10 tips for nurses on the night shift

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Do you work nights? You’re not alone! Nights work better for a lot of nurses and offer a unique experience both on the floor and off. It’s always good to bond with other nurses who get your groove, so check out The Nerdy Nurse’s 10 tips for staying sane and adjusting on the job while on the night shift.

If you’re scheduled to work the night shift as a nurse, you’d better start saving up on that sleep and getting ready for long nights that will switch between being arduously boring and tremendously busy, seemingly at random. Unlike the day shift in hospitals and medical clinics, the night shift often sees a less steady flow of traffic, though things can get really messy and hectic should an emergency occur overnight.

Below, read through 10 tips that can be helpful to you as you prepare for the night shift routine so you’re not instantly overwhelmed, whether you’re rotating from the day shift or starting a brand-new position entirely.

#1 – Avoid the Coffee (for the most part)

One of the worst ways to set yourself up for an energy crash later in your shift is by relying too heavily on mugs of coffee to keep yourself awake and alert. Drinking a lot of coffee early in your shift may help you feel energized at the start of your shift, but you’ll find yourself lacking only a few hours later, and eventually you won’t be able to stay alert no matter how much coffee you stuff yourself with. If you need coffee, try a single cup later on in your shift when you just can’t manage any longer without it, for a last-minute alertness-boosting aid. That way, you won’t feel the coffee crash until at least your shift is over.

#2 – Be Prepared for the Unexpected

When you regularly work the day shift, you can expect either a steady stream of patients or at least know the ebbs and flows of typical clinic or hospital day traffic. At night, it’s often more difficult to stick to a routine, namely because there can be long stretches where nothing is happening, only to be interrupted by a serious emergency out of nowhere. By always being prepared for an unexpected event, you won’t have to brace yourself as hard should you suddenly be needed to help during an emergency at 3:30 a.m.

#3 – Know Your Allies

Night-shift teams in hospitals are often known for being rather tight-knit, probably as a response to the lack of urgent happenings every other minute, allowing nurses, doctors and other personnel to get to know each other better. Night shifts can be hard to sit through, especially if you’re more of a day person, so knowing who you can rely on during those long, rote stretches can be a big advantage to you in the long run.

#4 – Request the Day Shift Whenever Available

Some nurses who work only the night shift complain about having their career momentum stalled, particularly those who were moving up quickly when previously working the day shift. This has less to do with the job performance of those working the night shift and more to do with the big advantage of working during the day, which is the networking aspect. Most of the hospital or clinic’s higher-ups will be at work only during the day for the most part, meaning they’ll interact primarily with day-shift nurses per routine. If you’re struggling to get noticed and only work night hours at the moment, you may want to consider adding some day shift hours as well, if available, to raise your visibility to those who can help you move forward on your career path.

#5 – Wear Bright Colors

When there’s no natural sunlight to keep you in a cheery, alert mood, and you only have dull-colored nursing scrubs to stare at otherwise, you can feel like you’re living in a muted environment, which can be depressing. By wearing bright, cheerfully colored nursing scrubs, you can not only boost your mood, but also that of your patients, who not only have to put up with a medical incident, but also staying awake at whatever remote hour it is.

To read the rest of the story, head on over to The Nerdy Nurse. Then, in the comments below, give us your own advice for nurses on the night shift!