Night Shift Crew-Where ya at?!

The night is dark and full of terrors...



Creepiest thing about my nightshifts: the kids who slept with their eyes open. Also the nightmares of a kid waking up and yelling in Krio...


Part of our service is to work night shifts during each scheduling block. Sometimes they said you could be by yourself and have the whole unit (more than 10 patients) under your care. As a California nurse, who abides by patient ratios, that freaked me out! But fortunately, I was on nights with 2 other nurses. We had some complicated kiddos who needed more monitoring and our unit is full! So I was not working night shift alone-which is nice :)

Also, night shift here is just such a different vibe. First off-everyone is sleeping! As an ER nurse, night shift is usually "slower", but you're also working the entire time because patients keep coming in. None of my patients were sleeping during my ER shifts. 

Secondly, our shifts are shorter! My night shift started at 10pm and went until 7:30am. The shift itself was great! I listened to my audiobook, checked on kiddos legs throughout the night, finished my cross stitching project, and just hung out! 




But the dreaded day sleeping...the attempt to rest and recover while everyone is awake. The constant baseline nausea you have throughout the day. And the post nightshift headache heaviness that comes with staying up all night. My sweet roommate got me this sign from the ship shop to hang on the door while I slept! How sweet is that! 


                        












I worked night shifts for probably 7 years? And it wasn't until recent years (when I started working mids and days shifts) that I finally realized how I can't keep up with it. It's no longer worth it to me. As much as I LOVE the night shift crew, the night shift vibes, and the night shift itself...the days I lose aren't worth it. And my mental health takes a toll. 

However...when I head back to the states and look for my next travel contract...I'll have to see what is left and what is available...usually travel nurses are used to staff the units. And usually...the staffing need is nights. Guess I'll find out! 

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