As a young new graduate nurse, most of us know that we will be stuck working the night shift, as those are usually the only job positions open.  When I had my first nursing job after I graduated, I did get hired on the night shift, and boy do I remember being so anxiety-ridden for my first one.  It was different for me because all throughout nursing school I had worked at the same hospital in the same department, but on days; therefore, I did not know the people on nights, let alone what I was getting myself into especially because I was working in an ER/Trauma center.  It’s safe to say though, I fell in love with working nights and now that I am working days at my new job (rotating shifts to be exact, but more time on days), I prefer nights.  For starters, nights work better for us young nurses who have minimal responsibilities (I’m talking no children, no house payments, etc. that is if you live with your parents still) and our bodies can handle it at such a young age, in my opinion.  As to getting myself to the point of loving night shift, I had to start somewhere, so I most definitely can lend a number of good and plentiful tips to survive your first, and succinct shifts thereafter:

• I found that I was turning the shift into a day shift – meaning, 7pm was 7am for me and dinner time (midnight usually) was lunch time for me.  Once I got used to that, I found that I was splitting the shift into three separate shifts, a chunk of 4 hours each, and I found that I’ve carried that over to working days as well, and it is a good trick for the students who do 12 hour clinicals as well.  It makes the day seem not so long, but as we all know, time flies when you’re having fun, which it most definitely does in this profession.
• Sticking to a similar routine on your days off of work helps as well.  Stay up until 3/4am on your days off and sleep until 11/noon and go about your day if that is what will keep your circadian cycle on track.  For example, if I wasn’t working the night before I had a shift, I would wake up and work out early (around 9/10, noon the latest), get the things I had to get done for the day, and then come home and “sleep” until 5ish, wake up and go to work!
• It also can’t hurt to pick up a few preceptor night shift clinicals while you’re still in nursing school (I know that’s what every senior nursing student worries about… getting stuck on the night shift clinical).
• And lastly, and most importantly, EXERCISE!  When I work back-to-back night shifts, I get home and unwind in bed around 8am, sleep until 2/230ish, go to the gym around 4 until 530/6ish, go and get dinner for work and head back on to save some more lives and do what I love!  Not only is it important for us to exercise regardless, but in this profession, we all know how important it is to unwind and mentally stay on track, so it’s super important to find a way to squeeze in a good hour or two of self-care.

I know most people dread, even fear working nights, but I ended up being one of those people who loved the night shift (most of the people I work with have been on nights for YEARS).  At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what shift or what day of the week you are scheduled to work; we are doing the career we have long worked hard for and doing what we love, and that’s truly all that matters.  Until next time CON’ers!

Sydney Adelstein is 2016 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing. 

I always tried to volunteer and stay involved throughout college as much as I could.  Although I was in a sorority and held officer positions, it was too time consuming for me to juggle both, being in nursing school.  (Although I did partake in the PLAN mentoring group within the CON). So, I knew that I was going to carry that on during post-grad being a new graduate nurse.  I have stayed involved with the College of Nursing via the Alumni Society (I serve as a regional ambassador back here in Cleveland) and also by doing these blogs to share my experiences to other people who are soon following in my footsteps.  I’ve always been the type of student and person who enjoys sharing my experiences with other people, so this has always been a perfect fit for me.  Aside from being able to donate as a CON Alumni, being involved with the regional side of the alumni society enables me to stay involved specifically with the CON and speak on behalf of the new grads that come back to Cleveland or move here post-grad.  It’s a cool way to be a little bit more involved than just rambling on about being a nurse :).  If you are interested in checking out some of the volunteer opportunities associated with OSU CON, here’s a link to current opportunities.

Although these two opportunities are the only volunteer work I am doing at the moment, I plan to do more.  With the possibility of going back to NP school this coming fall, I hope to get involved with a committee or group for school.  I’ve always felt that being involved is a good way not only enhance your resume, but to also get your name familiarized within the community, because as we all know, a lot of the healthcare industry is about who you know!  Another good way to stay involved within the field of nursing, which I plan to do so as well, is to enroll in the ANA (Nurses Association) and if you work in a specialized department, like an ED for example, enroll (for $$) within that association as well. You’ll stay in the loop on medical and nursing practice as well as receive discounts on CE courses, etc.

There’s many extracurricular and volunteer opportunities to partake in during school and post-graduation, and it’s such a good way to keep busy in your time off from work, since we only work 3 days of the week anyways :).

Sydney Adelstein is 2016 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing. 

Have a question for Sydney? Share your thoughts below!

I had many thoughts before starting to prepare for this exam, and I like to think I had the same typical fears as most of us nursing students did: not having enough time to take it, what if I don’t pass, etc.  Specifically the day of the exam and the days leading up to it, I’d say most of my worries and fears related to the timing and what number I would get.  Almost everyone’s fear is when the exam shuts off, regardless of the number!

