Nursing is one of the most fulfilling professions. Nurses play a major role in patients’ recovery process by providing expert and on-time care. But it’s also a very demanding profession. An average shift for practicing and even student nurses is 12 hours long.
During those 12 hours, they are constantly on their feet, having to take care of many patients simultaneously, assist in emergency cases, rush to different wards, assist the doctors, etc. And for that, they need to be fresh, full of energy, and in a pleasant mood. It can become really difficult to avoid tiredness, sleep, and fatigue with such long working hours.
But to take care of others, you must take care of yourself first. Here are five tips for nurses: practicing, aspiring, or new; to keep themselves refreshed during 12 hours long shifts.
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Table of Contents
Stay Busy:
You might think this is not the best advice to start from, but the truth is, the thing that can drag your shift to the point of exhaustion is not being busy. Undoubtedly, getting rest for a few minutes, grabbing a coffee, having lunch, etc. are all necessary. But if you have, by chance, some free time, try to keep yourself busy; otherwise, you will feel like this shift is never going to end. Being active will keep you fresh, as not being active will cause laziness.
So the best way is to be productive and keep yourself busy. You can utilize your free time for something positive and beneficial. For example, if you want to move up in your career, you can enroll in an online accelerated nursing program. This way, you can focus on your studies whenever you have free time during your shift. You will utilize your time productively and attain an edge that will help you ace your career and improve the services you already provide.
You can also use your free time to help other colleagues and ease their tasks. This way, you will build stronger, better relationships with colleagues, and when you have a hectic day in the future, they will also help you out.
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Bring Healthy Snacks:
There can be any emergency during your shift. Your break might get delayed, which will occur quite often and consume much of your energy. So you should bring healthy food and nutritious snacks. Having quick healthy snacks on hand is the best option to munch on in case your break gets rescheduled.
Try to bring foods that are slow energy releasing ones instead of quick sugar fix ones. Like bananas, nuts, granola bars, etc. that will provide you with essential energy and keep you full for longer. And when planning for lunch, don’t have greasy, heavy meals as they harm energy levels.
It’s better if you prepare your meals in advance; that way, there are more chances of you packing up a healthy meal. You can make healthy meals of your liking. You can find quick delicious recipes online. Food is the biggest factor in restoring energy and keeping you fresh.
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Stay Hydrated:
Staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water play an important role in keeping you fresh. Most of the time, during the shift, going from ward to ward, you forget to have water, and after a few hours, you have a terrible headache. That is because of dehydration. Drinking water is necessary to equip your blood with essential fluids.
Always take your water bottle with you; it should be one you can easily carry. If you don't drink enough water, dehydration can lead to skin-related issues, overall, you will not only feel tired, but you will look tired too, with sunken eyes and a puffy face.
Taking water breaks is mandatory. Even when you don’t think you are thirsty, you should still drink water. It will keep you awake and refreshed. Doctors recommend 8 ounces of glasses intake of water daily. Try to get the half target done during your 12 hours shift. Carry a clear water bottle with time stamps on the side so you will look at it every hour and get reminded you need to drink water.
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Stay Organized:
Nothing will drain your energy more than the stress of arriving late at work, the pressure to find something when your paperwork is unorganized, or rushing to a patient's room since you simply forgot the time, etc. Being organized is the best way to perform your duties in the best manner and also not drain every ounce of your energy.
Staying organized can mean coming to work a few minutes early. Those few minutes will give you plenty of peaceful time to plan and prepare for your daily duties. Have your paperwork rightly organized. Have a list of patients you must attend to determine the duties you must perform. Make a to-do list and highlight the top most important ones or make a list in order of priority, etc.
Thus, these things will ensure your shift involves less panic, running, stress, and more ease. Completing your tasks promptly and well will also make you feel relaxed and refreshed. Always wear a wristwatch or a smartwatch to keep track of everything—set reminders for your tasks using your phone.
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Get Things Ready in Advance:
If you are stressed in the morning, even before arriving at the hospital, you tire yourself out before starting your shift. It's necessary to start the day with a peaceful, hassle-free, no panic morning. And for that, you should prepare things in advance. Like iron your uniform the night before and hang it so the next morning you simply put it on, and you are ready. Get your shoes ready. Put your ID badge and equipment you carry all in one place near your uniform so that everything you need the next morning is right there.
In the morning, you will have time to make a healthy, nutritious breakfast, have tea, meditate, or exercise since you will not panic about finding your things. If you have a stressful morning, you will feel lethargic for the rest of your shift.
Conclusion:
Your 12 hours long nursing shift requires you to be full of energy. Nurses have to perform many critical, even lifesaving tasks, and there can be an overload of patients or other out-of-routine things. You need to stay fresh and energetic for all this. Take inspiration from these five tips to stay fresh throughout your shift.
