is enough to get hired anywhere else on days. So..... Idk what to do. I'm just really tired of....being tired.