You might be a night shifter if...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

You sit through 3 red lights before you realize the car in front of you is broken down, and not just stopped at the light. oops.

....You wake up in a panic when you see your bedside clock says 6:45 and you think you're late....until you realize it's your day off and you actually slept some last night and now it's 6:45 AM :)

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

....when, after three decades on the night shift, every phone conversations with your relatives starts out with the obligatory "I'm not waking you up, am I?" (they've all experienced my 3am call 'just to chat' - it keeps them honest!).

.......you really, really want to be a contestant on The Amazing Race - because you can totally stay awake / make decisions / keep moving on NO sleep.

.......the sun hurts your eyes.

........ you have ever answered the question "So, where do you nurses sleep at night?" for a patient who has no CLUE what we do.

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Specializes in ICU.

I love me some night shift, but what?!

Lolol that was my thought too!!

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....when you have to hear yet another person say "wow, graveyard shift in a hospital must be so BORING; do you watch tv or something to pass the time?"

argh.

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Specializes in ICU.

Oops.

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I've had whole conversations with people who called my phone during the day when I was sleeping and forgot to silence it, and then totally forgotten the entire conversation. Apparently I can hold up my end of the conversation pretty well though - only my mom can tell when I'm sleep-talking :rolleyes:

Haha definitely do that. But apparently not all the time. Once my sister called during the day and I thought the conversation sounded like this:

"Hello?"

"Hey, what's up?

"Hello?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Hello!"

"I said hi! What do you need!"

She told me later that, instead of saying, you know, words, I was just groaning like Frankenstein's monster. So it was more like:

"Hello?'

"Grraaaa."

"Hello?

"Grrrraaaaaaaaa."

"Hello!"

"GRAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

(Also, the only thing that scares me in the dark of the night is the the thought that there might be a Weeping Angel hiding somewhere :cautious: What a cruel username for a night shifter :laugh:)

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Specializes in ICU.

You go into your pt's room for their 0400 assessment/labs/meds, and they ask you, "Did you sleep well last night, dear?" Some of them not even confused. What the what?

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Specializes in Med/Surg,Cardiac.

The seeing better in the dark comment made me remember the... Few... Times I've told patients/families that they didn't have to turn on the light because "I am so used to doing it in the dark I think I do it better that way." with a huge smile plastered over my sleep deprived face and shock on that family members face. I honestly didn't even realize what I said and proceeded with "I actually prefer the dark anyhow." ugh... They must have thought I was crazy. And possibly one of those "nurses" in an adult movie.

~ No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent -Eleanor Roosevelt ~

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You reel at the thought of working with... *gulp* management breathing down your neck
Yes, yes and yes.Also, I like that I deal with less people on night shift.
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....you can't for the life of you remember what day of the week it is much less the actual DATE

....the sun comes out and you feel like making a run for the hills because you can't handle the bright light anymore

....if you're out on a day off during the day and you can't believe how many freaking other people are on the roads, in the stores, etc!!

....you've memorized all the foods in the vending machine, and you still hate all of them, so you go hungry or hope someone has brought in the munchies

....one fan no longer does the trick for the white noise....you now have on the order of two or three sound machines going at full blast to help you keep from wanting to murder all the idiots during the day who have not a care in the world for those who have to sleep for work

....my personal favorite.....when you get angrier than hell at people who think those who are up in the middle of the night must be some kind of weirdo or degenerate.....that is....until THEY land their butts in YOUR ER in the middle of the night. Guess we night people are pretty important after all, eh?

Tried and true nightshifter here

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I have finally, somehow, managed to sign the form, and she has handed me the package, and I suddenly begin, like a truly-mad-person, calling out to the backside of the mail-lady, as she rapidly descends my driveway..."Um, miss? I'm sorry! It's just that I'm a NURSE! (Yah, she's gonna buy THAT!) Um, I work NIGHTS?? ...You know...Like, I just woke up when I heard the doorbell...It's my "nighttime" is all--it isn't like I'm a crackhead sitting at home all day!" (Which at this point is SURELY doing a WHOLE lot to reassure her of the fact that I am mentally "intact") So many crackheads sitting at home all day are readily admitting to such, right? Thus, making my commentary that much more believable...I have just sunk to a loooow level... Why must I find this situation SO aggravating and embarrasing! Just CLOSE the DOOR and go BACK to BED...This is my mantra...tends not to work so well :sour: ...

And me being, well, ME...I have approximately NINE additional, similar "scenarios" I can share anytime, as I am sure you all do as well! But darn it if I wouldn't give up my night shifts nonetheless...15 years and counting! AND my husband, my mother, my friends, my riding trainer (horses)...everyone would no doubt PAY me at this point to work day shift, just to make THEIR lives generally "easier"!...but my staff on nights is my family, and I love the shift...it's where ALL the GOOD STUFF HAPPENS!! Nope, I am a NIGHT NURSE TO STAY! :up:

You literally just made me laugh out loud!!! How true is this?! I'm not sure why I care if people think I'm home drinking in my pajamas all day but it always seems like some type of explanation is needed! Thanks for the good laugh and for sticking with the night shift!

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I love this thread!! I worked nights full time for a year. Congrats to the ones who have done it even longer!! I remember having to smack my face, letting the windows down, turning the radio up loud and singing loudly to try to stay up to make the 45 to 50 min drive home.

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