Evening clinicals are a tricky thing

I've discovered I really enjoy the evening shift. It has a different flow than the day shift. As long as I save my caffeine fix for the afternoon, I'm pretty alert and thinking clearly from beginning to end.

Turns out I like Adult Med/Surg nursing, too. We have more responsibility now as "Senior I" students, which is both exciting and downright scary. We have access codes to the medication administration system and can give certain medications independently. The medications we take out of the system are double-checked by the RN we're working with, but I'm proud to report that I've now given three subcutaneous injections all by myself. It's exciting, because I feel like I'm finally getting to practice my skills.

I continue to be impressed by the breadth of knowledge the nurses on my floor have to have to do their job well. I'm also impressed with their speed and efficiency -- having a student to mentor can really slow them down. On Monday, though, I was responsible for the primary care of two patients. I've never cared for more than one patient at a time, so it was exciting to take on more responsibility. By the end of this clinical experience, I will hopefully be caring for up to 3 patients per shift.

That whole being alert at night thing is a real problem though. I'm alert for my drive home, and I'm alert when I should be sleeping. I've turned into an insomniac! For some reason, I didn't have any trouble taking naps and sleeping soundly when I got home from my morning clinicals. It makes me miss them.