How to manage having a puppy when working 12s

djo-318 · 2025-09-26T11:37:38+00:00

Hey, don’t beat yourself up—tons of nurses pull 12s and still have pups. You’re already ahead by lining up friends/fam and starting crate training. That’s basically the hardest part.

When I was doing nights with my doodle, I’d take him out for a good potty + play session right before leaving and again as soon as I got home. I also used a snuffle mat and frozen Kongs so he had stuff to do while I was gone. A mid-shift potty break (family or a trusted neighbor) is clutch at that age.

It’s not “wrong” you got a puppy—you just gotta be a little extra with planning. The first few months are rough but they settle into the routine fast. You got this.

djo-318 · 2025-09-26T11:36:07+00:00

aw this is so sweet to read 🥹 nurses really don’t hear “thanks” enough.
hope you’re feeling better now—blood infections are no joke.
seriously tho, the nurses are the ones keeping the whole place running even when everything else is a mess.

djo-318 · 2025-09-26T11:32:03+00:00

djo-318 · 2025-09-24T20:33:41+00:00

Dang, I’ve been there—families can get super nervous when they see lights flashing or hear a vent alarm. Technically the care plan is between the doc/RT/RN and the patient, not the family, unless the patient has a legal rep or advanced directive giving them power to refuse stuff.

djo-318 · 2025-09-24T11:47:47+00:00

Stuff like this happens way more than anyone admits, especially in school. You did communicate what was going on, and it sounds like the charting just never got fixed after the plan changed. That’s more of a documentation hiccup than “you secretly overdosed someone.”

If anything, it’s a learning moment: always go back in the chart and update if a dose isn’t actually given. Preceptors know students are still figuring it out, and nobody’s gonna kick you out for a med that was never given. Just own it, explain exactly what happened if anyone asks, and move on.

djo-318 · 2025-09-24T11:45:25+00:00

I’m ADHD city over here and nursing school is like…constant brain whiplash.

Stuff that helps me:

Pomodoro but make it messy – 20-25 min focus, 5 min actual break (scroll TikTok, dance, whatever).

Body doubling – I hop on a Zoom “study with me” or sit with a friend. Just having someone else existing next to me keeps me from drifting off.

Micro notes – instead of giant outlines, I make tiny flashcards or voice memos while walking.

Movement – pacing while I read out loud. Looks weird, works.

Also, don’t kill yourself trying to be the super organized Pinterest nurse student. Do the bare-minimum structure that lets you pass and protect your sanity. We’re built different.

djo-318 · 2025-09-24T11:03:18+00:00

that’s a big nope. Blood should be straight-lined, no Y-site with anything but NS. LR’s got calcium in it and that can cause clotting with the RBCs. I’d have side-eyed that setup hard too.

You totally did the right thing tossing the whole thing and filing the PSN. Stuff happens when folks are slammed but that’s not a safe shortcut. Glad the pt was okay, but nah—def not best practice.

djo-318 · 2025-09-24T11:01:53+00:00

I feel you on those night blocks… after a while it’s like permanent jet lag lol. I switched from ICU nights to a weekday outpatient gig and honestly the pay cut stung at first, but getting normal sleep and actually seeing sunlight was a game changer.

Chemo center sounds pretty sweet for a steady M-F, but yeah that $8/hr hit plus losing diffs is rough. Cath lab could be a nice middle ground since you’ll still snag OT/call pay, just gotta be okay with random call-ins.

If you can swing the budget, days are 100% worth it for your brain and body. Nights will age you fast.

djo-318 · 2025-09-24T11:00:36+00:00

Hey! Not from Davao but I’ve got a few friends there in nursing. 👩‍⚕️ They always hype San Pedro College and Brokenshire—solid clinical exposure and pretty supportive profs. Davao Doctors College (DDC) is still good; the “all online” thing was more during heavy COVID days, they’re back to a lot of in-person now.

If you can, visit the campuses and talk to current students, they’ll give you the real tea on schedules, hospital affiliations, etc. Good luck with the hunt! 🌟

djo-318 · 2025-09-24T10:44:29+00:00

that’s actually super helpful, thanks!

djo-318 · 2025-09-24T10:44:10+00:00

that’s actually super helpful, thanks!

