So, I've been MIA for a bit because I've been working night shift. I was originally going to post my opinions after the first week, but I thought it best to give it some time before expressing my impression.
Honestly, it's not so bad...but I don't love it. The first week I must have had a rush of adrenaline because I didn't feel tired at all. After having three weeks under my belt, and one to go, it's really catching up wtih me. Even as I type this, my brain is fuzzy and finding it difficult to form a sentence. This is even after I got 9 hours of sleep last night.
Sleep aside, there are a lot of differences between working day shift and night shift. It's not that one is better than the other, they are just different. There are many factors that go into working one over the other...money, personality, work-life balance, needs of the unit, etc...
Here is what I have discovered so far:
There are fewer interruptions at night. For the most part, once you organize what needs to be done with your patients, very little changes. You may have to juggle an emergency or an admission, but you don't have meds being adjusted, PT swinging by, eye exams or families milling around for half the shift.
Night shift is a tight crew. They are definitely proud to be working nights and wouldn't have it any other way. No doubt, you have to know your stuff working nights. The docs go to sleep and it really forces you to employ all your skills before waking them to intervene.
Night shifters are night owls. They find ways to survive and thrive on ridiculously small amounts of sleep. They seem to enjoy not having the docs milling around. Great pride is taken in getting the bed tidy and making the babies all fresh and clean. They must be hiding an extra set of hands because I don't seem to have enough to weigh a baby and change linens for a baby on an oscillator all by myself. This is surely a skill that I will aquire with time.
Day shift is full of activity, verging on chaos. Rounds are in the mornings, adjustments are made to the plan of care, speech swings by to teach a baby to feed, PT works on positioning and body movements, education provides developmentally appropriate stimulation, plus emergencies, admissions and discharges. Drips/lines are changed steriley resulting in a tangled mess of spaghetti. Of course fluids never arrive early enough and this is done when you are trying to organize everything just before change of shift. Nurses step in and out for committee meetings or classes.
Day shifters have to be early birds. They are up before dawn, but don't get home until after their young kids are in bed.
So, after my time on both, I am decidely a day shifter. I like the activity. I like being a part of rounds, contributing to the plan of care, and gaining an understanding of my patients current diagnoses. I like being available for committee meetings and contributing to the changing practices on the unit. I like collaborating with all the disciplines on the unit. I do miss seeing the kids on the days I work. I leave the house at 6 AM and don't get home until 8:30. It's tough, but on my days off, I am full of energy. I get to see my husband and have a little down time, even on days that I work.
Somehow, Blogger timed out and I lost half my post 2 days ago. I've been working on this post for 3 days between interruptions, deletions and sleepiness. At this point, I'm just hoping the thoughts here are coherrent.
Being on night shift, I feel hungover, dehydrated and downright fuzzy headed ALL the time. The first week wasn't so bad. I thought, "hey, I can do this". The second week was tough, but I bounced back. The third week hit me like a mac truck and dragged me along for a few miles. I will start week four tonight. I think this will send me over the edge. Luckily, I am dayshift starting Friday. I know I will have to rotate onto nights after orientation, but I likely won't have to do it for a month at a time. Just a week or two in a row, every 6 weeks. That, I can manage. Of course, I am not above taking on more night shifts to make extra bank in the event we have not aquired a second source of predictable income. Brian has really been keeping us afloat with his freelance work, but it's so unreliable I view it more like bonus money, than income.
While it's great to see the kids more, I don't feel like I'm entirely present in the experience. I don't have the energy to suggest creative things or make the efforts to take them to the pool (knowing that I will be begging and pleading with them to get their faces wet the entire time). I get to see my husband, but it's surrounded by the usual hustle and bustle of homework/bath/and dinnertime for the kids. And forget getting a moment to myself. I've resorted to bringing my laptop upstairs with me when I go to bed to steal a quick glance at my email and cnn.com. I also don't think I make decisions as quickly on night shift. The brain is slow and sleepy. But, heck, the extra money is nice. And, I can park right next to the hospital instead of catching the bus.
At the end of the day (or night), I will just make do with whatever I have to work. It's income and it's a job I love. There are a lot of people who don't get to say that. Maybe it's not ideal, but it is my reality for now. I've just got to get myself through Wednesday at 7:30 AM. I think I can, I think I can.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Whip It...Into Shape
The last couple of years I've spent anxiously awaiting the next milestone to acquire things that I want. Such as, we'll go on a nice vacation when I'm done with grad school or we'll replace our broken televisions once Brian gets a more consistent source of income. I keep putting more kitchen seating on the back burner waiting for the day that I don't have to deliberate if it's an appropriate time to buy something. This blog is me saying I could wait until the cows come home for those material things. But, there is something I bought that just could not wait any longer.
