Why I like the night shift.
The night shift can be kind of a pain. It is hard to work out your schedule with others. There are parties/get togethers missed on weekends.
And no one quite seems to understand that working Wednesday but having Thursday off still doesn't make you available for lunch on Thursday.
(unless you would like to wake me up for lunch in bed)
Working nights is an adjustment that is for sure. One I have had to work out myself just as much as I have had to help others figure it all out.
Now if you put a gun to my head, I would probably say I prefer days. You generally interact with your patients more. Plus there is the added bonus of being able to function normally in society.
But let me also say that I also really see a lot of benefits to nights.
I'm a night owl by nature, so staying up late is kind of my thing anyway. Plus I have always been a fan of the mysterious magical-ness of nighttime. Now I know that sounds weird and you are probably rolling your eyes-but go with me on this one. I can't really put my finger on it, but there is something cool about night time.
Like the feeling you get when you look up at a sky so bright with stars if almost feels like it should be daytime. Or that still peaceful silence of nighttime snow.
I don't know what it is....mysterious magical-ness!
Along with being a night owl I am also a list person. A person who likes to take a list of tasks and accomplish them-cross them off the list.
The day shift is full of activity. You are running from one thing to the next. One med pass to another. You get as much done that you can in the time you have.
The night shift is a little different.
You start your shift finishing up anything that needs to be done for the rest of the day. You pass meds, you assess your patients, you check monitors, labs and notes written throughout the day, you collect samples and check vitals, change wound dressings and ambulate patients. All to get your patients ready for bed.
It can take a while, and there are always fires to put out along the way, but there is a defined end.
There is a point when your patients are all settled and though work is not done, the current to-do list is empty.
My mom sometimes tells us how when we were younger younger she felt a great sense of calm and satisfaction if at the end of the day we were all fed, bathed, in clean pjs and sleeping on clean sheets. The day could have been a disaster and we could have trashed the house with our "burglar alarms" BUT everyone was safe and happy and clean and ASLEEP!
And that is kind of how I feel about the night shift. There are definite moments when I am able to sit down and feel like I really accomplished something. Then of course I almost invaribly get a new admission (Murphy's Law!). But I tackle that task as well, and eventually I get another moment to feel accomplished.
And days just never did that for me.
So that is why I like nights...and the night shift.
Be Happy Be Healthy!
