Nurse Life: How to Prepare for a 12+ Hour Shift
Preparing for your 12+ hour shift can be such a task. You have to clean your uniforms, prepare you meals, do your nightly ritual all just to mentally and physically prepare for what work may bring you. We all have our own flow with how we prepare for our shifts whether we distinctly know it or not. Today I want to share mine. It’s not too special but I will say it definitely makes or breaks my work day if not done concisely.
It begins with my uniforms. These are most important to my job because it identifies who I am to the patients. I MUST have that. I always make sure they’re clean and ready for the day. I am one of those who has worn the same style of uniforms pretty much from the start of my career in healthcare. I wear a long sleeved under shirt, scrub top, and vest with my scrub pants and compression socks. Might I add, I do feel exposed if any of these pieces are missing. Sounds kind of dorky yes I know but when you work in such a personal environment the last thing you want to be is uncomfortable. Wearing my 40 layers of clothes makes me feel safe (LOL.) My shoes are also super important. One thing taught to me by my mom is your tennis shoes are only good for about 6 months when you’re a nurse. They start to loose their oomf. So if you are new to this field, there’s a good tip. I always want to stress how important it is to wear compression socks also. You are on your feet the entire time at work. I personally don’t want to be 50 years old covered in spider veins because I didn’t wear my compression socks. My favorite brand of compression socks are found on Amazon and they are by the brand SB SOX.
The next part of my routine is my skin care. This has become so important for me because about two years ago I quit wearing makeup to work. I also suffer from acne and have since I was probably 13. To take care of my skin, I use Mario Badescu products. They are so gentle and cleansing on my skin and I am completely obsessed with the results. I use the cucumber cleanser, aloe moisturizer, glycolic under eye cream, enzyme cleansing gel, and silver powder. I can honestly say my skin is the best it has ever been. I still experience hormonal acne but with my zinc spot treatment it typically goes away the next day! This routine has definitely become an everyday thing though that I find most valuable for making me feel good in my own skin.
When preparing your meals as a nurse, you want something that can be easily ate in the event you have to eat and chart (which is 99% of the time.) I always pack lots of snacks or finger foods like almonds, carrots, and bananas. In the morning, I always have my V8 energy drinks and iced coffee. I’ve started adding protein shakes into my routine in the mornings to make getting breakfast in much easier. I use the Alani Nu protein powder for my shakes. I typically prepare those the night before. Some of my recent favorite meals to prepare for lunch though are from the brand Birds Eye. I will cook those up and get about three meals out of them which equals a work week of food. Other favorites for lunch include the Chobani flips Greek yogurts... so SO yummy!
Finally, once I have everything set for the next day, it’s time for bed. I like to be in bed no later than 2200 and asleep before 2300. I’ll typically play around on my phone and watch YouTube videos until I start to dose off. Sometimes I sit in bed and drink some sleepy time tea as well. Anything to really help me wind down and mentally prepare for the next day.
Routines and time management have made my life so much easier since stepping into this role as a nurse. I’ve become so ritualistic but I can say I feel prepared for the next day when I wake up to get ready for work. It may not be super unique for how I prepare myself but I hope I gave you some tips or provided some insight for how you too can prepare for your next shift whether in nursing or not. Please feel free to share you routine below! I’d love to hear about some of your favorite products and necessities for work.
Products mentioned above:
SB SOX:
Mario Badescu:
Alani Nu:
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