A Night Shift as the New Nurse: 12 Hours Through the Eyes of a New Grad on a Med/Surg Ward

Written by a real nurse for new nurses and people considering the profession of nursing, this book follows Lena, a recent graduate, over the course of a typical 12-hour night shift on a med/surg ward. Lena has started to doubt her abilities and her desire to continue in her current career path- after all, nursing is hard, really hard, and in ways that Lena wasn't expecting. She spent years studying to become a nurse, but her first six months on the job have been challenging.

Over the course of a hectic night shift, Lena starts to open her eyes and ears to the insight of the nurses around her. The ones who have survived in the hospital setting for years seem to have intuition that can't be taught, a thick skin, and innate confidence. Despite their words, Lena still wonders if she should just return to graduate school to pursue a career away from the bedside, or if she can find a purpose somewhere else entirely.

Share in Lena's journey of self-reflection, and along the way, realize that a life-changing impact doesn't have to look the way it does in movies. A small touch can have a big impact on other lives in unimaginable ways. Nurses work incredibly hard, and it is human to feel disappointment when efforts aren't seen into fruition. To add to the frustration among bedside nurses, the modern-day culture of medicine is a challenging environment to foster a career. Despite all the obstacles, however, nurses still have unmatched opportunities to make a real difference. Nursing isn't a profession that suits everyone, but anyone with the passion and drive to succeed can certainly find a place in this diverse field.

An Excerpt from the Author's Note

I wrote this book to provide a realistic depiction of the challenges of working as a nurse. Despite how frustrating some of those challenges appear in this context, I am hoping that this project encourages prospective nurses and gives motivation and perspective to newly graduated nurses. I think that being adequately prepared for what to expect on a typical inpatient ward can go a long way towards empowering nurses to step up to the challenge, rather than leaving them wondering if they’re doing something wrong, if everyone feels the way they’re feeling. Nurses are a strong breed, and it takes more than a story about a difficult shift to scare them away. Instead, understanding that a certain level of courage, an adaptive mind, and a sense of self-preservation are more necessary in nursing than most other careers require can prepare new nurses to have realistic expectations of their path, and give them a head start at creating a plan of attack. Whether you’re just considering a career in health care, you’re in nursing school now, or you’ve graduated, I hope you go forth with an open mind. In these pages, you’ll observe a hectic night shift through the eyes of a struggling new grad, and take the opportunity to absorb the wisdom of the nurses who offer insight along the way. This particular night shift is fictional, a composite compilation of fabricated characters who throw up a few road blocks between this new nurse and the end of the shift. If you take nothing else away from this book, I hope you find a renewed sense of purpose and the realization that you can do this. No, the field of nursing and health care as a whole is not a perfect entity. There is room for improvement in terms of culture and management in many different sectors of medicine right now. But, together, we still have a chance to make a difference, and you are truly important.