Dreaming about work while you sleep:(

Diary/Dairy, RN · Nov 27, 2007

I used to dream about work - not so much anymore as I made an effort to put work behind me when I leave.

One dream that I had about work was that I was trying to page someone and repeatedly dialed the number wrong- very frustrating!

My mom has nightmares about forgetting to see a patient for an entire shift, realizing it when she gets into report!

Scrubby · Nov 27, 2007

when i started working in the OR i dreamt about the surgical instruments a lot.....

elizabells, BSN, RN · Nov 27, 2007

I dream about work all the time. The one I remember most involved a baby on ECMO, wide awake, standing up in one of the big blue cribs that the healthier babies go it. For some reason the crib was in my parents' backyard, at the house where I grew up.

caliotter3 · Nov 27, 2007

On occasion I've dreamt about work. The frightening experiences are when I dream about specific people and can remember the gist of the dream when I wake. Strange how some can make your life hell while you're awake and can also make your life hell while your poor brain tries to recuperate for another run at it.

pywon8 · Nov 27, 2007

well, I dont dream about work when I sleeping. But I had two same incidence happened to me just after I woke up from sleeping. I think I was not in used to the shift hours last three years ago. It was 7pm when I woke up from my sleep. I was shocked that time because I thought it was 7am instead of 7pm and I am late for work. I was so blurr and rush to the toilet to wash my face. I not even bother to bath, just put my uniform on and rush out from my room. Suddenly, I felt something really wrong. A lot of my colleague are watching TV at the lobby and in this hours????......(morning normally is the boring TV show). Wait!!.........the sky is still dark!!! the sun should be rising now...I was confused. I stunt for a few minutes.....thinking what was happening here....I only realized that time was evening when one of them shouting there for dinner.....:wakeneo:...........hahaha.......what a shame.......I go back to my room.....without telling any body about this until today in ALL NURSES.COM..........:rotfl:

Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN · Nov 27, 2007

Yep I dream about nursing all the time. The first dreams were small and not really significant. I once worked at a hospital over 20 yrs ago that I loved at first and then grew to just hate after we got a really rotten charge nurse. Then the night mares came. and the worst one was I was taking a bath and vent tubing came out of the drain and was alive. I wrapped around my neck and dragged me under and was trying to drown me. I quit not long after that.

Since my retirement I have dreams where I am at work , take my lunchbreak, go to the cafeteria and I can't find my way back to the unit. people stop me to talk I get lost just dozens of reasons. Then I wake up.

I think everybody has work dreams.

elizabells, BSN, RN · Nov 27, 2007

One dream that I had about work was that I was trying to page someone and repeatedly dialed the number wrong- very frustrating!

I have that one all the time - not just about work. And I used to have it when I was a receptionist too. Something about the buttons continuously switching places. Aaargh!

NicoleERRN, RN · Nov 27, 2007

I usually replay my day at night when i sleep ,, especially if it is a really brain buzzing night, never had any real bad nightmares. but i have had instances where there are tons of alarms going off and i cant get to any of them.. iv pumps, vents, call lights, monitors ect.. when i do wake up its my cell phone alarm clock ringing... very weird :bugeyes:

you're not alone!!!

talaxandra · Nov 27, 2007

My mom has nightmares about forgetting to see a patient for an entire shift, realizing it when she gets into report!

I can tell when I'm stressed because I dream about work. Usually it's like diarygirl's mother's dream - I realise as I'm winding up that I completely forgot a patient and didn't look at them for the whole shift.

Sometimes I wake up thinking I have to ring work and tell them - it takes a few seconds to relise that if I'm at home, in bed, under the covers, then I'm not actually at work and it was a dream.

A coule of times I didn't realise until I had the phone in my hand, dialling. And once I realised it was a drea when the ward clerk answered the phone. That was really embarassing!

On the plus side, I haven't had the dream at all since I moved house a few months ago.

rnmi2004 · Nov 27, 2007

I have had the dream about not seeing a patient for the entire shift many times! I also hear call lights, sigma pumps, etc. while I'm winding down. Oh, and if I've been charge, the shrill cry of the charge pager bores into my brain while I'm trying to fall asleep.

Valanda · Nov 27, 2007

I had recently spent 20 hours (over two 10 hour shifts) standing over the crib of a child who had a trach in that was 11mm too short. The surgeon insisted that he would change it monday morning and with diligent care we should be able to keep that trach in until then. I spent every minute possible manipulating the vent tubing with each toss and turn. I guess I really got into the "mother hen" phase because when I went to bed that morning I kept trying to fall asleep.

Just as I reached the floating feeling and sleep was near I would hear the normal noises of the vent and reassured myself that everything was okay and I could sleep.

But as soon as I actually drfited off I heard the alarms of the vent and the accompanying whistle of disconnected vent tubing/ dislodged trach! I'd sit up in a hurry and look for my patient!

This cycle repeated from 8am - 2pm! I was so frustrated!