Choosing Night or Day Shift

Choosing either day shift or night shift all depends on your lifestyle and situation. In Longterm care, most patients are asleep on night shift. Even though one or two may stay up all night.Also the doctors and administration staff are gone for the day.So it is much more quiet and less crazy. You still do your rounds and charting as a nurse and you work in a calmer environment.

Day shift everything is happening. It is more crowded with family members visiting and approaching you with concerned questions. On top of that you have supervisors, doctor calls, pharmacy calls ,family members calls and admissions. Not to forget emergencies like falls and injuries.

The hospital is different the majority of patient are usually awake and need more attention even during the night shift depending on the unit you are assigned to work.
For a CNA, day shift in a longterm care facility is extremely busy with ADLs, showers, making beds, assisting with meals and toileting.
Night shift on the other hand is a bit easier. The residents are asleep and you make rounds every two hours and keep them dry.

I remember working for a few months in a hospital 12hrs night shift as a nurse, and I was on my feet for at least 10hrs. The only time I sat down was to check orders in the computer.

My main focus in this blog today will be on longterm care.

If you are married or have a companion, you have children and you both work. If your companion works in the day time the best choice will be for you to work night shift. He or she can watch the kids. You still can spend time together on your day off. You get to spend time with your kids, rest during the day and put them to bed.
If you are not a night person it will be hard staying awake. My advise if you have a problem staying awake at night, that shift is not a good choice. So make sure you choose the right shift that is best for you.
When sitting with a patient on night shift it is extremely hard to stay awake because you are sitting for your whole shift most of the time if the patient is not active. I remember bringing my study material to read when the patient was asleep and that kept me awake. I would also ask for a break to stretch. I have seen so many people loose their sitting jobs due to the fact that they fell asleep when they were suppose to be monitoring the patient. So please make the right choice.

I hope this blog post is helpful and informative to you guys!

Working The Graveyard Shift

The night shift can be either 12 hours or 8 hours. I have worked both shifts. Your days will be nights and your nights would be days. You will sleep during the day and be awake at night. If you are new to the night shift your body will take a while to adjust. When I first started working night shift, it took me three weeks to adjust. The only thing that helped me sleep during the day was to make my bedroom dark and keep the blinds closed. I also started drinking more caffeine at night. My two favorite drinks were coffee and coke. I started an unhealthy diet where I would eat a full meal at 2 or 3 am and also snacks. Working full-time nights as a parent, you hardly see you kids or get to spend time with them. It is harder if you have a child under the age of 5. The 12hours shift would work best for a single parent if the shifts are spread where you can rest one day in between the two days. Working night shift is hard on your body physically so you need to take care of your body. You need to take some kind of multivitamin and eat healthy. I started eating healthy and exercising at least once a week. I ate dinner at home and I pack a healthy snack. My snack of choice is fresh fruits and protein bars. I also bring a fruit smoothie or protein shake, making sure that I drink adequate amount of water throughout my shift even if I do not exercise sometimes, I burn calories by walking throughout the halls. Most important I make sure that I take my multivitamin daily. Taking care of your body is very crucial as a nurse.

Nursing School and it's Challenges

Never Give up

I started the grave yard shift as a CNA sitter on the psychiatry unit as a single mother of one while attending LPN college full-time during the day for a year and a half. It was pretty stressful to the point where I started loosing my hair. While attending school, I found out that I had a blood clot in my lung and to top it off I was already diagnosed with lupus.My nursing program was an accelerated program. Missing classes was not an option. When i found out that I had to be hospitalized I was in tears.But I was so determined to achieve my goal that nothing was going to stop me. My daughter brought my nursing books and I studied every day during my hospital stay when I was not sedated or pain free. I checked in with the school via phone for assignments daily.The director of the program advised me to rest and not to worry. After I got home I went back to school but i was not fully recovered. I still tried to sit through 8hrs of class and slept through my lunch break. I graduated on time with my classmates.
Nursing school is tough, but if this is really what you want you will put your all into it. I have had my moments where I wanted to quit. It is very rewarding at the end. If I can do it despite everything you sure can too, and become a professional.

Don't let anything stand in the way of your goals, your blessings and your success.