I always have been the type of student who bought every textbook needed for every class, which is pretty much what I did for the NCLEX too, regardless of whether they were used or not.  I started out buying a basic NCLEX book that explained the style and familiarized me with the exam probably beginning of senior year, and then slowly accumulated flashcards and more study manuals.  I really recommend Lippincott books and the Saunders Q&A and Comprehensive book. I called it my book of nursing school knowledge and I would use it as a basic reference guide when I would study a topic that I felt I needed to brush up on.

I studied using the main resource from one of the NCLEX classes I took and periodically took a practice exam. When there was something I wanted to freshen up on, I looked up in the comprehensive book, and just kept doing that until I felt confident.  I also would make flashcards of information that stuck out to me as something I’d want to review before my exam.  I remember Professor Donegan had said that you should be exhausted from practicing the NCLEX, as you should have at least done 50,000 questions come exam time.  Also, the good thing about taking the NCLEX classes is they likely recommend some books to use outside of the class.

Speaking of NCLEX review classes, I took the Mark Klimeck and the Hurst Review course.  I HIGHLY recommend the Hurst Review course.  It was what I needed the most – a content refresher with 24/7 access to the videos and materials covered in class, along with resourceful handouts on their web portal.

The number one test day advice I can give is to not overdo it.  Most people will tell you not to touch ANYTHING the day of, but I had scheduled my exam at 2pm so that I could wake up at a normal time and go over materials I had like flashcards I made throughout studying.  More importantly, take deep breaths and pace yourself during the exam.  The mental health and mental relaxation is key during test day.

I bought my results a couple days early which is a feature the Pearson website has so you can see your results online and not wait for the official email and license to come in the mail.

The number one advice I have for the seniors taking it this year, is do not wait until the last minute to study. Practice a chunk of questions every day.  I recommend the NCLEX Mastery App because you can keep it on your phone and use it on your computer as well and go over specific material questions, mini-exams, flag questions as “somewhat know, don’t know, or know” and review them as such. The app also has a NCLEX-style exam you can buy which tests your readiness.  In other words, practice every day!!

Sydney Adelstein is 2016 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing. 

There have been numerous stressors that I have dealt with in my new job. The number one stress I find is patient understanding during high volume times. It may sound kind of funny to some people, but working in a trauma center emergency room, it can be a tough one. It’s frustrating for most patients when we are beyond busy.

Fortunately, we have a Spiritual Care team that frequently comes around our department and I have stocked up on their aromatherapy samples and I use those while unwinding after a long night shift before bed. Other ways to handle the stress on the job is just simply taking a second to myself and go in the break room, get a drink of water or something to eat and just relax for a quick second. That type of time is extremely valuable in the place I work, even if it is just for a second. Most importantly, in my off time, I work out, work out, work out!

If there was something I could have done differently in handling my stress, it would be to have prepared for it further in advance. In other words, take the classes that are meant to prepare nursing students for the real deal SERIOUSLY! I remember simple things like this were touched on in some of the classes and now I understand why.

I can’t stress the importance of self-care for young alumni. When that is under control, it makes dealing with stress much easier and the more practice you have with it, the more tolerable it will be. Even though our patients are our number one priority, at the end of the day, we are our most important patient to take care of.

My advice for students:  enforce and work on self-care now if it is not already important to you. Don’t take any of the information in the nursing classes that seems silly with a grain of salt – it all plays into hand. Also, most definitely find out what works for you with managing stress now and practice that as you engage more with your nursing career. I may have learned more so the harder way, but it is SO important to be able to manage stress properly because even the slightest “off day” or outside stressor may impact the patient care you provide.

Sydney Adelstein is 2016 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing. 

My name is Sydney Adelstein, I graduated this May – 2016, and I’m from Cleveland, Ohio.  Obviously I’m a new graduate nurse (yes that is a position title that is placed on my badge until I am no longer less than a year or two out of nursing school) in the ER at one of Cleveland Clinic’s regional hospitals.  To be honest, the number one reason that originally pushed me into the field of nursing was the idea that I knew I did not want to be working in a chair or some form of business-ey type job for the rest of my working years.  I always knew I wanted to do medicine, just wasn’t quite sure what right up until the week of my OSU orientation.  I switched from Pharmacy, to Athletic Training, to Physical Therapy and then finally to Nursing and have not wished otherwise ever since!  And obviously I have to give credit to my parents for the push into nursing as well.

The best advice I have gotten over my four years of college and nursing school is definitely to not be scared to get your feet wet, and as cliché as it sounds, hard work really does pay off – and that goes for a multitude of aspects of life, not just my career.  Going into nursing school, and the beginnings of my career, not afraid of what to expect has helped me become, and continue to become, the nurse that I have become today and see myself growing to be.  It makes a world of difference, and people notice it!  I am super excited to be able to share all I have learned, experienced, and am currently experiencing with fellow CON people.  It has been nothing but a crazy ride for me that I am very grateful for.