Boy, does time fly! Three months have passed since I began the RN Residency. I am so thankful to have been blessed with a job that I love. I am excited each and every day to go to work. Last week, I began my preceptorship on night shift. Although I am really sad that I had to leave all the friendly faces of the day shift staff, night shift has a slower pace that provides this newbie some peace of mind! I don’t want to make the mistake of saying night shift is “easier” because it comes with its own challenges (less specialists, the weird hours, lack of parental input, etc.), but it definitely has its perks. I really feel like I am able to look into the whole picture of my patients. Instead of a quick glance at a reference, I can do my cares, charting, planning, etc., and have time to read on journal articles regarding rare disorders and disease processes. I was a little wary about starting nights, not really knowing any of the staff and how I was going to figure out a sleep schedule, but everything has worked out for the best. The NOC shift nurses have been pretty welcoming and I figured out my own little routine: stay up late the night before, sleep until 3, 4, or 5 PM, work my 12 hour, come home, shower and do some busy work for an hour or so, knock out for as long as possible, eat breakfast/lunch/dinner (whatever you want to call it) then try and sleep again until 3, 4, or 5 and start all over again. So far it’s been going pretty well; sometimes I survive the whole 12 hour shift without a sip of caffeine. My first three shifts were pretty easy, I felt like I could handle the assignments all by myself. The next two were very different! The first night I had a 1:1 which was fine, I could take care of the baby pretty well with just my RT, no preceptor. However, it was the first time a patient in the unit had passed during my shift. It was emotionally draining watching the team try to keep that little heart beating, but nice to see how well the team worked together to support each other and the baby’s family. I haven’t cried yet, not because it wasn’t sad, because believe me it was sad, but because I knew that the team did all that they could. I’m sure the tears are pending… The second night, I had a baby I was quite familiar with and a new transfer. Admissions are definitely something I struggle with right now. I have participated in 6 so far and I still can’t remember every little thing that needs to be done/charted. Of course, none of these things are life-threatening, but they’re the little things that are important (the common labs, orders, etc.). My co-workers assure me that it will all come with time, but I’m hard on myself; I want to know everything now! Practice makes perfect, right?
Preemie Donna 