I signed the whole family up for a gym membership. Despite my belief that the gym is overpriced, I really can't place a price tag on my health and fitness. Exercise is my meditation. It makes me more relaxed, content, and better able to handle all the rest of it. Not only is it good for my mental and physical health, I think it's good for the whole family. Brian gets a much happier and svelte wife. The girls get to see their parents leading a healthy lifestyle that they will hopefully acquire themselves.
I was at the gym yesterday and today painting an idyllic picture in my head of how life changing this could be. For starters, the gym has built in babysitting services for up to 2 hours a day. That's more than enough time for me to get in a workout or a steam or yoga class or a coffee. No more juggling who or when the kids will be watched so that I can get a 30 minute walk in around the neighborhood. Autumn loves the play area. She can crawl through tunnels, play with dolls, paint pictures, or run into her buddies. The jury is still out if Abigail likes it. Since she's older, she has access to a gym with basketballs, moon bounce, Wii, DDR, dolls, coloring, PlayStation... I have to give her credit today for being tossed into a room full of strangers, the boys outnumbered the girls 5:1, and she had a good time. I would have been petrified of that scenario as a kid. Heck, that terrifies me now. But she is agreeable and sociable and able to find a friend wherever she goes. I haven't gotten up the courage to leave Bridget yet, but even she is old enough to partake in the excitement.
Yesterday, I was watching people walk around the indoor track. On a Friday afternoon at 3, there was a large majority of people over the age of 60. Something about seeing so much activity was inspiring. There was a business man in his suit and sneakers walking. There was an elderly man curling free weights while balanced on a Bosu board. There was one grandmother there with her grandsons. The boys were all of 4 and 7. They were running around the track, while the grandmother kept pace with them. It was sweet to see the older generations pass along something good to the little ones.
There is are three saltwater pools and a hot tub. Between me, Brian, and the Kid Zone, we should be able to juggle the kids enough to teach them to swim. Brian is an excellent swim instructor and hopefully he can get both of the big kids swimming by end of summer. Bridget can even get a taste of the warm water pool.
The basketball courts have family hours where they lower the hoops so that the kids have a chance at making a shot. Our girls are pretty tall. Maybe we can plant the seed for sports early. At the very least, give them the opportunity to explore what they might be good at. They even have group classes for kids 7 and up, including a karate fit class.
I know reality isn't as rosy as the picture I am painting, but I feel great about getting back into the gym. I just want to feel stronger again and take advantage off the things my body can accomplish, if I just push myself to try.
I signed the whole family up for a gym membership. Despite my belief that the gym is overpriced, I really can't place a price tag on my health and fitness. Exercise is my meditation. It makes me more relaxed, content, and better able to handle all the rest of it. Not only is it good for my mental and physical health, I think it's good for the whole family. Brian gets a much happier and svelte wife. The girls get to see their parents leading a healthy lifestyle that they will hopefully acquire themselves.
I was at the gym yesterday and today painting an idyllic picture in my head of how life changing this could be. For starters, the gym has built in babysitting services for up to 2 hours a day. That's more than enough time for me to get in a workout or a steam or yoga class or a coffee. No more juggling who or when the kids will be watched so that I can get a 30 minute walk in around the neighborhood. Autumn loves the play area. She can crawl through tunnels, play with dolls, paint pictures, or run into her buddies. The jury is still out if Abigail likes it. Since she's older, she has access to a gym with basketballs, moon bounce, Wii, DDR, dolls, coloring, PlayStation... I have to give her credit today for being tossed into a room full of strangers, the boys outnumbered the girls 5:1, and she had a good time. I would have been petrified of that scenario as a kid. Heck, that terrifies me now. But she is agreeable and sociable and able to find a friend wherever she goes. I haven't gotten up the courage to leave Bridget yet, but even she is old enough to partake in the excitement.
Yesterday, I was watching people walk around the indoor track. On a Friday afternoon at 3, there was a large majority of people over the age of 60. Something about seeing so much activity was inspiring. There was a business man in his suit and sneakers walking. There was an elderly man curling free weights while balanced on a Bosu board. There was one grandmother there with her grandsons. The boys were all of 4 and 7. They were running around the track, while the grandmother kept pace with them. It was sweet to see the older generations pass along something good to the little ones.
There is are three saltwater pools and a hot tub. Between me, Brian, and the Kid Zone, we should be able to juggle the kids enough to teach them to swim. Brian is an excellent swim instructor and hopefully he can get both of the big kids swimming by end of summer. Bridget can even get a taste of the warm water pool.
The basketball courts have family hours where they lower the hoops so that the kids have a chance at making a shot. Our girls are pretty tall. Maybe we can plant the seed for sports early. At the very least, give them the opportunity to explore what they might be good at. They even have group classes for kids 7 and up, including a karate fit class.