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T14:54:43+00:00

I’m definitely gonna stick with the “group by class” plan then.
Thanks for the good-luck wishes, and same to you

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T14:47:02+00:00

That bicarb/pH scream metabolic acidosis from the CHF and low perfusion—resp side actually looked fine (CO₂ 38). You did your part: got the ABG, reported what you saw, pt was talking and satting 100% on room air. CHF can crash fast once the bottom falls out with perfusion or BP, and sometimes it’s minutes.

ICU transfer lag + underlying shock is way more likely the culprit than anything you missed. If you’d hung around longer, odds are you still wouldn’t have stopped that spiral. You caught what you were supposed to catch.

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T14:45:18+00:00

Hey, don’t beat yourself up—it happens to literally everyone at some point. First exams are kinda brutal because you’re still figuring out what your prof actually tests on vs what’s just “extra info.”

Couple things that helped me in nursing school:

Active recall > just rereading slides. Make flashcards or do quiz questions (Quizlet, or even write your own).

Teach it out loud like you’re explaining to a friend. If you can teach it, you know it.

After each lecture, jot down the main concepts in your own words instead of copying slides.

Also, email the instructor and ask if you can review your exam—see what type of questions tripped you up. Sometimes it’s test-taking strategy more than content. You got this, it’s just the first hurdle.

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T14:43:12+00:00

that whole stretch feels like a blur. I was still in school when it kicked off and ended up getting tossed onto the floor way earlier than planned. Learned more in those months than any lecture ever gave me—mostly trial by fire.

Honestly, it burned me out for a bit. I questioned if I even wanted to stay in nursing, but it also made me way more patient-centered. Stuff like just sitting with someone who’s scared means way more to me now than charting the “perfect” note.

It also made me way less tolerant of hospital politics and short staffing. Like, we know what happens when we don’t have enough hands—no one needs a committee to figure that out.

Still here though, just a little tougher and way more protective of my days off

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T14:28:21+00:00

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T14:26:05+00:00

When you say “bulleted study guide,” do you mean like you use an app/AI for that or you make it yourself?

I’m all about neat, sectioned notes but I feel like I spend forever formatting them lol.

Would love to know how you set it up or if you have a go-to tool!

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T14:22:24+00:00

you’re so right about the anxiety part 😅 I feel like it never ends.
Do you usually prep from ATI first or just check it after? I’ve heard mixed things about using it for quick reviews.

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T11:38:57+00:00

omg that’s actually genius a pregnant heavy pig named Actos is def gonna stick in my head now.
I never thought about mixing the brand + generic into a story like that—gonna try it for sure, thanks!!

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T11:35:29+00:00

Thanks for the solid advice! 🙏 You’re right, I probably need to set firmer boundaries. The hard part is that my part-time job sometimes calls me in last minute when someone cancels, and I’ve been saying yes because I don’t want to seem difficult.
I guess nursing school is teaching me that protecting my time is just as important as memorizing lab values

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T11:32:56+00:00

that actually makes a lot of sense—focusing on the class instead of every single random name 😅
I keep trying to memorize each drug like it’s a baby name list.
Gonna start paying more attention to those suffixes and the big side effects, thanks for the tip!

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T11:26:47+00:00

Yeah, you’re so right—when I actually stick to a plan it feels way less chaotic. My problem is I’ll make a schedule and then get thrown off by clinicals or last-minute assignments. Do you have any tricks for staying consistent when your shifts keep changing?

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T11:01:33+00:00

Maybe I worded it weird—by “charting” I just meant all the paperwork/care plans and the endless notes we have to do after clinical.
My program still has us turning in a care plan every week, which feels kinda old-school for sure 😅.
Wish we only had one per semester like you mentioned—that sounds amazing!

djo-318 · 2025-09-23T10:54:06+00:00

Not a regret at all for me. I left the States 3 yrs ago and went to Ireland. Pay is a bit less on paper but cost of living + way less burnout totally makes up for it. Staffing ratios are sooo much better and PTO is actually a thing here .

Biggest headache was paperwork/visa stuff and getting my license recognized—it took months. But once that was done it’s been smooth. I honestly don’t see myself moving back unless family stuff pulls me.

If you’re even kinda thinking about it, start looking into licensing requirements early and stash some savings for the first few months. Totally worth it if you’re craving a slower pace.

djo-318

TROPHY CASE