Adapting to working shifts can be really hard and a shock to the system. Claire shares her tips and tricks on how she deals with the demands of working long shifts to make it as easy as possible.
So, this is it.
You have got your first ever 12-hour shift and you want to know how to prepare for it.
Plan your journey to Placement
Plan your journey, so make sure you have Google Mapped where you're going to go.
If you don't know where you’re going make sure you know where your placement allocation is, make sure you know the address, make sure you know different travel routes, the easiest travel routes both train and tram, driving, walking, cycling in - whatever route or mode is the easiest and quickest and cheapest route for you, do that.
Make sure you do a practice run as well leading up to your placement so you know exactly how long it's going to take you to get to your placement so that you're not late.
Comfortable footwear
Comfy shoes - oh my gosh, you're gonna need some cloud9 style comfy shoes so you can walk on air for the whole day, otherwise your feet are gonna be in bits!
You might get blisters, it's gonna be horrendous because you are on your feet all day.
During 12-hour shifts you are on your feet non-stop, getting 16,000 steps a day.
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You're gonna want to walk on air, you're gonna want your feet comfortable because trust me it is hell if you've got a blister or you've got really uncomfortable shoes on out there on placement and you've got another 11 hours to go.
The countdown begins and you're in agony, you're gonna want comfy shoes - trust me!
Two of the top pairs of shoes that I see a lot of students have are from Clarks, they're called unloop and these are what I have.
I find them amazing, they are the perfect shoe, literally. They're very, very expensive from Clark's but they will last you forever, for a lifetime - okay maybe not a lifetime but they will last you a long, long time.
But if you have a factory outlet near you please go there to get them because they're half the price - top tip of the day!
The other shoe that you might want are Skechers.
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I know a lot of students wear Skechers, all black so they meet the criteria.
Have a look at those and see which one you prefer I think, but it's up to you, it's your own feet.
You know your own body, you know what's going to be comfortable and what's not. Just go out there, trial and error, just find the perfect ones for you.
About this contributor
Registered Nurse
I am a Registered Nurse with over 12 years healthcare experience including: elderly care, orthopaedics, sexual health / family planning, qualified GP nurse, transgender healthcare and now in my new role as an assistant lecturer (as of Nov 2022). I believe that nursing gets a lot of bad press, so I create blogs and vlogs to help anyone considering their nursing career and to create positivity surrounding our profession as I'm so passionate about nursing.
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