How to tell you've worked too many shifts in a row

Your mother takes you on a cruise through the Mediterranian, and you get off the ship to see Michelanglo's David: the first thing that goes through your mind is "wow! he has massive edema in his feet and I could put a 14 gauge in that hand without a tournequet!"

Mom just laughed at me.....

Oh gawwwwd... I KNEW I'd over done it when I .... ewwwwww!!!!....... I actually crash-landed on my bed.... in my scrubs. Ugh! Talk about feeling contaminated when I woke up! Washed that bedding up PDQ...
I just remember stumbling to the bed and thank goodness I made it home safely. Never will do so many shifts (including noc's) in a row again!!!

When you are out walking you dog after your last shift, fall over in the snow and think "oh my God this feels so comfy".
When you wake up, sitting upright on your couch in your scrubs, catch yourself in the mirror and think, "hmm I don't look THAT bad".
When you can hardly remember the drive home.
When the nice police man who stops you thinking you are drunk, realizes you are exhausted, offers to secure your car and call you a cab (apparently I was nodding at a stop light).

I dated a guy once who used to think it was the height of rudeness when I fell asleep while he was talking (sometimes I fell asleep in the middle of my own sentences too). He also thought my habit of showering the minute I got home was weird -- if he only knew.

You ponder haldol dart guns for the rowdy kids when they get loud while you're trying to sleep

Its always important to have days off. Working too many shifts can put your practice at risk and also the risk to your patients. As tempting as it is to work that extra 12 hours for a bit more cash - is simply not worth it at times.

You sit down on the couch for just a second...and wake up 6 hours later...still in your scrubs, and your glasses are still on.

The phrase "would anyone like to go "on call"" is enough to start an all out brawl in the break room.

You and your coworkers start drawing straws to figure out who is stuck with the PITA pt who has been there for 180 days.

When there is a major traffic accident that shuts down the highway, and most of the entire dayshift is late, meaning you have to work over until the highway is reopened and they arrive...you hide in a corner, crying "but my shift is over...it's over...I just wanna go home..." while rocking back and forth

When I find myself screaming at students in a teaching hospital.

When I wake up out of a dead sleep, to a quiet house and panic, and can't quite use the phone correctly to figure out where my family went.

When I can't remember if I had a family or was I dreaming.

When I am conscious enough during a dream to try and figure out if I am dreaming then decide I am really at work. You talk about being completely disoriented.

When you fall asleep during sex and your boyfriend thinks you're teasing him!

When you go out to breakfast right after a looong shift and thinking your driving out of the parking lot only to find out your driving between 2 buildings and pretty soon you're driving over the curb.

I know when I have worked too much when I wake up the closet covered in hangers thinking I am at work and "checking on my patient>".


When you place the coffee pot in the refrigerator and the milk on the warmer.