Silliest thing you ever did after a long shift...

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So my unit is way over census and understaffed. I've had an utterly ridiculous assignment the last few nights; you know, the kind of shift where when 0700 rolls around the fact that you and all your patients are still alive seems like a victory? Yesterday morning I arrived home just beat. My legs felt like the bones might shatter any minute, my lips were puffy (a weird thing that happens when I'm overtired), my hands were shaking and I just felt like hell. I went to brush my teeth, as you do, and after a few seconds I realized that something didn't taste right and my mouth felt really sticky. I looked down at my sink and discovered that I was not, in fact, brushing with toothpaste. Turns out that Crest Vivid White and Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Hand Ointment are packaged in tubes of almost the exact same size and shape. That'll learn me to keep them next to each other on the counter. :trout:

So dish: What's the silliest thing you've ever done after a wretched night at work?

Specializes in ER OB NICU.

A night supervisor, fell asleep in the middle of giving me report. SHe had a 40 minute drive home.You have to wonder.

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Well I dont think it was quite "silly" but....after working for about 17hrs in the LTC facility I was working for at the time...I was attempting to drive home..going way too fast, but it was like 2am and my bed was calling my name!

I knew a truck was following me but didn't think much about it, til I saw these weird lights in its grill. It scared me...it was about the time of one of those "blue light rapists" going on in my area. I was so close to being home, but on a deserted road. It was an unmarked car.. I was petrified.

I finally pulled over and cracked my window and kept my foot on the gas...but it turned out he was a real cop in his own vehicle which had the lights in it. I was relieved to say the least. He saw me in my scrubs, I told him I was exhausted, etc. He let me off easy...not wearing my seatbelt. I thanked him and proceeded home. I was so glad to see my bed...I dont think I even undressed. lol

LisaRNinArkansas

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Specializes in SICU, EMS, Home Health, School Nursing.
Sometimes even holding a converasation when I've been up over 24 hours yields such interesting results. Giving report or getting an evaluation is always fun. :lol2: I'm sure if I hadn't been @ work all night people would assume this :biere: was how I spent mt night.

Haha... I totally understand!! One night I went into work after the charge nurse called me in a panic trying to find people to work... the ICU and step-down were both completely full, they had a 1:1 patient, and several call offs so dummy me, I said I would work even though I hadn't slept. Well the night went relatively smoothly even though it was crazy busy. It came time to give report and as I was giving report, the nurse goes "ok either you are really tired, or really sick". I have no idea what I must have been doing for her to catch onto that... I must have been acting really crazy :uhoh3: I can't even remember driving home that morning... I'm quite surprised I didn't get pulled over for drinking or something like that :lol2:

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

I sound totally drunk when overtired...so I was laughing at many of these.

I called the dr. the other morning..early am..to report a critical lab value. Luckily it was one of the understanding dr's...who waited...then politely asked what lab it was. I hope she knew it was a product of exhaustion...not the fact that i'm a new nurse.

Yesterday...I worked a night shift..with very little sleep the night before. At the end of the shift I had to do a fitting for personal safety equipment. Part of it was reading a paragraph with the mask..under a hood. THe nurse manager was looking at me oddly...so I have to wonder how far off the script I was speaking.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

After a 16 hour shift, I drove to the bank. On the way there, I completely SNARFED a whole box of Girl Scout Cookies; took me under 10 minutes I guess.

I later found out I was pregnant. =)

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Pretty much anything that has to do with shopping. When I'm that tired, I've learned to drive straight home and not stop at any stores along the way... even an innocent foray into the grocery store will yield some amazing results. I awoke once to find a frig lined with those little plastic lemons and limes (the ones filled with juice). I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Now, that is funny!! I don't know if it's silly or not, but one morning I got home, fixed a bowl of cereal, sat in my chair in the living room - and fell asleep while I was eating. Woke up with a crotch full of cold cereal!:uhoh3:

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Although this is not silly or even funny, one night after working a 14 hour night shift and then waiting around for a 10am OB appointment( I was 7 months pregnant at the time), I fell asleep at the wheel and rode off the road. I hit a low median and blew out both front tires and busted the rims. Luckily I wasn't hurt! There was no one around, and this was before the days of cell phones, so I walked about a mile to a pay phone to call my friend. I told her I was dehydrated (as well as delerious) and she brought me a popsicle. It was the most delicious thing I have ever had. After I had the baby and came back(10 weeks pp), I once must have fallen asleep while driving and a cop pulled me over, because I was weaving. I showed him my pumped breastmilk, and told him I was working all night and was exhausted, he let me go and told me I needed to pull over and take a nap. I went straight home. The next day I called my manager and told her unless I got a day job I was quitting. I got my day job.

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you guys are sooo funny. This thread has made my day.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU,ER,ACLS/BLS instructor.

One night years ago when I was a single mom working 5, 8 hr night shifts, I would get very tired when sitting to chart. I was working in the ICU and we did long narrative notes then. After reporting off , the on coming nurse was reading my notes before I left. She asked what library? I had been writing a neuro assessment and wrote," pt sedated on MS and ativan and the library doors are closing". I must have fallen asleep while charting. Pt died that afternoon,who knows,maybe it was ESP!

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

It's hysterical reading these, but, those morning drives can literally be deadly. I've know 2 nurses who've had accidents, and heard about others who've been killed on the way home from night shifts.

BE CAREFUL!!!

Eating an BIG apple in the car can be helpful, you have to pay a little attention to where you're going to bite next--and that little snack can help you sleep better (NOT on the freeway, @ home!).

I used to have a boyfriend who'd call me midday to talk; we'd have whole conversations until he figured out I was actually asleep: "(name), are you asleep??" "yeahhh" "Well call me when you wake up." "okaaay". I'd call back later and ask him what I had said.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

I'm on a travel assignment and in a 3rd floor apt. This morning after work I parked at the wrong building and went all the way up to the 3rd floor and my key wouldn't let me in "my" door. I finallly figured out I was in the wrong building.

Thankfully, nobody was home wondering why someone was trying to break into their apt.

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It's hysterical reading these, but, those morning drives can literally be deadly. I've know 2 nurses who've had accidents, and heard about others who've been killed on the way home from night shifts.

BE CAREFUL!!!

One of the girls who graduated in the class ahead of mine was killed in a single-car accident coming home after a wicked night. They weren't sure if her BS bottomed out (she was diabetic) or she simply fell asleep at the wheel. Another nurse I worked with did 3-11 followed by 2 16 hour back-to-back shifts every weekend; she would then drive 4 hours home after getting off work on Monday without any sleep. On the way home once, she awoke to find herself curled up in the floorboard of her car as it was hurling across the median. She crossed 4 lanes of highway and the median before coming to rest against the opposing lanes' guardrail. Never rolled or hit anything else. God's hand was definitely on her that morning.
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