You know you work nights when.......

Tiwi · Feb 27, 2007

1. You attend to a patients neuro obs, only to find that they know the day and date, and you are disorientated!

2. You can do vital signs etc by the light of a pen torch.

3. You can sleep through just about anything. The next door neighbours were actually having bricks laid and the workmen were cutting them in half with an electric saw...and I didn't know about it until I woke up.

4. The doctors are actually friendly

5. You swear under your breath because the evening / morning shift have not ensured that a drug not on imprest has been ordered...eg, a restricted antibiotic...and you have no access to it.

6. You swear under your breath because the lateshift have decided to give apperients / enemas in the evening, so you will be busy all night long with brown codes.

7. Its the only time we are allowed to have snacks at the nurses station.

8. You don't care whether your bed at home is made. It's a bed! And youre going to be in it! And that's all that matters...

EmerNurse, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2007

You find it perfectly reasonable to schedule every other staff meeting at 0100 to accomodate the OTHER 50% of the staff.

Maternity Girl · Feb 27, 2007

When you start calling relatives and friends at 3am and asking them "Are you sleeping...Im concerned that you might be depressed because thats a sign....people that sleep all day..so maybe you should talk to a therapist."
My mother used to do that to me all the time...she'd call me at 3pm and I'd be sound asleep and she'd voice her concern for me because I was always sleeping. One night I called her at 3 am ( I know its mean but it got the point across) and said "gee...are you sleeping? Its the middle of the day for me. She's now stopped calling me until later in the evening.

I love that! My friends are always telling me that all I do is sleep. I tell them, well all you do is work.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2007

* People give you weird looks at the market when you're buying beer at 8 am (after your shift and on the way home from work)...

* You get irritated with "breakfast" food at all the fast food joints when you're looking for a place to get some dinner.

* You've thought once or twice about slapping on a "Support your local Denny's" bumper sticker on your ride

* You roll your eyes every time someone voices the opinion that "night shift is quiet. Everyone is in bed..."

* You get frustrated with "after hours" entertainment establishments being 'closed' in the mornings (your "after hours").

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Feb 27, 2007

Your 2yo knows when he sees a can of Mt. Dew that it's "Mama's caffeine for work." And that he better not touch it.

When you get home at 8am, said 2yo says (in this order), "Mama work, Mama shower, Mama eats Cheerios, Mama night-night."

Totally agree with the poster who said that everyone starts the shift comparing how many hours of sleep we all got.

You mean 75 of Benadryl is too much? (yes, I know.)

nursemike, ASN, RN · Feb 28, 2007

You mean 75 of Benadryl is too much? (yes, I know.)

25-50 of Benadryl works just fine for me. Sometimes I'm out before I finish my second beer.

EmerNurse, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2007

12.5 Benadryl puts me STRAIGHT to sleep. If it's been a REALLY crappy night and I HAVE to sleep to do it again, 0.25 of xanax really helps LOL.

twinkletoes53 · Feb 28, 2007

You're wearing your nightgown or pajamas at 3:00 in the afternoon.

And when you call a friend at 1100, she asks you what is wrong and why are you up at this time.

working nights for 24 years, and getting pretty darn tired...

TheOneWithGlasses · Feb 28, 2007

You're wearing your nightgown or pajamas at 3:00 in the afternoon.

Or when you have to go somewhere and it feels weird and wrong to be wearing actual clothes, since you're always in either scrubs or pj's.

When you can't understand why people are giving you weird looks when you take the dog out at 3pm and you're wearing a coat over your pj's and are all bleary-eyed.

I work 3-11, go home and shower and put on pj's and sit around in them til I go to bed at 4am or so. When I get up around noon I shower and put on my scrubs so I can leave around 2. I've been known to stay in my pj's (or worse, just put on different pj's after showering) on my days off. The other day I had a doctor's appointment and it just felt so strange to be wearing clothes. I estimated it was the first time in probably a week and a half I'd been dressed. :uhoh3: :uhoh3: Can't believe I just admitted that...

General E. Speaking, RN, RN · Feb 28, 2007

I am a dayshifter but I have been picking up a few night shifts, so here's mine...

You know you work nights when at 5pm your house smells like dinner (for your family) and coffee brewing (for you).:smilecoffeecup:

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Feb 28, 2007

I have actually been trying NOT to take Benadryl so that it will work when I actually do take it. (I had been taking it on my nights off as well...not working well.) So I just decided to quit taking it altogethe & see what happens. So far so good.

I have heard that beer (or any form of EtOH) works but since addictions run in the family I've decided to stay far away from it.

saftman22, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2007

When you start your shift and say Good Morning to everyone and it's 1900!

LOL! I have a guy on my shift that does this evertime I see him!:nuke: