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Adjusting to those pesky late night hours

Stressed Out Nurses Weekly, January 19, 2007

So you're the new guy on the block, eh? Suddenly you're the smallest fish in this enormous pond. As a new graduate in a new job (or even an experienced nurse in a new job), these feelings are normal. That fear, that nervousness, and that excitement are all quickly put to the test on the night shift. Often, those "graveyard" hours fall to the low nurse on the IV pole. Now that you've got your schedule, how do you adjust? Colleen Claffey, RN, MSN, CEN, a night staff educator at Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami, FL, has some tips.

The role, which she has been in for two years, was created to tackle the department's high nurse turnover rate and provide some essential clinical support to new graduate nurses at night.

By creating the role of the night educator, nursing leadership decided to seize a unique opportunity to engage night staff-an often alienated segment of the workforce. Seeing the "big picture" with regard to clinical manifestations and plan of care is difficult for new graduates.

As a new graduate nurse working the night hours, it is important to

• learn about department documentation policies
• discuss pertinent labs, assessment findings, and plan of care
• work with educators and experienced nurses on learning the standards of care and high-risk procedures

For the rest of the story (plus a whole lot more!), please click here.

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