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Discussion

Worried about shift change

Is this something that I should be able to do?

- Go to a critical care conference from 7am to 1630 on a Friday in another city with 3 hours total commute time

- Then go to clinical for the night shift on Saturday night from 1930 to Sunday morning at 0745?

I'm finding it so hard to switch my natural rhythms from days to nights, and need at least 24 hours when changing schedules. (this is also an important consideration for the patient!) However, are most students expected to be able to adjust to these kinds of schedules with ease? My clinical instructor told me I needed to "toughen up" when I mentioned that I might need to change this schedule to ensure adequate rest.

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    • Expert

    It may sound harsh......but.......nursing is a shift profession. We ALL do them and you do get tired. NUrses don't shange the patients need to suit their own. If every nurse who hated nights felt they couldn't work them for the patients benefit and safety there would not be any night nurses to care for the sick patients.

    It was harsh of her , but the truth. It is the nature of the beast. :)

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    Even if you get home late on Friday, you'll have to stay up late anyway so you won't wake up too early on Saturday for your night shift, so your timing is actually golden, but I know it sucks playing the swing shift game; like the above poster said...it's the nature of the beast. You'll be just fine!

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    Go to the conference on Friday and when you get home, stay up as long as possible. Drink some coffee, keep the lights on, study or have a little movie marathon. Try to go to bed early Friday morning. If you go to bed around 5am on Friday you can sleep for 9-10 hours and be plenty rested to go to your clinical. Sounds like the schedule works out pretty well.

    Yes, being able to switch your shifts around is something that you'll have to be able to do in nursing school and as a nurse. When I was in nursing school I often had to work the night shift and then go to class the next day. As an RN, I occasionally picked up night shifts when we were shorthanded at work and would work day shift and night shift the same week.

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    • Author

    Thanks for the feedback...

    While I agree that all nurses should work nights, sometimes the short turn arounds are unhealthy. I will have to wake up at 2 am on Friday to make it to the conference on time (due to commitments at home). By the time I get home from the conference, I will be exhausted and the only way I will be able to stay up really late is if I take extra caffeine. Yes, I will do it... but nurses are undermining their own health by doing these short changes and it unfortunately does take a toll on quality care.

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    • Expert

    Yeah I agree with the others. Stay up as late as possible and sleep all day Saturday.I work all 3 shifts and have to do this one quite often.

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