Hi everyone
I have been an operating room nurse for nearly eight years. I really enjoy what I do but I have had dreadful call ins over the last month. Over one weekend I worked an extra 20 hours on top of my normal 40 hours. Last night I worked all night so was up for 20 hours without sleep... then went home and had two hours sleep, and had to wake up to return to work but luckily my boss said stay home.
Anyway, when I get this tired and have been working crazy hours I find myself asking "why do we do it?". I know why I went into nursing to help people etc but I do find the call ins take its toll physically. Sometimes if I have had a really rough night or last few days with call ins I get to the point where I feel like I could break down and cry. This morning I really felt like I couldn't concentrate at all so was so grateful I didn't have to work.
I know some people will probably say I should give up the call ins and as much as they are a burden sometimes I still love the rush of adrenaline you get from being involved in an emergency case.
What's everyone's experience with call ins in the operating room? Do you get worn out with on-call? How long have you been doing it? I'd be interested to hear from you.