I LOVE NIGHT SHIFT!

i'm officially on my own. i had my 3 month introductory period evaluation the other day with my manager. she gave me nothing but good feedback. no constructive criticism at all, i was surprised! especially since i found out the other new grads on my unit (dayshift) are really struggling... =( making mistakes, staying way late charting, not being where they should be... i really feel for them and encourage them when i can. it just takes time. my manager told me how proud she is of me and how far i've come. she even gave me a score of 3 (exceeds expectations) on quality of work saying i'm "very thorough with accurate documentation". she said she rarely gives a score of 3 so i felt proud! ( regarding attitude, "very caring and compassionate, displays teamwork on the unit." so that's it, no more orientation, introductory period, preceptorship. i feel even more like a nurse now.

night shift has made all the difference. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! the night crew has been so supportive and helpful. night shifters just have a different, calmer vibe. i was nervous because i heard they were 'clique-y' but i haven't seen any of that. i feel i'm one of them. and i am!! i feel i can be a better nurse since on night shift i actually have time to look up my patient's history, check the chart for any missing elements, and give a great report to the dayshift nurse. i gave report the other morning and the nurse said, "great report, by the way. i can't say the same for most other night shifters on this floor...." HAH! on days i used to get so anxious at 7pm knowing i had to give report, i felt like i gave the crapiest one because my notes were such a mess. not anymore. 7pm-11pm are usually busy and we get admissions from the E.D. but after that it usually calms down. USUALLY. i had one crazy night last week where my patient called me into her room @ 1am holding her vascath in her hand saying, 'IT CAME OUT!' i checked her neck and there was no bleeding whatsoever but i said, 'let me go get my charge nurse'... her and another nurse came into the room with me and we checked her out... i put a pressure dressing on her neck and called the MD. everyone told me how lucky i was that i didn't find her in a pool of blood!! that same night, my 60ish y/o patient called me @ 3am saying, "i took my IV out. i was having a dream!" haaaaaaa. only on nights!!

but then there are nights where all my patients sleep and are stable and i catch up on all my charting and have time to relax. IMPOSSIBLE on day shift. i will never ever go back. i love being there for my patients at night... i had a patient the other night who had a bad cough that was preventing her from getting any sleep so i called the doctor at midnight and got a cough suppressant ordered for her. i love how i can do something small like that that makes such a difference. i had another patient on sunday that i had friday as well and when i walked in her room she said, "ooh yay, you were the best nurse i've had since i've been in here" which meant SO much to me!! i admitted this guy from the E.D. on friday night and when i passed by his room sunday he said, "hey stephanie!" I stopped by, (i just looove having the time to do this now!!), got him some ice cream, and just saw how he was doing.

i love my patients, i love my co-workers, and i love my job!! yes, i have some bad nights where i can't wait for the shift to end, but it's always a challenge and i'm always learning and taking care of people. i can't ask for anything more.