I know reality isn't as rosy as the picture I am painting, but I feel great about getting back into the gym. I just want to feel stronger again and take advantage off the things my body can accomplish, if I just push myself to try.
Friday, March 12, 2010
A Blog Exclusive
The Many Faces of Autumn
Sweet
Silly
Super Silly
What do you mean I won't take a pacifier?
Sisterly Love
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Please Be Kind, Rewind
Some people have favorite books that they read over and over again. I have never felt compelled to reread a book. No matter how good they are, I bore of knowing what the next page holds. But, I can watch certain movies dozens of times, finding them just as engaging as the first time I watched them. I learn them word for word. Depending on the movie, I am overcome with nostalgia or catharsis or comfort or elation. It all began with the Sound of Music when I was 10. I never could figure out how to solve a problem like Maria. I loved that movie so much, I tried to convince my husband to name our daughters Gretel or Marta. Who could watch that movie and not want a little Gretel of their own?
I added many to my list over the years.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - I was twelve. My best friend and I would reenact the dance tryouts sequence. What were we thinking.
The Little Mermaid - I watched this over and over again in high school. Guess I was trying to hold onto my childhood just a little while longer.
Secret Admirer, The Princess Bride and The Breakfast Club- I actually suckered my brother into watching these with me. Every weekend we'd settle in for a late night viewing. When I met Brian, I was shocked that he had never seen The Breakfast Club. This movie is also the reason why I could never name our daughter Claire. It's a fat girls name. Maybe not presently fat, but destined to be fat.
The Fisher King- This is, by far, one of Robin Williams best films. The acting was superb.
The Cutting Edge - Who can forget Toe Pick? And, seriously, this is really just a dance movie on ice.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves- I had this soundtrack on tape (I know, I'm that old). I listened to it every night when I went to bed. I could literally visualize each scene as I heard the notes.
The Crow and Dazed and Confused- Two constants my freshman year of college. I found myself an optimist surrounded my close group of pessimists. Not sure what they saw in me, but the experience was intense and unforgettable. I also learned to drink that year. Have a swig every time they say 'dude' and you'll be well on your way.
Titanic and Good Will Hunting- These came out right after I'd had my heart broken for the first time. The passion and emotion reminded me of my own labile feelings.
Ever After - adding another period piece to my repertoire.
Bring It On and Center Stage- Adding to my love of all things dance movies. Step Up 2: the Streets is of equal measure, but yet to be added to my DVD library. Maybe it 's because I never had dance lessons as a kid or my love of dance music. These just make me want to shake it.
Pride and Prejudice- (Matthew McFayden and Keira Knightley version) I'm watching this one as I type. The music is lovely. Just watching this movie makes me feel full of love and contented. All the stresses of life just melt away.
I am curious to know what new movies I will add over the years. Will my children find these films painfully dated and drab? What movies are your Watch-Rewind-Repeat list?
I added many to my list over the years.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - I was twelve. My best friend and I would reenact the dance tryouts sequence. What were we thinking.
The Little Mermaid - I watched this over and over again in high school. Guess I was trying to hold onto my childhood just a little while longer.
Secret Admirer, The Princess Bride and The Breakfast Club- I actually suckered my brother into watching these with me. Every weekend we'd settle in for a late night viewing. When I met Brian, I was shocked that he had never seen The Breakfast Club. This movie is also the reason why I could never name our daughter Claire. It's a fat girls name. Maybe not presently fat, but destined to be fat.
The Fisher King- This is, by far, one of Robin Williams best films. The acting was superb.
The Cutting Edge - Who can forget Toe Pick? And, seriously, this is really just a dance movie on ice.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves- I had this soundtrack on tape (I know, I'm that old). I listened to it every night when I went to bed. I could literally visualize each scene as I heard the notes.
The Crow and Dazed and Confused- Two constants my freshman year of college. I found myself an optimist surrounded my close group of pessimists. Not sure what they saw in me, but the experience was intense and unforgettable. I also learned to drink that year. Have a swig every time they say 'dude' and you'll be well on your way.
Titanic and Good Will Hunting- These came out right after I'd had my heart broken for the first time. The passion and emotion reminded me of my own labile feelings.
Ever After - adding another period piece to my repertoire.
Bring It On and Center Stage- Adding to my love of all things dance movies. Step Up 2: the Streets is of equal measure, but yet to be added to my DVD library. Maybe it 's because I never had dance lessons as a kid or my love of dance music. These just make me want to shake it.
Pride and Prejudice- (Matthew McFayden and Keira Knightley version) I'm watching this one as I type. The music is lovely. Just watching this movie makes me feel full of love and contented. All the stresses of life just melt away.
I am curious to know what new movies I will add over the years. Will my children find these films painfully dated and drab? What movies are your Watch-Rewind-Repeat list?
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