hmmm? This was presented to me in my work mailbox attached to a snickers. Isn't that nice? It's nice to be appreciated once in a while. Working the night shift as an RN is not the easiest, wait, let me take that back, it's not the easiest to actually go to work. It's not the work, its the going to work that is horrible. The 12 hour shifts will suck the all mighty bejesus outta ya just thinking about it. They tell me days are better. Who knows, but what I will tell you is that it makes for an exceptionally long shift if you come to work all bitched out, and up, and with a bad attititude. I, personally, like to wear pony tails, which I am too old too wear, goofy hair accessories, and have an arsenal of silly jokes to start the shift. Sure, I know my vim and vigor is irritating to some, but being sick, sucks...working 12 hour night shift when the rest of the world is asleep sucks....and I'll tell you something else...the patient never ever remembers the night nurse ,after the fact. The family will sometimes send a thank you card thanking the "nurse" who did such an exceptional job taking care of the patient in their time of need. It's always inevitably the day nurse...name and everything. grrrr...Let's see last night, I had a patient who puked up a liter of vomit, and who was there to clean it up and wipe his brow? (A LITER!!!! LIKE A LITER OF POP!!!!) That would be me, thank you very much, the night nurse....He did thank me for all I did, But ,I guarantee, when his wife sends the THANK YOU card it will be the day nurse, because that is when she was there and what she remembers....He'll only remember the perky redheaded nurse who cracked the joke about "Poop and vomit"...but he won't remember my name. yeah yeah, I know he's thankful, and I'm happy to help.
The point is, coming to work with a smile on your face shouldn't be an option when you are a nurse....it should be a given and we shouldn't be rewarded for such things....although it was nice, and the snickers was good at 4AM too.