Nurses, Follow These Steps During Long Shifts

Nurses, Follow These Steps During Long Shifts

Long shifts are hard. They're difficult to get through, especially when you're working with a team that doesn't always understand what you're going through. But if you want to be a successful nurse, then you need to know how to get through those long shifts with your health and well-being intact. DirectShifts recommends these 6 tips for getting through a long nursing shift:

1. Prep yourself

When you're working 12-hour shifts in a row, it's important to be mentally and physically prepared for whatever you may see or do throughout your shift. You should plan ahead and know exactly what you'll need to do in order to get through your shift without any unnecessary discomfort or stress. This includes breaking down the shift into parts, identifying where you can find a quiet reprieve if necessary, finding out who you're working with, and determining in advance if and when you'll have time for breaks, naps, and meals. Wear comfortable clothing so that your body doesn't ache from being uncomfortable all day long!

2. Organize yourself

It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the responsibilities that come with being a nurse, but there are some simple steps you can take to help keep yourself organized and ready for anything. First things first: try creating a list of everything you need to take with you and set out or pack essentials in advance. This will help keep you organized throughout the day so that when it comes time for meetings or appointments, everything is ready and waiting on your desk! Next up: consider how best to manage your workload so that you can see people who are important to you and reduce your anxiety levels as much as possible.

3. Hydrate yourself and Eat Right

If you're a nurse, you know that long shifts are a reality of the job. But even though they can be demanding and stressful, that doesn't mean you should work through your breaks. If you aren't eating or staying hydrated, you could be endangering yourself and your patients. For that reason, you should establish break times and take those breaks as soon as possible.

4. Dress Comfortably

When it comes to dressing for comfort, there are lots of ways to make sure you're able to get through your shift without compromising your health:

* Wear layers so that if one layer gets too hot or too cold, another layer will keep things comfortable.

* Make sure that each layer has its own ventilation system--this will allow air flow through all layers so that none feels like an oven!

5. Take Breaks

Nurses, take your breaks!

Taking breaks is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy and energized. It's important to take breaks at reasonable times--not just when you feel like it, but when your body tells you it's time. If you don't have a good routine, try setting aside 30 minutes each day for a quick break. Make sure that when you take your break, it doesn't interrupt what needs to be done in order for your shift to run smoothly (or at least as smoothly as possible). When possible, try not to rush through your meal or skip a nap thinking that doing so will help get more done, because the reality is that getting enough rest before starting another shift is crucial if you want to avoid exhaustion later on. Prepare healthy snacks in advance so that if there are any sugar crashes later on in the day, they won't be from sugary foods like candy bars or cookies!

6. Make Sleep a Priority

If you're working a long shift, it can be hard to stay awake and alert. When you're tired, your body doesn't produce enough of the brain chemicals that help keep you awake in fact, those chemicals are produced when you sleep! You may think that getting a good night's sleep will help your body recover from the day and prepare for another one. But studies show that sleep deprivation can actually increase your risk of death by 34 percent! It can also make it harder for blood to flow through your veins, which leads to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. So how do you get enough rest while managing patients? Follow these steps:

1) Take breaks during the day. It's okay if they are short just 20 minutes at a time is all you need!

2) Naps aren't just for kids anymore! Taking a quick break can help wake up your body and give it some much-needed energy so that when you get back to work, you are all charged up.

Conclusion

Nursing is a demanding career, and there's no doubt that long shifts can be difficult to manage. However, there are ways to make managing your long shifts easier and more manageable. One of the best ways to get through those long shifts is to start preparing for them ahead of time by making sure that you have a plan in place for how you'll handle them. This includes knowing what kind of support system you'll need around you if things get tough and knowing when it's OK to ask for help from supervisors or coworkers. Another thing you can do is make sure that you're taking care of yourself physically as well as mentally by taking breaks throughout the day as needed and eating healthy foods! You don't want your body to be burning out because it hasn't gotten any rest recently it's important for your overall health!