Night Shift

I had my first two night shifts this last week. It usually starts off pretty crazy--like I literally started with cleaning up diarrhea of a 400lb man; me, my preceptor, the day shift nurse, and an EMT had to all help hold and clean him up. By the end of the shift, things start to slow down and it's much easier to get caught up with all my work.

The night shift nurses all love me so far! There are new hires that started Day 1 of their orientation on night shift, so compared to them, I'm pretty knowledgeable and independent since I'm on my 2nd to the last week of orientation. I'm also used to staying on my toes during the busy hours of day shift, so I stay proactive even as the night shift starts to slow down. My preceptor told me I'm ready to be on my own and she doesn't know why I'm paired up with her, which is so encouraging to hear, compared to day shift who had seen me when I was new and awkward.

I do know though that I'm lacking in experience with critical patients. Two weeks in the critical rooms and still no full code with me as the primary nurse or pushing critical drugs. Hopefully I experience that before I'm off my preceptorship. Four more shifts to go till I'm on my own!

Enter Sandman

After a 6-week orientation on day shift, I am transitioning finally to night shift this week. My biggest concern: how to get my beauty sleep! Here are tips I've gathered from talking to night shift colleagues.

1. Make sure you're in the bedroom with windows NOT facing east where the sun rises, far from the freeway or main streets, quiet roommates, and the upper apartment/room so you don't have to hear people walking around upstairs.

2. Blackout curtains - I just bought Eclipse Blackout curtains at Target, only $13.99. I bought the tan color which is room darkening, but actually doesn't completely block out the light. I don't know if it would make a difference if I bought the black, dark brown or blue. Luckily my windows are small, so I folded it in half and that does a really good blackout job.

3. Sleep mask - A much cheaper solution than buying blackout curtains (unfortunately I had already bought my curtains when I realized I could do this too)! And you can pick cute styles like animal prints or designs, chic colors, or printed words like "sexy" or "angel."

4. Melatonin sleep aid - Melatonin is basically the hormone that helps our circadian rhythm, which tells us when it's time to sleep or stay up. It's over the counter, so you can just get some at your local pharmacy.

5. Ambien or your benzodiazepines - If you really can't sleep, get a sleeping aid prescription from your doctor. Ambien is a sedative, while benzodiazepines are relaxants (which ultimately can help you sleep too).

What are your tips for transitioning into night shift mode, instead of trying to block out sound/light under the pillows and covers?