What do you all LOVE about night shift?

[indeed]

I was just reading through the poll about night shift work load, and it started me thinking as to why everyone here works it and what they love about it? For me, it's a whole bunch of things. I like sleeping through the warmest part of the day, not having to be out in the sun. One of my favorite aspects is the comradery of night shifters and the team work taken to a level that I didn't know existed. We have people on nights that can smell trouble from across the unit and will be at that bedside with you before you even have a chance to exclaim "OH SH*T!" That and being able to party hardy on my nights off long after everyone else has gone to bed. It's nice taking advantage of the waking world, but it's more fun existing in the space where the strange and interesting come out in droves. So, how about everyone else?

Indeed.

[grneturtle]

What i like about nights are the people no matter where you work we all seem to have some thing in common.

Excellant management skills, reliability, able to act in a crisis situation and not lose are cool.

And good assessment skills, how many of us have walked in and the 3-11 nurse, says all well no criticals.

So then on rounds you find a pt in respiratory distress, cyanotic!

Or in a coma due to hypogycemia, as they hadnt eaten dinner and the nurse still gave them their routine nph!!!!1

[JBudd, MSN]

Only problem I have with suits on nights, is that when they want to run fire drills, disaster codes etc., they always come at 6 AM (and are proud of themselves for coming in on the night shift). I have never ever had a drill run on nights for the last 17 years, at any other time. Does it matter that 6 A is when people start getting up, having the first round of AM meds, AM VS, and closing charts is all happening between 6 A and 7 A? Why no..........

On the other hand, suits have shown up on holidays at 1 or 2 to serve meals (no hot food any other time of the year though). Is the only 2 times I ever see them.