Resources
Guides
Calculations, schedules, shift work, teamwork, handover, nursing school: concrete answers to the questions you ask on placement and on the ward.
Calculations and methods
IV drip rate calculation in drops per minute: the formula and 3 worked examples
The drops per minute and mL/hr formulas, drop factors, the quick mental checks, and three step-by-step worked examples.
Syringe pump rate calculation in mL/hr: method and worked examples
Syringe concentration, rate in mL/hr, weight-based orders in mg/kg/hr and orders in micrograms: the two-step method and four worked examples.
Focus charting with DAR: method and examples for nursing students
Focus, Data, Action, Response: how to write a clear focus note, two complete examples, and the mistakes clinical instructors correct most often.
Rhythm and recovery
How to recover after a night shift: a nurse's step-by-step method
Getting home, sleeping, eating and resetting your body clock. A practical way to recover after a night shift without losing the whole next day.
How to survive consecutive night shifts: a plan for a run of nights
Three, four or five nights in a row. How to prepare the run, keep your sleep steady between shifts and come off nights without losing your days off.
What to eat on a 12-hour shift: a nurse's guide to meals that hold up
Skipped lunches, break-room biscuits, the mid-afternoon slump. How to plan what you eat and when across a twelve-hour shift, on days and on nights.
How to sleep during the day when you work nights: what actually works
Light, noise, timing and the people you live with. How to sleep during the day as a night-shift nurse, with concrete fixes for your room and your routine.
Nurse fatigue at the end of the week: why day four is so hard and what to do
The tiredness that builds shift after shift, the last day of the run when everything costs more. Understand end-of-week nurse fatigue and keep it in check.
Coffee and hydration on shift: how to drink enough water when there is no time
End-of-shift headache, third coffee of the morning, bottle left in the locker room. How to handle coffee and hydration on a nursing shift, practically.
Schedule and organisation
How to organise your shift schedule as a nursing student on placement
Unit hours, timesheets, nights and weekends, classes in between. How to organise your shift schedule as a nursing student and get through placement intact.
How to ask for shift preferences as a nurse without annoying your manager
A weekend off, an appointment, a run of nights to avoid. How to ask for shift preferences as a nurse, at the right time and in the right form.