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

jnrsmommy · Dec 7, 2009

When you say "Tonight was a bad night, I hope tonight goes much better" and you know that you're talking about two different shifts, but have to explain that to a non-night person.

psalm, RN · Dec 7, 2009

I worked an extra on time change night once in my 2nd or 3rd year of nursing. It was a pediatric ED on Halloween night, on a Saturday, fun for everyone. When I got my pay they didn't give me the extra hour because "that's just how we do it here." I have rarely been so angry. That was back when I still believed that management wanted to treat us fairly. Today I wouldn't even feel surprised.

...you get paid by the hour, so you should get paid for every hour worked. I would fight that & I hope you did.

southernbeegirl, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2009

...you get paid by the hour, so you should get paid for every hour worked. I would fight that & I hope you did.

i worked for a place that didnt pay you for that extra hour. their response was " we dont pay for that extra hour but it's ok because when the time changes forward, we'll still pay you for a full night that night so it all evens out".

how they know i'll be working that night? never did get an answer to that, lol

morte, LPN, LVN · Dec 7, 2009

if you work an alternating w/e schedule, you will work both.....presuming the new alteration was done in 2week increments?....dont know about every third w/e.

abbaking · Dec 8, 2009

On the bus home ...you pass out dead asleep...even with sunshine and noisy people, but somehow manage to wake up right before your stop.

The essential survival drinks in your bag include Coke, Monster and Starbucks coffee

When doing your 0400 rounds you are more tired than the patients you are waking up

You are so exhaused that when you are off for the next few days...all you do is sleep.

you doze off when charting or giving report (many a times)

an empty patient room becomes the "break room" for NOC staff....25 minutes to lay down and rest.

bakpacker13 · Dec 10, 2009

when you and the rest of the nurses want mexican and margaritas at 0800. NO LUCK!!!

lindseylpn · Dec 10, 2009

When your sitting here on your day off at 1pm, reading allnurses in your pjs. Wondering if you should really go grocery shopping or, just take a nap;)

Chewie_123 · Dec 10, 2009

You find the phrase "I'll be back tonight" extremly depressing.

evilolive, BSN, RN · Dec 10, 2009

You pray that someday, somehow there will be a place that has 8-10am happy hour, burgers, and fries. Breakfast is so unappealing at 7am.

jnrsmommy · Dec 10, 2009

You pray that someday, somehow there will be a place that has 8-10am happy hour, burgers, and fries. Breakfast is so unappealing at 7am.

That's one of the reasons why I miss San Antonio, great little mexican place btwn home and work that was open 24hrs, and served the best Strawberry Daiquiris.

imaRN08 · Dec 12, 2009

when you take a 30 second nap while typing on the computer, or writing on your "brains" sheet.

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I happened upon it randomly and thought of a few of my own!

You know you work nights when -

...you have no issue traveling to different time zones, even in different continents, since you switch your sleep time around so much anyway

...none of your friends have any idea when to schedule parties that can include you, because they don't understand that you saying, "I work Friday night" means "I leave work at 7:30 AM Saturday."

...you decide to run a few errands after work and end up with none of the things you needed but about 10 movies from the WalMart bargain DVD bin

...you come home after your third or fourth 12 in a row, read the paper and find yourself laughing hysterically over a tragic story just because you're punch drunk

...time and again, you decide to stay up all day to "not waste your day off" but end up face first in a plate of spaghetti during Jeopardy! and then are wide awake at 0200

...you're thankful the family member who asked, "what do you do all night while the patients sleep?" didn't press charges after you punched her in the face

...you've been tempted more than once to drink coffee straight out of the pot

...freezing temperatures overnight mean you're in tears because you have to to defrost/de ice your before getting home to bed

...you didn't realize how many curse words you knew until a telemarketer called you at noon

...you aren't afraid to go by yourself to that gas station in the hood at 3 AM because you figure some thugs ain't got nothin' a sundowning 99 year old lady...if you can take her, you can take them!