there really is nothing to prepare you for your first night shift.
ill just take a cat nap before i leave ill be totally fine! no. no, liz, no.
i took a 2 hour nap before my first shift because i was coming back into the city that day and i had a great nights sleep the night before so naturally i thought that would roll over. i didnt have that complicated of a patient load; just a baby who liked to desat and another that liked to puke! nothing that i couldnt handle. the night started out fine- handoff report, safety checks, check total fluid volumes, review the docflow sheet.. yada yada yada
2000 rolls around okay sweet assessment time! i can finally look at my babes and see whats really going on.
2100 chart
2200 chart vitals and quick snack break
2300 assessment time again? oh alright. lets see those diapies, babies!
0000 chart and write notes
the night goes on in that order. aside from cleaning up the puke and and constantly checking my baby that liked to desat and going up on oxygen and repositioning, it was fine! i was sleepy but fine. until 0300.
0300 - omg its only 3??!
0400 - omg its only 4??!
0500 - omg i cant feel my legs
0600 - omg why do you keep on puking?!?! just stop!!
0700 - where am i? who are you people? would you let me take a nap in this lovely issolette for a sec?
0730 - my relief sleeps in and is a no show.
what.
cue liz panicking. im basic at this point. i literally cant even. and cue every curse word known to human kind going off in my head. im basic at this point. i literally cant even. why did this happen on my first night. i really didnt think i could survive giving report to the wonderful nurses throwing themselves at me to get report so i could go home (i guess i looked that bad).
those poor women. i dont think i got a coherent word out. thank god for docflows.
so naturally i fume and cry the whole hour long car ride home and open the door to my loving boyfriend who happened to be waiting for me at my place and cried my eyes out. he felt so bad he even packed my lunch for me for my next night shift that started in 10 hours.
life is hard and life is harder working nights.
will i survive?!
nobody knows.
