The Night Shift
“Night time is really the best time to work. All the ideas are there to be yours because everyone else is asleep.”
- Catherine O’Hara
It’s 9 a.m. I am finally home, post-call. 25.5 hours worked. About 3 crappy hours slept. Brain only minimally functional.
Ramblings of Stuff Learned:
1) I love working nights. There’s something magical about working while most of the world (in my time zone) sleeps.
2) I absolutely abhor the appearance of crocs. But I’m not gonna lie, they are awesome for overnight calls.
3) The nursing drive-bys (hey, this patient vomited…what’s your name doc?) suck. No, not all nurses do this. And yes, I totally understand why they do it. But it still can suck for the docs.
4) Getting paged for absolutely mundane, non-emergent (hey doc, this patient’s tylenol PRN expired…no, they don’t need any tylenol right now, but can you renew it?) issues at 3 a.m. sucks.
5) Always assume that the call room will be 20 degrees colder than you think, and bring extra blankets in advance to compensate.
6) Having the ability/knowledge to work up a complicated medical scenario is awesome. But not being able to figure out how to work the call room bed is not.
7) Not eating for 18 hours sucks. But being so busy that you don’t even notice your hunger makes it better.
8 ) Always, ALWAYS make sure you prepare before your shift. I usually do. But last night as soon as I walked in the door, I had 8 million things to do and consults waiting. I didn’t have time to stuff my pockets with goodies like chapstick and cash. That was not cool.
9) Patients who need their blood drawn at 4 a.m. and happen to have awesome veins should get awards.
10) If I had to do it all over again, I would. The good and the bad.
Time to shower/eat/figure out where my brain is/sleep.
Good night/morning, world!
Photos: All taken on my shift tonight. 1) The sign outside my call room. 2) 2 am shot taken outside on my way to the bodega. 3) My feets.