Night Shift Life
Night shift nursing can be both challenging and rewarding. As the rest of the world sleeps, nurses on the night shift work diligently to provide round-the-clock care to patients in need. The quiet of the hospital at night creates a different atmosphere, with a sense of calmness and heightened responsibility. Night shift nurses must be prepared to handle emergencies and unexpected situations with limited resources and support. They develop a unique bond with their fellow night shift colleagues, as they rely on each other for both physical and emotional support during the long hours.
My daily schedule was as follows:
I usually worked 3 shifts in a row, because with the sleeping schedule, it made more sense to me to “stack my days”. Lets say today is Wednesday and I am scheduled to work tonight, Thursday night and Friday night. Wednesday morning, I would either get up very early, say 6 am, or decide to sleep in very late, about 2:30-3:00 PM. If I woke up at 6:00 AM, I would go about my day as usual. Try to get a workout in, cook my meal preps for the week of shifts ahead, do some laundry, or whatever else needed to get done around the house. After getting some tasks done, I would lay down to nap for a few hours. If I chose to wake up late that day, I would then try to do all of the same things but without the nap. I would do both of these based on what I had to do that day or the day before.
5:30 PM: I would wake up from a (usually) restful sleep, eat some dinner, and get ready for work.
Working night shift was great in the sense that I didn’t feel the need to do my hair or makeup for work, just because I knew there was lesser chance of seeing visitors, families, patients coming for outpatient procedures or management.
6:00 PM: After finishing my meal, I would pack my lunch and snacks for the shift in hopes that a family decided to give us donuts as a thank you today, which is a very common occurence.
6:45 PM: I would arrive at work around this time, sit in my car on my phone for a bit, then head in for some free coffee that is always made in the cafeteria.
6:55: Clock in time. I chose to arrive early for my shifts just incase something were to happen which would make me run a bit late, like a car accident, forgetting something at home, or just taking longer to get ready.
7:00 PM: Now, I would get report on my patients and start my shift.
2:00 AM: This is when I would eat “lunch”. I always took a normal lunch or dinner type food like pasta, pizza or salad. Some people chose to snack during the night instead of eating a meal, and that is a personal preference. At this time, I would also crack open my energy drink. Sugar free red bull or celcius were my go-tos.
4:00 AM: I would finish my energy drink by this time, making sure I allowed a good amount of time before my sleep for the caffeine to process in my body.
7:00 AM: Day shift rolls in and I suddenly get an adrenaline rush with happiness knowing I’ll be off to bed soon.
7:30 AM: After giving report, I will start to eat my overnight oats which I prepared at home the night before. I am usually very hungry by this time. On the drive home, I will always wear my sunglasses and try not to blast upbeat music.
8:00: Now, I would finally take a shower and brush my teeth and crawl into my bed that was waiting for me all night, making sure to put on my black out eye mask and play my white noise podcast.
While the night shift may be physically and mentally demanding, it offers opportunities for autonomy and professional growth. Night shift nurses possess the dedication and resilience to navigate the darkness, ensuring that patients receive the care they need even in the wee hours of the night. Although I do not work night shift anymore, I did for almost a year and fine-tuned my sleep and daily schedule.
