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

[HM2VikingRN]

The conversation with coworkers each night starts with "I got x amount of sleep today..."

[ASSEDO]

you have to tell pts "the kitchen isn't open right now" when they wake up at 0300 wanting bacon & eggs

yes, i can relate to that: the kitchen is closed and you have a hungry patient. there is nothing to feed them. there is not a cracker or box of milk in the department.

[Alibaba]

For some reason, I decided to do a week on days coz I was considering changing over.

I went back to see my charting and on all 3 days, my q2h charting is timed for noc. noon=0000, 0100,0200 etc.

Didn't even notice it till a week later when someone called my attention to it.

ITA with the 1100 'mandatory' meetings. I want to see them wake up at midnight or 0100 to come in for meeting.

[grace90, LPN, LVN]

ITA with the 1100 'mandatory' meetings. I want to see them wake up at midnight or 0100 to come in for meeting.

No Kidding!!!!! :yelclap: Then they expect us to actually be awake, coherent, participate and remember what they talked about.

Rachel

[prmenrs, RN]

you have to tell pts "the kitchen isn't open right now" when they wake up at 0300 wanting bacon & eggs

yes, i can relate to that: the kitchen is closed and you have a hungry patient. there is nothing to feed them. there is not a cracker or box of milk in the department.

on post-partum, newly delivered moms are usually ravenous. our dietary department stocks us w/snack trays: sandwiches, pudding or jello and fruit. we also have dry cereal, crackers, tea, coffee, margarine, lots of nonfat and low fat milk, juices. even if staff 'indulges' (i'm guilty of stealing milk :chair: ), there's still enough for the moms. but staff stays out of the snack trays.

the food is part of our budgeted pantry stock. all i can suggest is memos to nm, (and maybe higher ups), requesting more pantry stock and a keypad or badge swipe entry. and keep the docs out of there!

[elthia]

You fall asleep in the car at the bank parking lot waiting for it to open, because it's just easier to go the bank after work than to go after you wake up

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

you fall asleep debating the merits of 2% milk vs skim, the small or large carton of eggs, or the jumbo bag of Cheetos you buy because beer, nuts and cheetos sounds really good at 71m....

You have been known to arrive 30-45 mins late to class, after 2 calls from friends, and the call from the instructor! I make quite the entrance when I arrive from time to time....occassionally, if I know I'm not going to be working that night, I stay up! only way to ensure I get there.....

[HisTreasure, BSN, RN]

....when you have a happy of saying good night to everyone (the kids, the grocery store clerk, whomever calls you on your cell , etc.) at 8 AM!

[GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN]

When you don't wake up to meet the kids at the bus stop, the school calls...no answer...they finally get the DH on his cell, he tells the driver,( the car is there )just watch them walk up the driveway, if they don't come back, theyre ok......... she's in there, somewhere (.......coma) then you have to apologize the next day to the bus driver, explain your not a DCF mother (yet),and IN THE FUTURE,it's ok just to let them walk up, your asleep... that way you're covered if your too lazy, or its too cold and you need 10 more minutes of precious sleep!!!

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

When you and your co-workers go out for breakfast and you're the only ones having a burger and a beer at 8 am

[grace90, LPN, LVN]

When you don't wake up to meet the kids at the bus stop, the school calls...no answer...they finally get the DH on his cell, he tells the driver,( the car is there )just watch them walk up the driveway, if they don't come back, theyre ok......... she's in there, somewhere (.......coma) then you have to apologize the next day to the bus driver, explain your not a DCF mother (yet),and IN THE FUTURE,it's ok just to let them walk up, your asleep... that way you're covered if your too lazy, or its too cold and you need 10 more minutes of precious sleep!!!

Glad I'm not the only one who's overslept and not gotten kids off the bus.

What's a DCF mother?

[Kristyn, RN]

I'm a new grad who's been working day shift during orientation, and I finally get to go to nights on Tuesday - or Monday - or whatever. Trying to stay up as late as possible tonight as I make the switch. Thanks for this thread!

[cloister]

When you schedule your dental cleaning at 0900 and then fall asleep in the dental chair........

When you fall asleep in the middle of report.......

When you fall asleep in the middle of sex......

When your first priority on arriving at work is to make coffee......

When you know of every conceivable place to steal coffee from at work (like the doctor's lounge - hey, they're not using it at 0200!)

When you can drop off to sleep in a chair in under two minutes and snap to wakefulness 20 minutes later and finish your shift.......

When you can't read some of your own charting because the words are running off the page.....

When you hold cogent, pleasant phone conversations with numbnuts who call you at noon and later have absolutely no recollection of speaking with them.......

When you look like something out of The Fall of the House of Usher while volunteering as a chaperone on your child's zoo field trip......

When you feign sleep because you're bored with what's going on (meeting, church, etc.), and no one is offended, because they assume you're exhausted from working........

When you roll over at 0500 on your nights off and cackle to yourself, because you can roll over and go back to sleep!