Night Watch

One of the many down sides to starting a new job is you are at the bottom of the totem pole Whatever seniority you have gained where you use to work is flushed down the toilet and you start new. When you are a nurse part of that means working nights again. I haven't worked a night shift since 2007 and am scheduled to work nights all week. Needless to say, I'm a bit nervous.

I'm not what you would call a night person. Like most people I have pulled the occasional up until 4 am talking and drinking to people in the last 3 years but that is a whole different beast. Staying up all night to work is hard. All I can really remember about working night shift as a nurse is that the hours of 2-4 seem like they might never pass, patients are more likely to code, and you feel crappy the entire night. I remember feeling sick, dizzy, and nauseous most of the time.

I know there are good sides to working nights too. Pay is better, patients are asleep, and you don't have to worry about patients' family members (usually). To me though, the good doesn't out weigh the bad.

I've been trying to stay up late and sleep in. Today I slept until noon and Jehovah Witnesses rang my door bell and woke me up. It's almost 3pm now and I'm going to try to nap and maybe run before I head in. Wish me luck!