Life as a night nurse
I survived my first week of nights, and now it's already time for week two. Jesus help me.
I worked three 12 hour night shifts in a row last week. Saturday morning I called my dad from the bus stop at 7:30 am to keep myself awake while I waited for the bus. When I got home, I took a shower and watched an old TV show for less than a hour before passing out a little before ten am. Good thing I set my alarm for 2 pm because for once I made it past noon without waking up on my own. My friend came over and we walked around the neighborhood but I felt like a zombie, so I got an iced americano to help get me through the afternoon. The rest of the evening was fun but I continued to feel tired and out of it and at ten was ready for bed. Somehow my boyfriend and I ended up staying up another few hours and before you know it it's after one and I'm awake as ever and completely restless. I walked around the apartment, did a little legs up the wall, some child's pose, and eventually just crawled back into bed in desperation but he was asleep and taking up most of it, so I awkwardly suffered alone until I finally crashed. Sometime a few hours later he said, time to get up! It had definitely not been enough time! I stayed in bed until 11am - practically unheard of for me. We spent the day together and parted ways around ten pm. Now it's 1:30am and I'm watching more bad internet tv, with an empty bowl of popcorn by my chair, a sore neck and an old Xanax I have on hand for flying that's looking pretty tempting, because I gotta do all of this again tomorrow. 48 hours off between sets of three night shifts is not enough! Sometimes I think my boss is testing me. I can do it, but it's so hard! I'm exhausted all the time and drinking coffee like it's a cure-all even though I'm sure it's just fucking things up even more. I may sleep all day through the 4th of July. Don't judge. And don't let me forget to put in my earplugs....
Here's to the little things: a bracelet made for me by a patient's daughter, the weird old man nurse sticking up for me when my preceptor repeatedly mispronounces my name, remembering to make lunch and set out my scrubs the night before my shift...I'll have to keep that list going as more hard days come. I'll be on my own soon and that's super scary, but I have a good team on my floor and I will succeed!
I feel 50% terrible and 50% triumphant that I may have scared the bejesus out of some young gal I was coincidentally talking to who's excited to be a nurse. Sorry honey, nursing school sucks, it only prepares you so much, it's hard as fuck to get a job as a green new grad and you will almost certainly be on nights. Which is rough. Hope you're sure! Glad I am, because I can see how it makes so many people bitter. Lord let me keep from getting bitter.
That's enough for now. Maybe I'll think about bed soon...this time tomorrow I'll be more than halfway through my shift.
Xoxo
I worked three 12 hour night shifts in a row last week. Saturday morning I called my dad from the bus stop at 7:30 am to keep myself awake while I waited for the bus. When I got home, I took a shower and watched an old TV show for less than a hour before passing out a little before ten am. Good thing I set my alarm for 2 pm because for once I made it past noon without waking up on my own. My friend came over and we walked around the neighborhood but I felt like a zombie, so I got an iced americano to help get me through the afternoon. The rest of the evening was fun but I continued to feel tired and out of it and at ten was ready for bed. Somehow my boyfriend and I ended up staying up another few hours and before you know it it's after one and I'm awake as ever and completely restless. I walked around the apartment, did a little legs up the wall, some child's pose, and eventually just crawled back into bed in desperation but he was asleep and taking up most of it, so I awkwardly suffered alone until I finally crashed. Sometime a few hours later he said, time to get up! It had definitely not been enough time! I stayed in bed until 11am - practically unheard of for me. We spent the day together and parted ways around ten pm. Now it's 1:30am and I'm watching more bad internet tv, with an empty bowl of popcorn by my chair, a sore neck and an old Xanax I have on hand for flying that's looking pretty tempting, because I gotta do all of this again tomorrow. 48 hours off between sets of three night shifts is not enough! Sometimes I think my boss is testing me. I can do it, but it's so hard! I'm exhausted all the time and drinking coffee like it's a cure-all even though I'm sure it's just fucking things up even more. I may sleep all day through the 4th of July. Don't judge. And don't let me forget to put in my earplugs....
Here's to the little things: a bracelet made for me by a patient's daughter, the weird old man nurse sticking up for me when my preceptor repeatedly mispronounces my name, remembering to make lunch and set out my scrubs the night before my shift...I'll have to keep that list going as more hard days come. I'll be on my own soon and that's super scary, but I have a good team on my floor and I will succeed!
I feel 50% terrible and 50% triumphant that I may have scared the bejesus out of some young gal I was coincidentally talking to who's excited to be a nurse. Sorry honey, nursing school sucks, it only prepares you so much, it's hard as fuck to get a job as a green new grad and you will almost certainly be on nights. Which is rough. Hope you're sure! Glad I am, because I can see how it makes so many people bitter. Lord let me keep from getting bitter.
That's enough for now. Maybe I'll think about bed soon...this time tomorrow I'll be more than halfway through my shift.
Xoxo