Will nursing ever not be exhausting?

I had my 2nd shift of my capstone today. For those who don't know, capstone is similar to the residency that doctors do. I need 130 hours to graduate... I have 16 done so far.

I arrived before 7am (leaving the house at 6am) and diligently followed my preceptor around. I rubbed ointment on a patient's legs, helped with turnings and bed baths, gave a shot of Lovenox, and did some assessments. I also handed out meds. Before each med I was asked what it was for... there were only 2 that I knew! Ugh! Why do I struggle with the drugs so much?!

Once again I was saddened because of a patient's situation. This was a young 30-something mom who was a paraplegic due to a car accident. The part that saddened me however wasn't the fact that she was paralyzed, but because it was a situation that once again could have been avoided. The accident happened because she chose to drive drunk. I couldn't help but think of that child at home...

At the end of my shift I did a lot of running. They decided to close down my ward temporarily due to a low census and I spent the last couple of hours transferring patients to a variety of floors within the hospital.

It's 8:30 and I'm ready for bed...